‘No moral victories’: Panthers know they need results. Can they get them?
Niko Mikkola stood at his stall in a silent, mostly empty Florida Panthers dressing room Thursday night and essentially summed up the team’s homestand to this point in one sentence.
“We were right there again,” Mikkola said, “and couldn’t get it done.”
They had lost for the fourth time in as many games at Amerant Bank Arena — this time a 2-1 overtime defeat to the Nashville Predators, one of the few teams still below them in the standings. An early lead couldn’t be protected. A late rally for offense nowhere to be found.
And it’s starting to take a toll on the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions.
“Maybe the whole group has a little lack of confidence right now,” Mikkola admitted postgame. “We couldn’t seal the deal and we let them come back again. It’s a one-goal game again, and we didn’t get the win.”
The Panthers are certainly going through it right now. They enter their Saturday game against the Columbus Blue Jackets tied for last in the Eastern Conference with the Buffalo Sabres. They’re trying to pick each other up, find a spark, lean on any good portions of their game even in defeat to avoid letting things spiral more than they already have.
Players are consistently repeating that they like where they’re game is at most of the time and the team is “right there” when it comes to turning the corner.
But that sentiment only goes so far.
“There are no moral victories,” defenseman Seth Jones said. “We need to see results. It’s a results-based business, and we’re getting to that point where we need to string some wins together.”
Added Panthers coach Paul Maurice: “[Confidence] is an impossible thing to give; it’s got to be earned. You just need to stack up smaller plays, break you game down to incremental things, moving the puck on the tape, finishing checks, putting pucks on the net.”
They also know this: No one in the NHL is going to feel sorry for the Panthers. Florida, after all, has made it to the Cup Final each of the past three seasons. They won it all each of the past two years. Their roster at full strength is a super team that is together through at least the 2029-30 season thanks to savvy extensions by president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito along with a willingness for players to take pay cuts to be part of a potential dynasty.
But the Panthers aren’t at full strength. Captain Aleksander Barkov (ACL/MCL surgery) and star winger Matthew Tkachuk (adductor muscle and sports hernia surgery) haven’t played a game yet this season, though Tkachuk is skating solo and trending toward returning before the Olympic break. Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov (shoulder surgery) is out likely until March. Fourth-line forwards Tomas Nosek (knee), Jonah Gadjovich (upper body) and Cole Schwindt (broken arm) are sidelined long-term, too.
A bright spot amid all this: underrated do-it-all forward Eetu Luostarinen returned to the lineup Saturday against Columbus after missing eight games due to a freak grilling accident that led to lower-body burns.
So when they’re struggling like they are now, teams aren’t going to give them any pity.
“We realize every team in the league wants to beat us,” center Anton Lundell said. “The NHL is the best league in the world, we respect that. Less can be more sometimes, and we can be smarter on the ice.”
Added Maurice: “Like, everybody loves this. We’re struggling. And I get it. I would be too if I were on the outside looking in. Good on ‘em. That can be something we can use, right? For sure. For sure.’’
It’s something they’ll need to use. Florida knows it still has time to get out of this rut. Time will only be on their side for so long.
The offense has to start producing more. Florida has been held to three goals or fewer (not including shootout-winning goals) 20 times through 26 games. They are 6-12-2 in those games. On the season, Florida’s expected goals for according to Natural Stat Trick is 90.69. The Panthers have actually scored just 76 goals, a nearly minus-15 goal differential that is worse than only the Calgary Flames (minus-22), New York Islanders (minus-17) and Los Angeles Kings (minus-16).
The defense has not been able to close out games. Florida has been outscored 35-27 in the third period, a minus-eight differential that is tied for the fifth-worst in the NHL.
Goaltending has been suspect at times, too. Sergei Bobrovsky has a minus-5.07 goals against above average mark this season, the 11th-worst mark out of 58 goaltenders who have been in net at least 10 games this season.
Despite the struggles, the belief is not gone in the room. Not yet. There’s still season to play and their goal of a three-peat is still achievable.
But the Panthers are cognizant that things need to start changing.
And it needs to start now.
“We’re gonna do everything can,” defenseman Aaron Ekbald said, “to scratch and claw for points the whole way.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2025 at 10:03 AM.
.JPG)