Panthers ‘get back on a winning track.’ Can they carry that into a key road trip?
It has been awhile since the Florida Panthers looked like this, like themselves.
Perhaps Sunday was the return to form they needed.
The Panthers were opportunistic with their scoring chances and stifling with their defense — back to the style of play that has won them back-to-back Stanley Cups — in their 4-1 win against the New York Islanders at Amerant Bank Arena.
“It’s just good to get back on a winning track,” said defenseman Uvis Balinskis, who scored Florida’s first goal Sunday with a shot from the left point aided by a screen from A.J. Greer in front of Islanders goaltender David Rittich.
It was Florida’s second win in a row, following a thrilling 7-6 overtime win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, and their third consecutive game picking up points after an overtime defeat to the Nashville Predators on Thursday.
For context, the Panthers (14-12-2) have only had two other stretches of picking up points in three consecutive games through 28 games this season. The first was their first three games of the season, wins over Chicago, Philadelphia and Ottawa. The other was a stretch from Oct. 25-Nov. 1 — a win over Vegas, a shootout loss to Anaheim and a shootout win over Dallas.
This mini surge has suddenly vaulted the Panthers back into the middle of the pack of the Atlantic Division after being in last place in the Eastern Conference before these games. With 30 points through games played Sunday, Florida is in fifth in the division, three points shy of tying the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings for third place and four behind the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins for a share of the division lead.
“We need every point we can get right now,” said defenseman Seth Jones, who scored goals in consecutive games Saturday and Sunday for the first time with the Panthers. “A couple big wins this weekend, and hopefully we can carry that momentum into next week.”
The will need to, considering the challenge ahead. Florida is on the road for the next week, with four games slated against the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday (9 p.m., Scripps Sports), the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday (9:30 p.m., ESPN), Stars on Saturday (8 p.m., Scripps Sports) and Lightning on Dec. 15 (7 p.m., Scripps Sports).
All four teams are in playoff positions, with Tampa and Colorado division leaders, Dallas in second in the Central behind Colorado, and Utah in the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot.
“Not even the points, but the emotion that you’re carrying into the drop of the puck in Utah. ... We’re more confident now,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “We are going on a really tough road trip, but we’re playing as well as we’ve played in quite a while.”
The Panthers have been tested early and often this season. Injuries ravaged their roster. Uncharacteristic play has led to blown leads and wasted opportunities to gain points.
They have gone through tough stretches before. They’ll probably go through more.
But they remain steadfast that stretches like that benefit a team in the long run.
Florida has seen glimpses of that as of late. Now comes a chance to build on it.
“When you’re challenged like that, the way we have been so far this season, it’s great for a group,” said veteran forward Brad Marchand, who leads Florida with 16 goals and 31 points. “It really tests you as a group and brings a lot out of you. It’s a great opportunity for us to respond and kind of push through that. That’s what this group is so good at. When adversity is in front of us, we’ve been able to push through it.”
This story was originally published December 8, 2025 at 12:10 PM.
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