Sam Reinhart continued his scorching season with his 30th goal and two assists, leading the Florida Panthers to a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night. The win keeps Florida atop the Atlantic Division and marks a historic milestone for head coach Paul Maurice, who notched his 900th regular-season victory, becoming just the fourth coach in NHL history to reach that mark.
Matthew Tkachuk also remained in top form, scoring for the third time in four games. Carter Verhaeghe, Evan Rodrigues, and Jonah Gadjovich added goals for Florida, while Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 24 shots in a strong performance. Captain Aleksander Barkov contributed two assists, helping the Panthers secure their third straight win.
The game started in dramatic fashion, as Chicago’s Landon Slaggert scored just seven seconds after the opening faceoff setting a new Blackhawks franchise record for the fastest goal in a game. However, that quick burst of momentum didn’t t last.
Following Slaggert’s goal, the Panthers dominated, firing 20 of the game’s next 21 shots on net. Despite the relentless Florida attack, Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek kept his team in it for much of the first period, making 39 saves overall in a stellar but ultimately futile effort.
Reinhart’s milestone goal places him in elite company within Panthers history. He is now the second player in franchise history to record four 30-goal seasons, joining Olli Jokinen. Notably, Reinhart is the first to accomplish the feat in four consecutive years with Florida, further solidifying his role as one of the team’s most consistent offensive forces.
Holding a 3-1 lead entering the third period, the Panthers wasted no time putting the game out of reach. Just 10 seconds into the final frame, Rodrigues fired a shot past Mrazek to extend the lead to 4-1, effectively ending any hope of a Chicago comeback.
Chicago fell to 0-23-2 this season when allowing four or more goals. The Blackhawks are 0-27-3 in their last 30 games when giving up four or more goals, dating back to last season. Mrazek was a bright spot, making several highlight-reel saves in the first period to keep the game close early on.
Florida controlled play after the opening goal, outshooting Chicago 20-1 in a dominant stretch. Paul Maurice became just the fourth coach in NHL history to reach 900 regular-season wins, joining Scotty Bowman (1,244), Joel Quenneville (969), and Barry Trotz (914). Tkachuk continued his strong play, scoring his third goal in four games.
Chicago gets a few days off before returning home to face the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. Florida completes a back-to-back on Sunday, hosting the New York Islanders as they look to keep their hold on first place in the Atlantic Division.
The Panthers continue to establish themselves as one of the NHL’s top teams, while the struggling Blackhawks look for answers in what has been a tough stretch.
