Despite dealing with several key injuries, the Panthers surged into the holiday break. Now they're set to face a gauntlet of playoff teams while aiming to extend their impressive December success.
The Florida Panthers marched into the NHL’s annual holiday break on a very high note.
Over their past 11 games, Florida has picked up points in all but two of them, riding an 8-2-1 stretch since early December.
The run had the Cats holding a coveted playoff spot when the league went into its holiday freeze earlier this week.
That’s not bad considering it doesn’t feel like it was that long ago when Florida was sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
Actually, it was as recent as Dec. 3 that the Cats found themselves with just 12 wins and 25 points through 25 games, looking up at each and every other team in the East.
Things have changed a bit since.
As it stands, the Panthers hold a 20-14-2 mark, good for 42 points and the second Wild Card spot in the East.
They have also climbed within five points of the Detroit Red Wings, who sit in first place of the Atlantic Division, with Florida holding two games in hand.
It’s been quite a run for the Cats considering the depleted lineup they’ve had to utilize for much of the season.
Florida, fresh off back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, have played the majority of their season without Sasha Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Dmitry Kulikov, Tomas Nosek and Jonah Gadjovich.
Earlier this month, they also had to manage the short-term losses of forwards Eetu Luostarien, after he suffered a lower-body injury in a freak barbeque accident, and Carter Verhaeghe, who was out of the lineup for a very good reason: the birth of his first child.
Since that 4-1 loss to Toronto in Florida’s first game of the month, the team has appeared to turn a corner.
“In our adversity, we were in trouble on December 2nd,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “We got beat by Toronto at home with eight guys out of our lineup, and we're looking at, I don't know what it is, 10 of the next 11 games, lot of road travel, and they're all playoff teams, and they're good. Carolina is the number one team in the East. We could have been in a world of hurt going into Christmas, almost an insurmountable task, and the opposite is true. We’re 8-2 in our last 10, the two games we lost are on back-to-back nights. I’m really proud about how they’ve stuck together.”
The next step for the Panthers will be keeping the good times rolling amid a challenging upcoming schedule.
Florida will exit the holiday break facing three games in four nights, all against teams currently holding a playoff position, to wrap up their month of December: Saturday against Tampa Bay, Monday against Washington and the following night against Montreal.
That’s all leading up to the 2026 Winter Classic taking place at loanDepot park in Miami, when the Panthers will host the New York Rangers for an outdoor game on Jan. 2
After that, Florida will battle the NHL-best Colorado Avalanche two days later at Amerant Bank Arena before playing nine of their following 10 on the road.
The good news for the Cats is that they are expecting to add a very big piece of their championship core back to the lineup.
Winger Matthew Tkachuk has been ramping up his recovery from offseason surgery over the past few weeks and is chomping at the bit to make his season debut.
There could be updates on that front as soon as this weekend, so keep an eye out for that.
Adding another elite forward to Florida’s ranks will be a major boost on several fronts, elevating the team’s top six while simultaneously bolstering the Panthers’ depth and adding a dangerous piece to the Cats’ top power play unit.
Florida’s next scheduled practice is on Sunday in Fort Lauderdale, between the games against Tampa Bay and Washington. After that, the plan is for the Panthers to hold a practice on New Year’s Day on the Winter Classic ice inside loanDepot park.
It’s going to be a busy week in and around Pantherland, so stay tuned for updates!
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Dec 10, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; The Florida Panthers celebrate a win over the Utah Mammoth after the game at Delta Center. (Rob Gray-Imagn Images)