Goaltender Daniil Tarasov has ignited the Panthers' recent surge with clutch saves and a four-game winning streak.
The Florida Panthers have been blessed with some excellent goaltenders in recent years.
While receiving Stanley Cup-caliber netminding from starter Sergei Bobrovsky, the Cats have also been backstopped to some huge wins by the consistent play of their backups.
From Alex Lyon to Anthony Stolarz to Vitek Vanecek, Florida’s Goaltending Excellence Department, headed by Roberto Luongo, has continuously targeted tendies who could step in and thrive for the Cats.
This is also the same group that saw Devon Levi as draftable before anyone else, and who brought in Brandon Bussi this offseason, only to see him get plucked away on the waiver wire by the Carolina Hurricanes. All Bussi has done with Carolina is have the best start to an NHL career by a goalie in league history.
The latest goaltender who Luongo and his guys set their sights on was Daniil Tarasov.
Early on, Florida didn’t make things easy on their newest goalie. The Panthers scored a combined six goals during Tarasov’s first four starts, which is why it’s not terribly surprising that he went 0-3-1 in those outings despite allowing only 10 goals against.
Between late-November and mid-December, Tarasov struggled through a stretch in which he allowed four or more goals in three of five starts, but he’s bounced back in a big way since the calendar flipped to 2026, with four straight victories under his belt.
“Every game I’m feeling more confident, especially when the guys are playing unbelievable in front of me,” Tarasov said after his most recent win on Sunday in Chicago. “They didn't give any chances like in the past two games I played, and it's really easy and you're just kind of like, waiting when the puck comes to you and just trying to make easy and more predictable saves.”
It’s probably not a coincidence that as the Panthers have gotten healthier and the play in front of him has improved, so has Tarasov’s record.
The 26-year-old started the month with an impressive 2-1 win over the NHL-best Colorado Avalanche, a game in which 10 of his 27 saves were on high-danger shots.
“So calm, so steady,” Panthers defenseman Gus Forsling said of Tarasov. “It makes it very easy for the D core; he gives us a lot of confidence.”
Each of Tarasov’s previous three wins, which have all come in the past 10 days, were all away from home.
He stood tall on the back end of a back-to-back when the Cats wrapped up a six-game roadie in Washington, stopping all six high-danger shots he faced.
It was an important win at the time, sending Florida home with an even 3-3 mark on an extremely tough trip and giving them some deservedly good vibes.
“Every time he’s stepped in, he’s given us a chance to win, and that’s all we can ask for,” said Panthers forward Sam Bennett.
The strong and consistent play from Tarasov was rewarded when he was given two of the three starts on last week’s trip.
Those games came in cities – Winnipeg and Chicago – where Florida had not won in several years.
All the Cats did was come through with two of their absolute best defensive efforts of the season, and Tarasov rewarded his teammates with a pair of victories in which he allowed a total of two goals.
“It was kind of a rough start this season, and now I’m getting more of an understanding of how we play and what I should do,” said Tarasov. “Don’t try to just make unbelievable saves, but just kind of like, stay in the crease, be calm and just wait for the puck to come to you.”
The combination of a composed and confident Tarasov between the pipes and a healthy, defensive-minded group of Panthers in front of him has led to an impressive month, statistically.
In addition to the 4-0-0 record, Tarasov has skated to a sparkling .944 save percentage and a tidy 1.22 goals against average, allowing just five goals against on 8.63 expected goals.
“He played really well for us at the start of this year, and we couldn’t score a goal for that poor fella, and his game was good,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice, adding, with a smile, “I think he’s rounded back, and he’s figured out he may have to keep it at one (goal against).”
Now well into the second half of their season, the Panthers have little margin for error.
Entering play Monday, Florida sits three points behind the Boston Bruins for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, holding one game in hand. The Cats are also four points back of the Buffalo Sabres for third place in the Atlantic Division (yes, you read that correctly), with each having played 51 games.
If Florida can avoid any additional major injuries, and it certainly seems as though they’ve cashed in enough of those chips this season, they should continue to gain momentum and show more overall consistency while continuing to welcome previously wounded players back into the lineup. That includes a pair of regular defenseman; Seth Jones and Dmitry Kulikov.
What that means for Tarasov and Bobrovsky is that they will be playing behind the kind of suffocating and physical defense that teams have struggled against in each of the past several postseasons.
It should be an interesting few months.
“We take care of each other in our locker room, and we're battling for each other on ice,” Tarasov said. “You kind of feel like a family in our style of game.”
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Photo caption: Jan 22, 2026; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Florida Panthers goaltender Daniil Tarasov (40) warms up before the start of the second period against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre. (James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images)