Panthers starting to recapture their winning style, Marchand ignites offensive magic, and Sebrango makes a strong debut during Saturday's win over Dallas.
The Florida Panthers wrapped up their latest homestand on a high note.
Struggling through a bumpy start to their season due to several key players being out with injuries, Florida earned a resounding two points against a very good Dallas Stars squad on Saturday, winning 4-3 in a shootout.
While the Cats did surrender a pair of leads, including a late, one-goal edge that was snuffed out thanks to superstar Mikko Rantanen, Florida never wavered and still pushed through to get the two points.
Now they’ll head back on the road, where Florida has mustered just one win in five tries, but playing with a chip on their shoulder has been an area where this team has thrived, so it could be a fun few days out west ahead for the Cats.
Before we get to all that, here are Saturday’s takeaways:
GETTING BACK TO PANTHERS HOCKEY
It’s no secret that the back-to-back Stanley Cup champs have not looked like the team we’ve grown accustomed to seeing over the past several seasons.
That’ll happen when the roster you’ve built to compete with isn’t the one that you’re going to battle with every day.
Eventually, those issues will work themselves out as players gradually heal and get back on the ice, but in the meantime, it’s not like the healthy players who are giving their all every single day aren’t working to improve the team as it is.
The situation gives the players an opportunity to show they can step up and contribute in what may have been an unusual spot or situation, and it also gives the coaching staff a chance to find different ways for the team to succeed when working with the current roster.
“I thought in the things that we're trying to get better at, we were much better at,” said Maurice. “I think we were at about six and a half minutes of offensive zone time, and that would be our best number of the year. We’ve still got lots of work to do, but we saw some pieces, we got more sustained pressure. Shot selection we’ve got to work on a little bit. I think we passed up clearly some ones that we should have shot, but at the same time, there were some plays there. We've spent some time here in the last week and a half, kind of going back to prior to the Pittsburgh game, but into the Pittsburgh game, where our offensive game has needed a push, because things aren't going right. I think we're about 31st or 32nd in the league for actual (goals) to expected (goals), that it's just not going, and that's fine, but there's some things we can work on with that, and we have, and we're starting to see it. So hopefully that'll be the start of a push for us to start putting some more pucks in the net.”
EXUDING CHEMISTRY
We’ve known for a while now that something special happens when Maurice puts a specific set of linemates together.
Going back to last season, anytime Florida lines up with Anton Lundell centering Brad Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen, the results are magical.
The chemistry is truly off the charts.
Whether its creating rush opportunities, maintaining offensive zone time or just providing solid defense, it’s a trio that always seems to get the job done, regardless of who they might be lined up against.
“It happened almost instantaneously,” Maurice said after Saturday’s win. “I think we played (Marchand) around because we had had some injuries, but the idea was he was eventually going to go with those two guys, and then as soon as he did, there's something there for sure.”
SOLID DEBUT FOR SEBRANGO
Recent waiver wire pickup Donovan Sebrango made his Panthers debut on Saturday night, and the 23-year-old blueliner showed out well for the Cats.
Skating on a pairing with Jeff Petry, Sebrango logged 15:56 of ice time over 19 shifts, all at even strength.
He finished with a pair of shots on four attempts and a plus-2 on-ice rating, and his coach seemed to like what he saw.
“I liked it. It was predictable, it was hard, it was fast, he looked confident,” Maurice said. “I didn't think that he chunked any pucks because he was nervous. I didn't think he tried to force anything. He looked like a guy with a really clean understanding what his game is, and just showed it quietly in some ways. He skated well, not afraid to throw the body. I liked this game.”
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Photo caption: Nov 1, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Donovan Sebrango (6) moves the puck against the Dallas Stars during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)