Florida's defensemen fueled the team's offense with four points, while Daniil Tarasov’s stellar saves secured another crucial victory for the Panthers.
The Florida Panthers packed up their gear and headed straight to the airport after Sunday night’s 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders.
It was a second win in as many nights for the Panthers, who ended their six-game homestand with points in three straight games and now get to head out west for a road trip with some confidence.
The Islanders put up a strong fight against Florida, but the Cats stepped up and provided some well-rounded scoring and suffocating defending to pull out the two points.
With games coming up against some of the best the league has to offer, the Panthers will aim to turn these wins into the momentum they lacked just a couple weeks ago.
Let’s get to Sunday’s takeaways:
SHUTDOWN CITY
The Panthers did something on Sunday night that they have done a lot of over the past several seasons.
They took their opponent to shutdown city.
Holding late leads hasn’t been as automatic for the Panthers this season as we’ve come to expect under Head Coach Paul Maurice.
On Sunday, however, Florida took a one-goal lead into the third period and not only built on their advantage on the scoreboard, but the Cats also held New York to just three shots on 15 attempts during that final frame.
“We were trying to be as aggressive we could, but they’ve got some guys on the back end that can move a little bit, so we had to be patient with it,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “But we didn't get too far off, and our gap got tighter as it got to our net.”
BACK LINE STEPS UP
Florida’s blueliners played a big part in Sunday’s win, and not just with their defending.
All four of the Panthers goals had a defenseman picking up a part of it, with goals by Uvis Balinskis and Seth Jones, and primary assists for Jeff Petry and Gustav Forsling.
At a time where Florida’s scoring has been nearly as stable or consistent as in the past – and for good reason – the team receiving some much-needed contributions from their back end will go a long way.
“The first goal for me, AJ Greer, big man, goes to the netfront, and that's why a wrist shot can beat a goaltender,” said Maurice. “We've seen a whole bunch of that against us, right? We've had a bunch of pucks come to our blue line that we couldn't get a handle on, and tips, bad bounces…you know, their first goal, they got one that went off Gus (Forsling). Those are the things that we haven't had go for our defenseman, (so with) a little bit of confidence, they'll put more pucks at the net. The forwards, they'll feel that the pucks are going on net, so they'll get more, and hopefully we can build on it.”
ANOTHER STELLAR GAME FROM TARASOV
Florida goaltender Daniil Tarasov once again stepped into the goal crease and provided some excellent netminding for the Panthers.
Both of his high danger saves came during the game’s opening period, with Florida nursing a 1-0 lead.
Between steadiness in net, rebound control and side-to-side movement, Tarasov is looking extremely confident and comfortable between the pipes for Florida.
As the team gets healthier and is able to play more into its defensive systems, we could see Tarasov continue to look bigger and better for the Cats.
“Well, first of all, we scored some goals for him, which he just didn't get the first (few starts), so I'm not sure if his record wouldn't be right on if we were able to put some pucks in the net for him,” said Maurice. “It's a different style of goaltending with our team when we're on our game. He hasn't necessarily seen it yet, but once he gets more and more confidence…I thought there was less movement in his game, and he was really far more precise in his game, and that's what we're hoping he can get to.”
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Photo caption: Dec 7, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones (3) celebrates with goaltender Daniil Tarasov (40) after the game against the New York Islanders at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)