Florida returns home riding an eight-game winning streak after sweeping roadie through Arizona, Vegas, Colorado and St. Louis

The Florida Panthers will fly back to Fort Lauderdale feeling about as good as you could coming off a four-game road trip.

The Panthers hit the road last week having to face four of the better teams in the Western Conference, and now they return home with four wins in the bank thanks to Tuesday’s 5-1 win in St. Louis.

Florida’s defeat over the Blues was also their eighth in a row, improving their record to 26-12-2 and their road record to an impressive 14-7-1.

Those 14 wins away from home are the most in the NHL.

St. Louis struck first in the game’s opening minutes, with Brayden Schenn capitalizing on a rough shift by Florida’s second line, putting a second high dancer chance on the shift past a sprawling Anthony Stolarz just 3:24 into the game.

Not to worry, the line centered by Sam Bennett would bounce back in a big way later in the game.

But first, it was Florida’s fourth line that would be rewarded for several solid first period shifts with a goal. Kevin Stenlund scored on a play that came moments after Jonah Gadjovich was stopped on an odd-man rush with Will Lockwood.

Florida’s power play would remain hot, scoring on an early second period advantage, and it was (who else but) Sam Reinhart who put the puck in the net.

It was Reinhart’s league leading 14th power play tally of the season. The first time All-Star took a pass from Matthew Tkachuk and fired a shot from the slot that beat Joel Hofer on the blocker side.

Speaking of Tkachuk, his ninth goal of the season and fourth in four games gave the Panthers a 3-1 lead during the opening minutes of the third period.

The goal came a couple shifts after Florida killed its fourth penalty of the night, a run that included a four-minute high sticking double-minor taken by Sam Bennett early in the middle frame.

Tkachuk wasn’t done there, though.

Less than three minutes later, he got the blade of his stick on a wrist shot by Gus Forsling, deflecting the puck past Hofer for his second goal of the period.

Then, with Hofer on the bench as a last-ditch effort by the Blues to claw back into the game, Tkachuk was sent back on the ice to go after a hat trick.

At the 19:03 mark, Tkachuk sent a puck about 150 feet down the ice and 15 feet in the air, right into the Blues’ empty net.

That man is on some kind of hot streak right now, as are the Panthers.

They’ll host the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday looking for a ninth straight win.

Here are some thoughts and observations from Tuesday’s battle with the Blues:

Tkachuk has scored in every game Florida has played in 2024. In addition to scoring goals in four straight, Tkachuk has 15 points over a six game points streak.

Stolarz was making his first start since Dec. 30 and came up big. He stopped 9 of 10 high danger shots and held the Blues to one goal on a night their expected goals was 2.91, per Natural Stat Trick.

Verhaeghe kept his points streak alive, now up to 12 points over his past six outings.

Florida finished the game 1-for-2 on the power play and a perfect 4-for-4 while on the penalty kill.

Barkov is now up to 14 assists over his past eight games.

Stenlund’s goal was second in as many games after going without one since Nov. 28. He’s up to a career-high eight goals and has matched a career-high with 10 points this season.

Lockwood’s assist on Stenlund’s goal was his first point as a member of the Panthers.

Gustav Forsling picked up at least a point in each game on Florida’s road trip. He had an assist in St. Louis and five points over the four games. 

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