Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad speaks after Florida's 6-1 win in Minnesota on Dec. 18. The Florida Panthers are going to be home for the holidays, and boy do they deserve it. During the first three months of the season, the Panthers have traveled an obscene amount of miles. They have endured road trips both across the country to another continent, and as if all the traveling wasn’t difficult enough to endure, for some reason, the Panthers have had multiple one-game homestands where they come home from a road trip only to head right back out after a single home game. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjE3OTM2NjIzMjQ4NDky/img_6014.jpg] On Thursday, the Panthers returned to South Florida from their latest expedition, a five-game, 11-day road trip that took them to some of the farthest reaches of the league. When they walk into their homes and unpack their bags, the acts should come with the soothing realization that they won’t be doing that again for a while. Other than a quick trip up to Tampa for a 5 p.m. game on Sunday, one the team could very well go up and back in the same day, the Panthers won’t be leaving South Florida until after New Year’s. Over the next couple weeks, Florida will host the St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins and the usual holiday suspects of the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers. It should be a fun stretch against some quality opponents, one that Florida should be up for. That’s because despite the chaotic and extensive travel, the Panthers are also playing some pretty good hockey lately. Florida is currently riding an 8-2-1 stretch and ended their road trip with consecutive wins in Edmonton and Minnesota, two very tough buildings for road teams to find success. Knowing that Wednesday night was the final leg of their last trip for a while, it brought some extra motivation to make sure the flight home had as many good vibes as possible. “We realize the importance of every game, but when you’re one from going home, you realize you have to have a strong effort so you can enjoy going home,” Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad remarked after Florida’s 6-1 win over the Wild on Wednesday. Now the Cats get to settle back into their hometown routines, visit their favorite coffee spots and restaurants, and spend time with the ones they love most. They also will get to play some great hockey teams in front of a packed house at Amerant Bank Arena, which should be rocking and packed to the gills during the holidays. The fun starts on Friday against the Blues. See you there! LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Three takeaways: Aaron Ekblad thriving, Panthers wrap up road trip on high note [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/three-takeaways-aaron-ekblad-thriving-panthers-wrap-up-road-trip-on-high-note] Panthers end road trip in Minnesota on high note, dropping Wild 6-1 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-end-road-trip-in-minnesota-on-high-note-dropping-wild-6-1] Sasha Barkov a game-time decision in Minnesota, Sam Bennett out with an illness [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/sasha-barkov-a-game-time-decision-in-minnesota-sam-bennett-out-with-an-illness] Panthers challenging road trip ends in Minnesota against Kirill Kaprizov, Wild [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-challenging-road-trip-ends-in-minnesota-against-kirill-kaprizov-wild] Goaltending remains cause for concern as Panthers push for second Stanley Cup [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/players/goaltending-remains-cause-for-concern-as-panthers-push-for-second-stanley-cup] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNjQxMjA5NjI4NzMxMDIz/unnamed.jpg]
