The Florida Panthers continued their season-long six-game homestand on Saturday afternoon against the Calgary Flames. Despite coming in with a poor record, Calgary earned their fourth win in five games by defeating the Panthers 5-3 at Amerant Bank Arena. Interestingly, it was Florida that got the scoring started, and they did it less than a minute into the game. After Jesper Boqvist denied a Calgary zone exit, Sam Reinhart swept the loose puck back down toward the Flames’ net. The puck went straight to Evan Rodrigues, and he quickly deposited a shot behind Evan Cooley to give the Panthers an early 1-0 lead just 54 seconds in. Exactly 2:04 later, Florida doubled their lead on a play that came directly off a neutral zone turnover forced by Carter Verhaeghe. A.J. Greer brought the puck into Calgary’s zone on an odd-man rush, quickly feeding Sam Bennett for a shot that Cooley couldn’t catch up with, and just like that it was 2-0 Panthers. It didn’t take long for the Flames to answer back. A long wrist shot by Yan Kuznetsov fooled Panthers goaltender Daniil Tarasov and cut Florida’s lead in half at the 5:35 mark. The goal was also Kuznetsov’s first in the NHL. Another long shot by a Flames blueliner would tie the game up midway through the period. Former Panther MacKenzie Weegar wound up and took a big slapshot after taking a few steps in from the blue line, and while Tarasov got a piece of the shot with his blocker, it wasn’t enough to keep the puck out of the net. Calgary added a pair of goals during the second period off the sticks of Morgan Frost and Nazem Kadri to send Florida into the final frame trailing by two. That’s how the score would remain until around the 12-minute mark of the third period. With Florida flying into the Flames end, Reinhart found Brad Marchand entering the zone and the veteran’s wrist shot beat Cooley’s glove and brought the Cats to within one. They wouldn’t get any closer. An empty-net goal by Joel Farabee cemented Florida’s second straight loss. On to the Maple Leafs. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Panthers continue season-long homestand against lowly Flames [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-continue-season-long-homestand-against-lowly-flames] Aaron Ekblad Avoids Injury; Will Suit Up On Friday For Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/aaron-ekblad-avoids-injury-will-suit-up-on-friday-for-panthers] Three takeaways: Panthers can't build on strong start against Flyers, Carter Verhaeghe starting to turn a corner [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/three-takeaways-panthers-can-t-build-on-strong-start-against-flyers-carter-verhaeghe-starting-to-turn-a-corner] Late goals doom Panthers in 4-2 loss to Philadelphia [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/late-goals-doom-panthers-in-4-2-loss-to-philadelphia] Matthew Tkachuk confirms return to ice, says recovery is trending 'really well' on latest Wingmen episode [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/matthew-tkachuk-confirms-return-to-ice-says-recovery-is-trending-really-well-on-latest-wingmen-episode] Photo caption: Nov 28, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Calgary Flames defenseman Yan Kuznetsov (37) celebrates after scoring against the Florida Panthers during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
