Panthers hold practice at IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 26. Badly in need of a strong outing, the Florida Panthers dug deep on Wednesday and were pleased with the results. Florida pulled out an impressive 5-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, heading into the Thanksgiving holiday feeling good after ending their four-game losing streak. Fresh off a strong penalty kill in the game’s opening minutes, Florida was given a power play shortly after, and they would take advantage. A strong shift in Toronto’s zone ended with Aaron Ekblad feeding Sasha Barkov for a one-timer from the right circle to put the Cats in front. Less than a minute later, Mackie Samoskevich picked up his own rebound after a wraparound attempt and beat Anthony Stolarz to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead at the 5:36 mark. That’s how the score would remain for a while, thanks in large part to the play of the goaltenders, Stolarz and Sergei Bobrovsky. Bobrovksy in particular came up with several key saves from in tight, including a pair with his glove that may find their way onto a highlight reel. Toronto’s third power play of the game arrived late in the second period, but it would be the home team that capitalized despite being shorthanded. An odd-man rush led by Barkov and Aaron Ekblad drew the attention of Toronto’s attacking players, leaving Sam Reinhart open to receive a drop pass from Barkov, take a few strides into the middle of the ice and beat Stolarz with a laser of a wrist shot. Florida’s 3-0 lead didn’t last long, though, as Mitch Marner scored on the same Leafs power play to cut the lead back to two. With Toronto pushing for offense, William Nylander took a four-minute penalty after he cross-checked Nate Schmidt in the face as the two battled to the side of Florida’s net. On the ensuing power play, Carter Verhaeghe fired a perfectly placed shot from the left faceoff dot into the top corner of the net, giving the Cats a 4-1 lead. Toronto pulled Stolarz with just over three minutes to go, hoping to give his team some kind of spark on offense. Instead, it led to another big save by Bobrovsky and an empty-net goal for Sam Bennett. That’s a big, feel-good dub for the Cats. On to Carolina. QUICK THOUGHTS Barkov is now up to five goals and 20 points over his past 12 games after finishing with a goal and an assist on Wednesday. With an assist on Barkov’s power play goal, Aaron Ekblad now has points in four of his past six games. Reinhart’s goal was his 17th of the season and his fourth shorty, both of which are most in the NHL. Verhaeghe has picked up two goals and five points over a modest three-game streak. In nine games in November, Samoskevich has logged three goals and six points. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Surging Maple Leafs arrive in Sunrise as Panthers look to break out of funk [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/surging-maple-leafs-arrive-in-sunrise-as-panthers-look-to-break-out-of-funk] Panthers Head Equipment Manager Teddy Richards named to Team USA 4 Nations staff [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-head-equipment-manager-teddy-richards-named-to-team-usa-4-nations-staff] Three takeaways: Something missing from Panthers, Knight plays strong in loss [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/three-takeaways-something-missing-from-panthers-knight-plays-strong-in-loss] Despite strong goaltending effort, Panthers fall to Washington for 6th loss in 7 games [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/despite-strong-goaltending-effort-panthers-fall-to-washington-for-6th-loss-in-7-games] The Hockey Show: Linda Cohn talks goaltending, witnessing NHL history [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/the-hockey-show-linda-cohn-talks-goaltending-witnessing-nhl-history] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNjQxMjA5NjI4NzMxMDIz/unnamed.jpg]
