The Florida Panthers hit the road on Monday for a quick business trip to Tennessee. Playing their only game away from Sunrise in the span of about a month, Florida took on the Nashville Predators and came away with a resounding 8-3 road victory. The Cats got off to a great start, scoring right off the game’s opening faceoff. After the puck was dumped into the Nashville zone by Seth Jones, Carter Verhaeghe picked it up below the goal line and came back behind the net before sending a quick pass toward the slot. A cutting A.J. Greer one-timed the puck past the blocker of Juuse Saros to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead just 11 seconds into the game. Florida continued to keep the pressure on, and just over five minutes later, they doubled their early advantage. Defenseman Uvis Balinskis had a great look from the slot that was stopped by Saros, but Evan Rodrigues was in a great spot at the side of the crease to snap home the rebound and give Florida a 2-0 lead at the 5:42 mark. Exactly 70 seconds later, Filip Forsberg scored a frustrating goal from a sharp angle. The weak shot from the right corner somehow got between Daniil Tarasov and the goal post, putting the Predators on the board just under seven minutes into the game. A rebound goal by Fedor Svechkov would tie the score at the 10:32 mark of the opening frame after a backhand from the slot off the stick of Ozzy Weisblatt was stopped by Tarasov. Jesper Boqvist’s third goal of the season would put the Panthers back in front less than a minute later. His breakaway attempt slid right through the legs of Soros to give Florida a 3-2 lead exactly 59 seconds after Svechkov’s goal. Florida’s two-goal lead would be restored with just over four minutes left in the period. Coming into the Predators zone on a rush, Greer’s shot from the left boards was kicked out by Soros, but an attempt to clear the rebound by Svechkov went off the shins of Sam Bennett before fluttering into the net to make it 4-2 Cats. Florida made it a three-goal advantage just 84 seconds into the middle frame when Gus Forsling’s point shot grazed the leg of Nick Perbix on its way past Soros. That would mark the end for Nashville’s starting goaltender, as Justus Annunen replaced Soros after Florida scored on five of its 16 shots on goal. An early third period power play would give the Predators an opening back into the game, and they took it. Right off the draw after a Jeff Petry tripping penalty, Nick Blankenburg’s long wrist shot found its way through a maze of bodies and past Tarasov at the 2:11 mark of the final frame. It didn’t even take three minutes for the Panthers to answer, and it was Greer netting his second goal of the game, once again off a primary assist from Carter Verhaeghe. Sam Reinnart got in on the fun near the midway point of the period while both teams were skating four-on-four. Catching the Predators in a line change, Evan Rodrigues came into the offensive zone and fired a shot that went off the pads of Annunen, but the rebound went right to Reinhart at the side of the net. His 13th goal of the season and 11th in his past 14 games gave the Panthers a comfortable 7-3 lead. A snakebit Carter Verhaeghe got in on the fun before the Cats got out of Dodge. Greer made a great ally-oop pass that Verhaeghe sped down the ice to catch up with, and his patient backhand went over Annunen’s glove to make it 8-3 Florida. It was just Verhaeghe’s third goal of the year, and his first since Oct. 21 in Boston. For Greer, the assist was his third point of the night and gave him a career-high +5 on-ice rating to go with his career-high-tying two goals. On to the Flyers. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Panthers' Daniil Tarasov Given Another Opportunity To Earn More Minutes With Start Against Predators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/players/panthers-daniil-tarasov-given-another-opportunity-to-earn-more-minutes-with-start-against-predators] Panthers make quick trip to Nashville for matchup with league-worst Predators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-make-quick-trip-to-nashville-for-matchup-with-league-worst-predators] Three takeaways: Tarasov shines in relief after rough night for Bobrovsky, Balinskis fills in well for Ekblad [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/three-takeaways-tarasov-shines-in-relief-after-rough-night-for-bobrovsky-balinskis-fills-in-well-for-ekblad] Panthers drop Stanley Cup Final rematch to visiting Oilers 6-3 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-drop-stanley-cup-final-rematch-to-visiting-oilers-6-3] Despite Inconsistent Start Panthers Could Inch Closer To Top Of Atlantic Division Standings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/despite-inconsistent-start-panthers-could-inch-closer-to-top-of-atlantic-division-standings] Photo caption: Nov 24, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Florida Panthers center Jesper Boqvist (70) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Nashville Predators during the first period at Bridgestone Arena. (Steve Roberts-Imagn Images)
