The Florida Panthers are currently on their quest to win their third straight Stanley Cup. If they do so, they will become the first team since Denis Potvin and the early 1980s New York Islanders to accomplish the feat.
They wrapped up their first road trip of the 2025-26 season, and it ended on a high note with a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins. But they still struggled mightily by losing four of their last five.
Panthers Are Struggling to Find the Back of the Net
In four of their last five games, they’ve had trouble lighting the lamp. Considering their offensive weapons, this is alarming.
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Against the Buffalo Sabres, they were shut out completely by a score of 3-0. Against the New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings, all they could muster was one goal. The team, over the last four games, has averaged only one goal per game. Overall, the team is third-last in the league in goals per game with 2.38. The lack of goal scoring has put them in a bind.
The Defense Has Been Swiss Cheese
For a team that has been more defensively minded over the last couple of years, the recent breakdown is borderline alarming.
Over their last five games, the team was outscored 18-8 and outshot 142-124. Every defenseman except for Niko Mikkola had a minus rating on the road trip. The defense could use some extra lessons.
Special Teams Have Been Anything But Special
The special teams for Florida on this road trip was abysmal at best, and it was assisted in putting them on this skid to begin with.
In their last five games, their power play only converted twice in their last 22 attempts. Their power play percentage of 20.6% ranks 15th in the league.
On the penalty kill, the team gave up five power-play goals in their last five games, averaging one power-play goal per game. As of now, it is 12th in the NHL with an 82.8% kill rate. If the team wants to win games, their special teams have to improve.
Lack of Discipline Is Hurting This Team
Speaking of special teams, the team’s incredibly undisciplined play did them no favors during the five-game road trip. This was a huge part of why they allowed so many power-play goals.
In their last five games, they gave their opponents 22 power play opportunities with 28 penalties taken and a total of 59 penalty minutes in that span. If the team stays out of the box, they have a better chance at taking control of games.
Panthers Still Have a Ton of Guys Out With Injury
A huge factor as to why the team performed so poorly over this road trip is that they are not playing at 100%. And the infirmary has grown in size since the beginning of the season.
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While the team lost Matthew Tkachuk, Tomas Nosek, and Alexander Barkov for significant amounts of time, it does not stop there. Just before the road trip, defenseman Dmitry Kulikov suffered a torn labrum and won’t be back for five months after receiving surgery. The abundant amount of games they’ve played over the last three years is taking its toll.
The Best Part? They Are at Home for Now
With the road trip coming to a close, the team begins a new homestand starting tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins. And coming off a win on Tuesday, they look to start a win streak.
Adversity hit this team at nearly every turn over the last three seasons, ranging from starting their playoff run on the road to losing key pieces in the postseason. If the team can bounce back from this road trip failure, they can make a big push towards the playoffs. It’s going to have to start with getting some points on Thursday.
