Panthers Blown Out by Hurricanes in 9-1 Loss, Look to Regroup Quickly
RALEIGH, N.C. - From the opening puck drop, it was clear the Florida Panthers didn’t have their usual edge. In a game that spiraled quickly and never tilted back in their favor, the Panthers were steamrolled by the Carolina Hurricanes, 9-1, on Friday night at Lenovo Center.
Now 24-19-3 on the season, Florida still walks away with the season series against Carolina, having taken the first two matchups. But that’s about the only silver lining on a night where very little went right.
“We weren’t right from the start,” head coach Paul Maurice admitted postgame. **“Then we found our way into the penalty box for a real tough third period.
Haven’t had one of those in a long time.” **
The Panthers actually had a few early chances to settle in. Sergei Bobrovsky stood tall in the opening minutes, flashing the left pad to stone Jordan Staal on a breakaway.
But the pressure from Carolina was relentless, and eventually, the dam broke. With just over a minute left in the first period, Nikolaj Ehlers buried a centering feed from Staal, giving the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead and a firm grip on momentum.
By the end of the first, Florida trailed 12-3 in shots and had yet to find much rhythm.
Balinskis, Vilmanis Make History Amid the Chaos
Early in the second period, there was a brief moment of celebration for the Panthers. Uvis Balinskis, fresh off signing a two-year contract extension earlier in the day, ripped a slap shot from the right circle to tie the game at 1-1. The goal was assisted by Sandis Vilmanis, who was appearing in just his third NHL game.
The assist marked Vilmanis’ first NHL point, but it also made a bit of league history. According to NHL Stats, Balinskis and Vilmanis became the first pair of Latvian-born teammates to combine on a goal in NHL history.
“We’re a small country,” said Vilmanis, a fifth-round pick in 2022. “It’s awesome that I have someone here to help me and be there on the ice with me.”
Bobrovsky followed the goal with another strong stop, this time denying Sebastian Aho on a breakaway. But the Hurricanes weren’t done.
Carolina Turns Up the Heat
Momentum swung back to Carolina midway through the second period. Mark Jankowski gave the Canes a 2-1 lead, cleaning up a rebound after a shot from Alexander Nikishin. Nikishin then added one of his own on the power play, blasting a feed from Aho to make it 3-1.
Things got chippy late in the second, and Sam Bennett was hit with a 10-minute misconduct after a multi-player altercation-another blow to a team already struggling to find its footing.
The third period was where things unraveled completely.
Andrei Svechnikov scored just after a 5-on-3 power play expired to push the lead to 4-1. The Panthers thought they had an answer when Carter Verhaeghe found the back of the net on a power play, but the goal was waved off. Eetu Luostarinen had been pushed into Carolina goalie Brandon Bussi, and despite the contact appearing to be initiated by Bussi after Luostarinen had regained his footing, officials called interference.
“I was doing math on the bench,” Maurice said of his decision not to challenge the call. “I thought the likelihood of us coming back 4-1 the way we were playing was less of a chance than that thing getting turned over.”
That no-goal moment felt like the final nail.
Hurricanes Pour It On
Carolina didn’t let up. Ehlers scored his second of the night on the power play at 11:17, and just 21 seconds later, Taylor Hall added another with the man advantage to make it 6-1. Ehlers completed his hat trick at 13:03, capping a furious stretch of three goals in under two minutes.
Hall wasn’t done either. He added his second of the night with 1:37 left, and 12 seconds after that, Eric Robinson made it 9-1.
The Hurricanes finished 4-for-5 on the power play, a brutal stat for a Panthers team that couldn’t stay out of the box or slow down Carolina’s puck movement.
A Chance to Reset
The good news? Florida won’t have to sit on this one for long. They head to Washington for a Saturday night matchup with the Capitals, closing out their six-game road trip.
“I think it’s good,” said forward Anton Lundell. **“In 24 hours, we go again.
Just going to get ready for tomorrow because we want to play a better game. Just learn from this game and reset.”
**
Quick Hits:
- Eetu Luostarinen led the Panthers with three hits.
- Niko Mikkola blocked a team-high three shots.
- Sergei Bobrovsky made seven high-danger saves, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
There’s no sugarcoating this one-it was a rough night for the Cats. But with a game less than 24 hours away, the focus shifts quickly.
The Panthers have shown resilience all season long. Now’s another chance to prove it.