Late Penalty Dooms Panthers in 5-4 Loss to Blues
The Florida Panthers were less than two minutes away from pushing the St. Louis Blues to overtime. Instead, a costly late penalty flipped the script, and the Panthers walked away from Enterprise Center with a tough 5-4 loss that stings for more than one reason.
With 1:54 left in regulation, Niko Mikkola was whistled for a penalty after making contact with Blues goalie Joel Hofer. It was the kind of infraction that can go either way, but this time it went against Florida-and it proved decisive.
On the ensuing power play, with just nine seconds on the clock, St. Louis cashed in.
Jimmy Snuggerud buried a circle-to-circle feed from Pavel Buchnevich, beating Daniil Tarasov for the game-winner. Jordan Kyrou, who was the engine of the Blues' offense all night, picked up the secondary assist-his third point of the game.
Kyrou earned First Star honors for good reason. The winger not only assisted on the game-winner but also scored one and set up another earlier in the contest, playing a pivotal role in a back-and-forth battle that saw both teams trade momentum throughout.
Florida actually opened the scoring just over three minutes into the game. Rookie Sandis Vilmanis, continuing to show poise beyond his years, slipped a short pass to Luke Kunin, who drove the puck to the front of the net.
A.J. Greer was there to clean up his own rebound, giving the Panthers an early 1-0 edge.
But that lead didn’t last long.
The Blues answered quickly, scoring twice in a span of just over three minutes. Jake Neighbours tied it up on a breakaway, taking a stretch pass from Buchnevich and firing a high-slot wrister past Tarasov without any hesitation. Kyrou notched the secondary assist.
Then it was Kyrou’s turn to light the lamp. After a miscue from Carter Verhaeghe-his stretch pass picked off by Philip Broberg-the Blues defenseman pushed the puck up ice and delivered a smooth feed to Kyrou, who made no mistake from the left circle.
Florida responded with a power-play goal midway through the first. Uvis Balinskis fired a shot from the point that deflected off Matthew Tkachuk in front. The puck bounced loose, and Sam Reinhart was right there to bury it for his 27th goal of the season, tying things up at two.
But again, the Panthers couldn’t hold the momentum. St.
Louis reclaimed the lead at 14:27 of the first. Justin Faulk muscled past Aaron Ekblad and managed a one-handed pass that slipped through Balinskis and found Jonatan Berggren in the right circle.
Berggren snapped it past Tarasov, and the Panthers suddenly found themselves trailing again.
The Blues extended their lead just 41 seconds into the second period. Faulk picked up his second point of the night with a helper on Oskar Sundqvist’s goal, putting Florida in a 4-2 hole.
That’s when Matthew Tkachuk took over.
Tkachuk, who’d been quiet on the scoresheet the past couple games, made his presence felt in a big way late in the second. He scored twice in less than two minutes to pull the Panthers even.
His first came at 16:52, thanks to a slick cross-ice feed from Eetu Luostarinen. Tkachuk deked Hofer down and lifted a backhander into the top of the net.
Sam Bennett earned the secondary assist after carrying the puck into the zone.
Tkachuk struck again at 18:39. After some gritty board work from Brad Marchand and Gustav Forsling, Reinhart sent the puck down low to Tkachuk, who walked in and beat Hofer blocker-side from close range. Just like that, it was 4-4 heading into the third.
But for the second straight game, the Panthers couldn’t find the go-ahead goal in the final frame. And this time, a late penalty opened the door for the Blues to snatch the win in regulation.
Now eight points out of a playoff spot, Florida is running out of room for error. Games like this-where they claw back, only to let it slip late-are the kind that can define a season, for better or worse.
Five Takeaways from the Panthers' Loss in St. Louis
1. Tkachuk Turns It Up
After being held off the scoresheet in back-to-back games, Matthew Tkachuk reminded everyone what he’s capable of. Two goals, an assist, and five shots on goal-he was the Panthers’ most dangerous player all night.
Since returning to the lineup, Tkachuk has six points in six games. This was his most complete performance yet.
2. Reinhart Keeps Rolling
With a goal and an assist, Sam Reinhart now leads the Panthers with 52 points on the season. He also led the team in hits with four, showing his willingness to play a physical game when needed.
Reinhart continues to be Florida’s most consistent offensive weapon.
3. Tarasov’s Streak Ends
Daniil Tarasov allowed five goals on 26 shots, snapping his personal four-game win streak. It’s his second loss to the Blues this season, and in those two games, he’s given up 10 goals.
Not the kind of matchup he’ll be eager to see again.
4. Vilmanis Building Confidence
Sandis Vilmanis picked up the secondary assist on Greer’s opening goal, giving him points in back-to-back games for the first time in his young NHL career. After scoring his first goal on Tuesday, he continues to show flashes of offensive upside.
5. Bennett Strong in the Circle
While Sam Bennett didn’t register a shot on goal, he was effective in the faceoff dot, winning 64.7% of his draws. He also added an assist on Tkachuk’s first goal and was credited with a hit.
Not flashy, but a solid all-around effort.
The Panthers have shown they can hang with anyone when they’re on their game. But if they’re going to make a serious push for the postseason, they’ll need to clean up the mental mistakes-and stay out of the box when it matters most.