Panthers hitting their stride with Winter Classic 2 weeks away

SUNRISE, Fla. -- After the Florida Panthers’ 3-2 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday, a camera crew filmed in the dressing room, gathering footage for “Road to the Discover NHL Winter Classic presented by Enterprise.”

Sports is a reality show. You can’t script it. Each season is a different story, and the one unfolding with the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions is getting good.

The Panthers faced early adversity and were last in the Eastern Conference as recently as Dec. 3. But now they’re 6-1-1 in their past eight games and one point behind the New Jersey Devils, who hold the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the East.

The surge comes as the Panthers are about to play the first NHL outdoor game in the Sunshine State. They will host the New York Rangers in the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic at loanDepot park in Miami on Jan. 2 (8 p.m. ET; HBO Max, truTV, TNT, SNW, SNO, SNE, TVAS).

“It gives us a ton of confidence,” Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe said. “I think it took us a while to get our footing a little bit. Now we know how we want to play every night a little bit. Every year’s different.”

There is a reason no NHL team has won the Stanley Cup three years in a row since the New York Islanders won four straight championships from 1980-83. It’s hard, especially with the NHL salary cap, which the League introduced in 2005-06. So much can go wrong. So much has to go right.

The Panthers made the Stanley Cup Final in 2022 before winning the Cup each of the past two seasons. That’s three straight long seasons and short summers. How do you get up for games in October, November and December when April, May and June are so far away? At the same time, each opponent uses you as a measuring stick.

“It takes a while to get going,” Verhaeghe said, “especially going so far three years in a row.”

Especially when you’re decimated by injuries too. Forwards Aleksander Barkov (knee) Matthew Tkachuk (lower body), two of Florida’s best players, haven’t played this season. Neither has forward Tomas Nosek (undisclosed). Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov (shoulder) has been out since the third game, and forward Jonah Gadjovich (upper body) has been out since the 11th. The list goes on.

The most bizarre plot twist? Forward Eetu Luostarinen missed eight games from Nov. 17-Dec. 4 after sustaining burns in a barbecue accident.

Though Dec. 3, Florida was tied for 15th in goals per game (3.00) and ranked 19th in goals against per game (3.20). The power play was 17th (19.1 percent), the penalty kill 24th (74.3 percent).

“It’s not a tangible thing that you could change or really influence,” general manager Bill Zito said. “Guys are trying hard. Guys are dedicated to being professionals and do their best. It just seemed like we couldn’t get out of our own way.”

Zito used the term “learned patience.”

“I think it’s something that you have to fight through,” he said. “I look through other teams who have kind of had success for a number of seasons in a row, and there was nothing for me there, beyond the obvious, that was a big tell.”

Since Dec. 4, Florida ranks fourth in goals per game (3.75) and 13th in goals against per game (2.75). The power play is 18th (19.2 percent), and the PK has jumped to first (92.9 percent).

What has changed? Coach Paul Maurice pointed to the return of Luostarinen, because that made the number of injuries more manageable. Verhaeghe, who leads Florida with 11 points (seven goals, four assists) over the past eight games, said you try to find your identity each season, and the Panthers have begun to find theirs.

“I think we just know how hard it’s going to be,” he said. “It’s not going to be pretty plays every night. I think we’re comfortable playing in tight games. Yeah, I think we’re not expecting much. We’re just going in and just trying to play the right way every night.”

Center Anton Lundell said the Panthers have been better with their details

“It’s a long season, so whatever happens, you’ve got to reset and kind of move forward,” he said. “That’s been our mindset as well. We want to improve our game. We want to improve ourselves. But at the same time, we want to build our game, and I think we’ve taken some steps forward. There’s obviously still some things we can do even better, but I think we’re on the right track and just got to keep going.”

Tkachuk is projected to return around Christmas, although he has not begun practicing with the team. The Winter Classic is coming, and so is the halfway point of the regular season. The playoffs are not as far away anymore. Maurice called it “the light at the end of the tunnel,” making it “easier to get fired up for games.”

“It’s just staying in the fight,” Verhaeghe said. “That’s kind of our mentality, just trying to stay in the fight. … Hopefully, we can keep on getting wins and get into a playoff spot.”