5 TAKEAWAYS: Blues 6, Panthers 2

ST. LOUIS -- After opening up their four-game road trip with a shootout win in Minnesota, the Florida Panthers suffered a 6-2 loss against the St. Louis Blues on the second half of their back-to-back at Enterprise Center on Tuesday.
Sitting at 27-24-6, the Panthers remain just two points out of a playoff spot.
"It's frustrating," Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe said. "We want to win every game, but we know it's not possible. We just want to keep building our game and try and get better every night. We're on the right track, but tonight wasn't our best."
For a quick recap of the game, click
HERE
.
To read up on five key takeaways for the Cats, continue below.

1. OUT OF GAS

The Panthers admittedly didn't have much left in the tank in St. Louis.
Playing their fourth game in six days and less than 24 hours removed from going the extra mile to secure a 2-1 shootout win in Minnesota on Monday, the Panthers didn't have the same jump as the Blues, who were very well rested and playing just their second game in the past two weeks.
"We absolutely ran out of gas in that game," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. "We ran 'em hard last night. I liked our first [period]. … Our brains weren't going, and our legs couldn't get us out of any trouble."
When asked about the impact that fatigue had on his players throughout the game, Maurice pointed to the number of shots the Panthers had blocked as a key indicator. Despite firing off 71 shot attempts and 36 shots on goal against St. Louis, they had 22 shots that were blocked.
"You put up 71 shot attempts and thinking you still should've shot the puck more," Maurice said. "When you have 22 blocked, you're not moving your feet. I thought that was the difference."
Thankfully, the Panthers now have two days to rest up before their clash with the Washington Capitals on Thursday.

2. A NEW HIGH

It's all gravy for Eetu Luostarinen from here on out.
Sliding up to center the second line after Sam Bennett exited with an injury in the second period, Luostarinen got the Panthers on the board against the Blues when he set up shop in front of the net, took a pass from Matthew Tkachuk and fired a shot past Jordan Binnington to make it 3-1.

With that goal, Luostarinen recorded his 27th point of the season, surpassing the career-high 26 he posted in 2021-22. Doing all of that damage in 21 fewer games than last season, the 24-year-has been heating up as of late while posting three goals and two assists in his last five games.
As for Bennett, an update on his status is expected on Thursday.
"We'll get a better look at it tomorrow," Maurice said.

3. SWAGGY STRIKES

Verhaeghe is on the cusp of his first 30-goal campaign.
With the Panthers refusing to pack it despite facing a big deficit in the third period, Verhaeghe took a pass from Tkachuk and beat Binnington with a laser of a shot from the top of the right circle to trim St. Louis' lead down to 5-2.
Leading the team with a career-high 29 goals, he's lit the lamp 10 times in his last 13 games.

"I'm just shooting the puck," Verhaeghe said. "Just playing hockey."
Overall, Verhaeghe also ranks sixth in the NHL with 23 even-strength goals.

4. MORE FOR CHUCKY

No matter the circumstances, Tkachuk usually finds a way to pick up a point or two.
Making a dent on the scoresheet in 16 of his last 19 games, the All-Star forward dished out a pair of primary assist against the Blues for his team-leading 25th multi-point game of 2022-23.
Amassing a league-high 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists) since Jan. 3, Tkachuk has climbed all the way up into fourth place on the NHL's overall scoring leaderboard with 75 points (27 goals, 48 assists), which is just five points fewer than Leon Draisaitl's 79 points in second place.
With just five more points, Tkachuk will match the record for the most points every by a player in their first season with the Panthers. Until then, that honor still belongs to his teammate, Sam Reinhart, who had a career-high and record-setting 82 points (33 goals, 49 assists) in 2021-22.
Since the start of last season, Tkachuk ranks third in the NHL in points (179).

5. PANTHERS HONOR PARKLAND

The Panthers brought a piece of Parkland with them to St. Louis.
On the fifth anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the Panthers honored those touched by that tragic day prior to their matchup with the Blues by wearing special T-shirts with the names of the 17 students and staff members that lost their lives.
Additionally, an MSD Strong Panthers jersey and an MSD hockey jersey hung in their locker room.
"It's important," said Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas, a Parkland resident. "We're supporting the community. Guys bought in. Everybody wore them with pride. Hopefully everybody back home knows that we're thinking of them. … It's still a very sensitive topic. Everybody kind of gets together on this day. Everybody hangs out with their families and their loved ones around. It's a really important day for us."
Back home at FLA Live Arena, the Panthers displayed all 17 victims' names on the building's marquee and held a moment of silence that was attended by staff members. Within the arena, flowers were placed in front of the permanent MSD memorial that was first unveiled back in 2019.
"In some small way, the guys just wanted to show their support for the community," Maurice said. "A difficult day for the families of the survivors that live with it every day. We want them to understand that on this anniversary, they're not alone. The Florida Panthers are with them."