"We were a little sloppy, a little slow on a lot of things early," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said after the loss in Sin City. "It took about 30-35 minutes to get dragged into the fight, and once we were in it we were fine. They were the more desperate team."
After Sam Reinhart made it a 3-3 game a little past the midway point of the third period, Nicolas Roy scored on a breakaway less than a minute later to put the Knights back up on top 4-3. And with time winding down in regulation, William Karlsson put the game away with an empty-netter.
Making history in defeat, Aaron Ekblad tallied three assists to surpass Robert Svehla for the most points by a defenseman in Panthers history with 291. In the midst of a Norris Trophy-worthy season, he ranks fifth among NHL defensemen with 57 points (15 goals, 42 assists).
"It's been a fun ride so far," said Ekblad, who was taken first overall in the 2014 NHL Draft. "No regrets. I've learned a lot along the way. I wouldn't be anywhere near [that record] without my teammates. As much as it is an individual accomplishment, it's a team accomplishment."
Already leading the league in wins on home ice with 26, the Panthers, despite letting a few points slip away during their current trip, have been much improved on the road in 2022. Since Jan. 1, they've posted a 11-4-2 record while outscoring the opposition 64-50 outside of Sunrise.
Jonathan Huberdeau leads Florida and ranks second in the NHL in scoring with 84 points (19 goals, 65), but Aleksandar Barkov paces the team in goals (16) and points (34) on the road.
Missing the last two games, Sergei Bobrovsky could potentially return to the crease against the Ducks if he's feeling better. Having a resurgent season, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner has gone 30-6-3 with a 2.57 goals-against average, .917 save percentage and a pair of shutouts.
"Our focus is to be a better road team, and we've done a good job of that in the second half of the year," Ekblad said. "Like I said, our focus shifts to tomorrow, coming out with a strong effort."
Sitting at 27-25-11 after extending their losing streak to five games with a 4-3 overtime loss in the Big Apple on Tuesday, the Ducks have already begun to sell ahead of the deadline. Having already dealt defenseman Josh Mason to the Avalanche, fellow blueliner Hampus Lindholm is expected to be held out of tonight's matchup with the Panthers in anticipation of another trade.
Also expected to be moved, Rickard Rakell will sit out while nursing an upper-body injury.
Troy Terry, an all-star this season, leads Anaheim's offense in both goals (29) and points (52). After him, rookie Trevor Zegras is second in scoring with 44 points (16 goals, 28 assists). On the blue line, Cam Fowler paces the club's rearguards with 33 points (seven goals, 26 assists).
In net, John Gibson has started the majority of games, posting a 17-18-9 record with a 3.05 goals-against average and .905 save percentage. Also seeing some time between the pipes, Anthony Solarz has gone 9-6-2 with a 2.66 goals-against average and .919 save percentage.
This will be the first matchup between Florida and Anaheim since the 2019-20 campaign.
"When we don't have [the puck], we have to have our swords out very quickly," Ducks head coach Dallas Eakins said of the Panthers. "This is a team you don't want to back off and defend, you want to go and check them. This is as good of a team as there is in the league."
