SUNRISE, Fla. – The second line led the charge as the Florida Panthers closed their homestand with a 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at Amerant Bank Arena on Wednesday.
Helping the Panthers improve to 9-5-2 in the standings, the line of Carter Verhaeghe (1G, 1A), Sam Reinhart (1G, 2A) and Sandis Vilmanis (2G, 2A) combined for a whopping nine points in the victory.
“Well, they were our first line tonight,” head coach Paul Maurice said of the productive trio. “That's how good they were, and they were good at both ends. They didn't cheat to get generate that. They were responsible, and I really liked the way all three of them played.”
Earning some early breathing room, the Panthers got to work right away.
Breaking the ice after some nifty passing, Vilmanis took a feed from Reinhart and fired the puck past goaltender Spencer Knight to make it 1-0 at 4:43 of the first period.
With his assist, Reinhart extended his point streak to five games.
“I think we're on our toes from the start,” the two-way star said.
Staying red-hot on the power play, Verhaeghe doubled Florida’s advantage to 2-0 when he was set up by Brady Tkachuk for a strike from just outside the paint at 12:29.
Since Oct. 12, the Panthers are operating at 37.2% with the extra attacker.
Continuing his sizzling start, Seth Jones padded the lead further in the second period when he sent a shot right through Knight’s five-hole to make it 3-0 at 13:20.
Over his last four games, Jones has recorded seven points (2G, 5A).
Getting the Blackhawks on the board, Roman Kantserov pounced on a loose puck in front of the crease and slipped it past goaltender Jacob Markstrom to make it 3-1 at 16:48. A key building block for Chicago, the 22-year-old forward now leads all NHL rookies with seven goals.
In the third period, Frank Nazar flew down the ice and beat Markstrom on a shorthanded breakaway with a nifty backhand to trim Chicago’s deficit to 3-2 at 9:31. But just a few minutes later, Vilmanis netted his second goal of the game to put Florida up 4-2 at 11:00.
A night to remember for the rookie, Vilmanis earned the first multi-goal and multi-point game of his career.
“We worked as a line and I think that just paid off,” the 22-year-old said. “Worked up for each other, created chances and used those chances."
Trying to mount a comeback for the Blackhawks, Nazar scored again at 16:09 to make it a 4-3 game.
But after Chicago pulled Knight for a 6-on-5 advantage with just over two minutes left in regulation, Reinhart won a foot race to a loose puck in the neutral zone before sending the rubber into the abandoned cage to lock in the 5-3 win for the Panthers.
In a jam-packed Atlantic Division, every point is huge right now.
“I mean points are hard to come by,” Reinhart said of the win. “Especially when you look at look at the division, they’re all important. Obviously, we've been on the road a lot, so we really haven't been able to get in that rhythm at home. This was an important one.”
THEY SAID IT
"It just means everything. Yeah, it's a special night that I will remember, for sure. Especially thanks for the guys that just kept me going and, of course, the linemates as well. Thanks for this night as well." – Sandis Vilmanis on his four-point game
“It's been pretty great to see the kind of the change in his game. Just a little bit of confidence that goes a long way, especially when you're kind of fresh in the league. Nothing but positive things to say about him.” – Sam Reinhart on Sandis Vilmanis' growth
“Just incredible consistency. I think the game he played tonight, he's played almost all year. He's been as consistent as he's ever been for us.” – Paul Maurice on Carter Verhaeghe’s start to the season
CATS STATS
- The Panthers have won seven of their last 10 games.
- Sam Reinhart (401 GP) became the fastest player to 400 career points with Panthers.
- Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart have each reached nine goals this season.
- The Panthers led 28-12 in hits.
- Sandis Vilmanis is the ninth different Panthers player to record four points in a game at age 22 or younger.
- The Panthers swept their two-game season series with the Blackhawks.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Back on the road they go.
After enjoying a rare few games on home ice, the Panthers will embark on a three-game trip starting with a matchup against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET.
To watch on Panthers Plus, click HERE.
