Three takeaways: Penalties killed Panthers momentum, Florida needs to start building on positives

The Florida Panthers are stuck in a rut.

Florida dropped their fourth straight game on Thursday night when they gave up a late 1-0 lead to the Nashville Predators before losing 2-1 in overtime.

The defeat was also the fifth in a row on home ice for the Panthers, which is a bit alarming on its own.

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Now 26 games into the season, Florida is going to have a lot of work to do if they want to climb out of the Eastern Conference basement and back into playoff contention.

Letâ€s get to Thursdayâ€s takeaways:

OVERALL TIGHT GAME

Credit to Nashville, who looked like a far better team than the one Florida dominated while skating to an 8-3 victory last Monday in their barn.

This game was far different as the Predators were much more disciplined in their systems and got much better goaltending from Juuse Saros.

Thatâ€s about where the discipline stopped for either team, though, as there were a total of 11 power plays on Thursday.

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No power play goals, though.

“I think there was offense to have by both teams,†said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “I think both teams†penalty kill was really good, and it was a 1-1 game at the end because the goalies were good.â€

PENALTIES SHIFTED MOMENTUM

Florida was riding high through the gameâ€s first 40 minutes.

While they held a slim 1-0 advantage, the Panthers were controlling puck possession and racking up the scoring chances.

That all changed thanks to a pair of penalties called on the Panthers, one in the final seconds of the second period and one almost immediately after the first one expired.

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While Nashville didnâ€t score on either power play, starting the final frame up a man for nearly five minutes was enough to build their confidence and shift the tone of the game.

Florida had also enjoyed three straight power plays during the second period, and when many of your power play guys also go out on the penalty kill, thatâ€s a lot of ice time for a select group of players.

“Well, we come out, we’re in the box for four minutes in the first five minutes, and at that point in time, weâ€ve run that top-end of guys because we’ve had so many minutes on the power play, there’s not much rest for them, so (Nashville) get a little quicker than we did,†said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “Most of their action came in a barrage of shots. It wasn’t sustained.â€

BUILDING ON SMALL VICTORIES?

Itâ€s not all doom and gloom for the Panthers.

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Quite frankly, it canâ€t be.

There is plenty of hockey left to be played this season, and Florida is a team that still knows its ceiling is much higher than what theyâ€ve shown to this point.

Eventually, things should turn back in a positive direction for the Panthers, but they need to start building toward that immediately.

“You’re not going to be confident,†said Maurice. “It’s an impossible thing to give. It’s got to be earned. You just need to stack up smaller plays, break your game down to incremental things, moving the puck on the tape, finishing checks, just getting pucks on the net instead of picking corners. But, you know, we’re cracking posts right now, and at least that part’s there. The opportunities are there.â€

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Photo caption: Dec 4, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) makes a save against Nashville Predators left wing Erik Haula (56) during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

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