The Florida Panthers have a two-day break without games after returning from the West Coast. Two road wins and two losses helped the team move up from the bottom spot in the Eastern Conference. Sergei Bobrovsky started in three games: 7-3 L against the Anaheim Ducks, 5-2 W against the Los Angeles Kings, and 3-2 W against the Vegas Golden Knights. Daniil Tarasov, who lost 3-1 in San Jose, still seeks his first win of the season.
Brad Marchand is unstoppable. He scored in all five contests in November, totaling six goals and one assist. He truly shows up every night to entertain fans and push himself and his teammates harder.
While the Panthers were on the road, the good news came from the Sunshine State.
First, the Panthers’ captain, Aleksander Barkov, attended the Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers game (136-131) on Saturday, Nov. 8. On Sunday, some local fans photographed Barkov working out at Holiday Park in Fort Lauderdale without a brace. The Finnish forward underwent surgery on his right knee on Sept. 26. It’s too early to jump to any conclusion regarding his injury, though. Still, Barkov deserves a chance to join his national team for the 2026 Winter Olympics and participate in part of the ongoing season if his recovery continues smoothly.
The captain will spend his next few weeks closer to the team. The Cats have five home games in 10 days and face the Philadelphia Flyers before Thanksgiving. One can only imagine how determined the team will be to get on top of the division and conference.
As of right now, the Panthers (6th, 17 points) are five points shy of the first-place Montreal Canadiens (1st, 22 points) in the Atlantic Division. The team improved to an 8-7-1 record.
The back-to-back champions will welcome the Washington Capitals at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday, Nov. 13.