Photo credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Not long ago, Florida Panthers fans felt the season slipping, poor starts piling up, injuries mounting, and patience wearing thin across the fanbase.
The mood has changed fast. Florida has now won five of its last six games, stabilizing a season that briefly felt headed sideways. The wins have not been flashy blowouts, but they have looked familiar, structured, heavy, and purposeful. That matters more than style points in December.
The turnaround began with cleaner defensive details. Florida tightened neutral zone gaps, limited rush chances, and reduced the scrambling shifts that plagued them earlier. Sergei Bobrovsky has benefited from that structure, posting a save percentage north of .920 during the stretch, while facing fewer east-west breakdowns.
Offensively, the Panthers simplified. Pucks are getting deep with intent, forechecks arriving in layers, and slot chances returning. Aleksander Barkov has driven possession shifts again, while Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe have capitalized on second looks around the crease. The offense looks earned rather than forced.
Special teams deserve credit too. Florida's penalty kill improved its clear rate and stopped chasing outside threats, trusting sticks and lanes instead. The power play remains inconsistent, but recent games show better puck movement and quicker decisions, especially from the half walls.
Florida Panthers rediscover structure and identity
This team never looked broken, just disconnected. When details slipped, frustration followed, and confidence dipped. Seeing them reestablish habits feels less like a hot streak and more like a course correction.
Paul Maurice's messaging appears to be landing again. Lines look defined, roles are clear, and players are trusting reads rather than freelancing. That's crucial for a roster still missing key pieces, including Aleksander Barkov and Dmitry Kulikov, both sidelined with knee and shoulder issues respectively.
The standings reflect the response. Florida sits at 12-9-1, just three points out of first place in a crowded Atlantic Division where margins disappear quickly. Games in hand and upcoming home dates give them a chance to climb further before the schedule tightens.
Florida looks calmer, heavier, and more patient with the puck. That identity carried them through long playoff runs before, and it's starting to resurface again.
The sky is no longer falling. The Panthers are playing like themselves again, and that alone changes the outlook heading into the heart of the season.