Injury-hit Panthers looked in trouble on this road trip, until tonight in Ottawa

Florida moved to 23-18-3, and the road mark nudged to 9-9-0, which matters after a choppy stretch away from home.

The Panthers didn't need a perfect game, they just needed clean power plays and a calm third period. Evan Rodrigues and Carter Verhaeghe scored with the man advantage, then Gustav Forsling's third-period strike held up.

Carter Verhaeghe put Florida in front for good with a second-period power-play marker, then chipped in a helper later to finish the night with multiple points

Gustav Forsling shook off an early first-period miscue in front of Bobrovsky, when a puck went off his stick, by responding with a goal and an assist in the victory. Aaron Ekblad also played a key role with a two-point night, setting up Forsling's third-period goal and assisting on Evan Rodrigues' opener.

Despite Ottawa's frantic pace at home, Sergei Bobrovsky and the Florida Panthers held firm to secure a 3-2 win over the Senators. Florida badly needed the result after dropping the first two games of its six-game road trip. Ottawa, meanwhile, continued to slide, extending its skid to four straight losses and nine defeats in its last 11 games.

Florida will try to build on the win Monday night as the road trip continues against a Buffalo Sabres team that has shown improved form lately. In the notes, Verhaeghe's power-play marker was his 151st goal since joining the Panthers in 2021, leaving him one goal shy of tying Pavel Bure for sixth on the franchise list.

The Panthers also played a second straight game without Brad Marchand, while Matthew Tkachuk did not return, though both could be options Monday.

Rookie winger Sandis Vilmanis made his NHL debut for Florida on Saturday. The 21-year-old sounded exactly like a kid living the dream after Florida's 3-2 win.
Drafted 157th overall in 2022, he's been a long-view project, so hearing the emotion land in real time hits different.

Maurice's best line is the one every rookie should tape to their visor, you only get one first game. Vilmanis played 11:48, kept shifts short, and the Panthers didn't have to babysit his minutes.

Bobrovsky did the rest the old-fashioned way, square, patient, and never scrambling for a second look. He stopped 17 of 19 shots, and Ottawa's chances felt like single punches, not combinations.

The veteran goalie sounded especially pleased with how the team held its structure under Ottawa's pace.