The Florida Panthers visit the Chicago Blackhawks this afternoon, and Jacob Markstrom is listed on injured reserve in the latest injury report.
Puck drop is 3:00 p.m. EDT in Chicago, and Florida is the visiting team for game 3 of a 4-game road trip.
According to the latest injury report, current as of Oct 25, Jacob Markstrom is listed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury dating to Oct 20.
His last start was an 8-3 win over Seattle on Oct 17. After that, Akira Schmid and Cooper Black each started a road game, and Florida lost both.
Two clubs on two-game losing streaks meet in Chicago
The Panthers are 5-4-2 and sixth in the Atlantic. They sit outside the wild card line, zero points behind the last spot.
That skid came on the road, 5-1 in Ottawa and a 4-0 shutout in Pittsburgh. Ugly.
Before it, Florida beat Columbus 7-3 on Oct 13 and Vancouver 3-2 in overtime on Oct 15.
Chicago is 3-7-0, and that leaves it 7 points behind the last wild card spot.
The Blackhawks have dropped two straight at home, 4-0 to Dallas and 4-1 to Montreal. Before that, they beat Pittsburgh 5-3 and Winnipeg 4-3 in overtime.
Chicago is deep into its homestand, game 6 of 7, and home ice has produced only a 3-3-0 record.
Florida has two full days of rest. Chicago has one, and neither team played yesterday.
| Stat | FLA | CHI |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 5-4-2 | 3-7-0 |
| Points (pts%) | 12 (.545) | 6 (.300) |
| Division / Conference rank | 6th Atlantic / 11th East | 8th Central / 15th West |
| Goals for / against | 31 / 34 | 22 / 40 |
| Shots for / against per game | 28.0 / 24.2 | 21.4 / 30.0 |
| Home / Road | 2-1-0 / 3-3-2 | 3-3-0 / 0-4-0 |
| Last 10 | 4-4-2 | 3-7-0 |
The goal differential is where the gap opens. Florida sits at -3, Chicago at -18.
The shot profile explains part of it. The Blackhawks generate 21.4 shots per game and allow 30.0, which keeps their goalie busy and their offense quiet.
Florida's top-half penalty kill meets the league's last-place power play
Chicago's power play ranks last in the league, 32nd out of 32. It has scored 3 times in 29 chances.
That's a vending machine that takes your dollar and almost never drops a snack.
Florida's penalty kill ranks 11th. On the special-teams sheet, that's the one clean mismatch, and it points the Panthers' way.
The other side is a coin flip. Florida's power play ranks 21st, and Chicago's penalty kill ranks 20th.
Neither team has scored short-handed. Chicago has allowed 2 short-handed goals, Florida 1.
| Stat | FLA | CHI |
|---|---|---|
| Power play | 19.2% (10/52) 21st | 10.3% (3/29) 32nd |
| Penalty kill | 82.6% (38/46) 11th | 76.7% (23/30) 20th |
| Short-handed goals | 0 for 1 against | 0 for 2 against |
Florida has used three goalies while Chicago leans on Knight
Markstrom's season line is 3-1-1 with a shutout and a 2.21 GAA.
Career-wise against Chicago, he's 13-4-4 in 22 games, a history neither Schmid nor Black can match.
Schmid is 2-2-1 with a .867 save percentage, and his lone career game against Chicago went in the OT column.
Black has one start this season, a 0-1-0 effort, and no career games against the Blackhawks.
Chicago's usage is simpler. Spencer Knight has started 8 of its 10 games and carries a 3.52 GAA.
Arvid Soderblom has the other two starts, both losses, the latest on Oct 8 against the Islanders. Knight last started on Oct 23 against Montreal.
| Goalie | Team | GP-GS | Record | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Markstrom | FLA | 6-6 | 3-1-1 | .897 | 2.21 |
| Akira Schmid | FLA | 5-4 | 2-2-1 | .867 | 3.62 |
| Cooper Black | FLA | 1-1 | 0-1-0 | .857 | 3.15 |
| Spencer Knight | CHI | 8-8 | 3-5-0 | .888 | 3.52 |
| Arvid Soderblom | CHI | 2-2 | 0-2-0 | .820 | 4.58 |
Who owns the edge in the crease? Check the save percentage column, where none of the five goalies tops .897.
Florida has won three straight meetings with Chicago
This is the first meeting of the season between the clubs, game 1 of 2 in the series. The rematch comes Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. EST, with Florida at home.
Last season belonged to the Panthers: a 2-0-0 sweep, outscoring Chicago 8-3.
Florida won 3-2 at home on Oct. 7, 2025, and 5-1 on the road on Jan. 25, 2026, its most recent win against Chicago.
Over the last five meetings Florida is 4-1-0, and it carries a three-game winning streak in the series.
| Date | Venue | Result | Score | Goalie | GWG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-07 | Home | W | 3-2 | Sergei Bobrovsky 17/19 | Jesper Boqvist |
| 2026-01-25 | Away | W | 5-1 | Daniil Tarasov 19/20 | Mackie Samoskevich |
The latest injury report lists names on both sides
According to the latest injury report, current as of Oct 25, Aleksander Barkov is listed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury dating to Oct 6.
Jonah Gadjovich is listed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury since Oct 17. Gustav Forsling is listed as day to day since Oct 22.
On the Chicago side, Bowen Byram is listed as day to day with an upper-body injury since Oct 24. Ryan Ellis is listed on injured reserve with a back injury dating to July 1.
The list isn't validated in real time, so treat it as a snapshot.
Three things to watch
Florida against a leaky defense. The Panthers have scored 31 goals in 11 games, and Chicago has allowed 40 in 10. Finishing meets a defense that has been porous.
Knight's history with Florida. He's 0-2-0 against the Panthers over his career, with a .885 save percentage. Two games is a small sample, but it has gone Florida's way both times.
The last 10 games. Florida is 4-4-2 over that span, Chicago 3-7-0. Neither team arrives with a groove, and an early goal could swing the afternoon.
For Florida fans, the sting of two lopsided road losses is still fresh, and the goaltending picture keeps getting more complicated.
One more stop remains on this trip after Chicago. Pick up points here and it looks like a detour. Leave empty-handed and a skid starts to look like a trend.
QUICK HITS
- Chicago is 3-6-0 in October, with 20 goals for and 35 against.
- The Blackhawks have scored 22 goals in 10 games this season.
- Soderblom owns a .820 save percentage and a 4.58 GAA over his 2 starts.
- Knight is 2-3-0 over his last 5 starts, with a .887 save percentage and a 3.62 GAA.
- Florida's power play is at 22.2% (10/45) in October games.
- The Panthers are 2-3-2 on the road in October.
AROUND THE NHL
- 6:00 p.m. EDT - New York Islanders at Dallas Stars - Game preview
- 7:00 p.m. EDT - Montreal Canadiens at Winnipeg Jets - Game preview
- 8:00 p.m. EDT - Colorado Avalanche at Nashville Predators - Game preview
- 10:00 p.m. EDT - Minnesota Wild at Vancouver Canucks - Game preview
Should the Panthers stop rotating goalies and settle on one starter to steady the crease?
Voting closed
Latest Stories
Trade Rumor: Florida picks are in play for BlackhawksTHE PANTHERS NEED AN ANSWER IN COLUMBUSAaron Portzline just flagged how many goals the Panthers have been leaking: 16 allowed over their last four games, with Columbus up next.
Panthers carry a two-game skid into ColumbusCOLUMBUS GETS BAD NEWS BEFORE PANTHERS GAMERick Bowness just ruled Conor Garland out for Tuesday night's Blue Jackets game against the Panthers, per DMaetzMedia.
Lineup Change: Blue Jackets lose Garland vs PanthersWILSON FINALLY SPEAKS ABOUT SATURDAYRMNB just shared Tom Wilson's explanation for boarding Sandis Vilmanis, and he says he reached out to the Panthers' locker room.
Tom Wilson explains his boarding hit on Sandis VilmanisBOSTON HAS PICKED ITS NEW ENEMYBrady Tkachuk and the Panthers left Boston with a 4-1 loss Sunday, and now Bruins media are calling Florida their most hated team.
Panthers have become the Bruins' most hated teamTHE PANTHERS HAVE A SCHEDULE PROBLEMGeorge Richards pointed out this morning that the Panthers' nine wins come with a catch: four of them were against the Jets and Blackhawks.
Panthers' nine wins come with a catchA BIG DAY FOR THE TKACHUK FAMILYMatthew Tkachuk and his brother Brady are celebrating their father Keith's Hall of Fame induction, and the Panthers forwards call it legacy.
Tkachuk brothers celebrate Keith's Hall of Fame momentTHINGS GOT UGLY IN BOSTONBrady Tkachuk dropped the gloves with Nikita Zadorov off the opening draw Sunday, and the Panthers' night in Boston only got uglier.
Brady Tkachuk starts a wild night at TD Garden