Paul Maurice wasn't happy with his Panthers after last night's 5-3 loss to Detroit, and Chicago comes to town Wednesday.
The loss ended a three-game winning streak and dropped Florida to 8-5-2. It came one night after the Panthers leaned on Matthew Tkachuk and Seth Jones to protect that streak.
Maurice gave the Red Wings their due and held his own group to a harsher standard, telling Jameson Olive: "I think that was a really strong game by Detroit. I wasn't in love with ours."
Jacob Markstrom's return didn't produce the result Florida wanted. He stopped 24 of 28 shots and took the loss, with Detroit's four goals against him coming in a game that never settled in the Panthers' favor.
The team's own account sent fans to Olive's postgame recap.
The bigger picture is steadier than one bad night. Florida is 6-4-0 over its last 10, sits 12th in the NHL and 5th in the Atlantic, and owns a +3 goal differential.
Chicago is the kind of opponent a team wants after a game like that. The Blackhawks are 4-10-1, 31st in the league, and have lost three straight, including a 5-2 loss to Colorado on Monday.
They are 0-5-1 on the road. If the Panthers need a lecture from their coach to beat that team, the problem is bigger than one game against Detroit.
Tkachuk, Jones and Reinhart set the bar for Florida
The Panthers' offense still runs through a short list. Matthew Tkachuk has 21 points, 17 of them assists, and Jones has 18 points from the back end.
Brady Tkachuk has 16 points, and his eight goals have kept the club afloat with Aleksander Barkov on the shelf.
Sam Reinhart scored against Detroit and has now found the net in three straight games. Six of his eight goals this season have come on the power play, so Chicago's penalty kill is worth watching.
There are two milestones in reach as well. Lars Eller is one game from 1,200 in the NHL, and Dmitry Kulikov needs one assist to reach 200.
Both could arrive Wednesday, when the Panthers try to answer Maurice at home against the Blackhawks.
Do the Panthers rout Chicago on Wednesday after Maurice's public message?
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