Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Daniil Tarasov, Florida Panthers injuries, and back to backs are becoming one long nerve test.
Brad Marchand said it plainly after Tuesday, «everybody knows we're still missing half our team.»
And he wasn't exaggerating. Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk have been out, and the injury report has stayed heavy.That is why the second night of a back to back matters so much in Florida right now. They need Sergei Bobrovsky fresh, especially for a team that has lived deep playoff hockey lately.
On paper it's simple, survive the schedule spots and bank points while the lineup heals. In real life, it means backups have to be boring, and Florida has not gotten boring lately.
Daniil Tarasov back-to-backs strain Florida Panthers
Fans can handle a loss, but they struggle with the feeling of a slow leak.
In the 2025-26 second halves of back to backs so far, Florida is 1-2-1. That record comes from four games, and Tarasov started all four of them.
It began on Oct. 16 in New Jersey, a 3-1 loss where Tarasov faced plenty and still could not steal it. On Dec. 7 he did his job in a 4-1 win over the Islanders, and it felt like a turning point.
Then Dec. 20 brought a 6-2 loss to St. Louis, and the game had that tired, uphill feel teams hate on schedule squeezes. Tuesday added the gut punch finish against Montreal, with Tarasov again in net for the second night.
This is where patience starts thinning, because Florida's standard in goal is elite and everyone knows it. When the backup nights turn into stress nights, every rebound and every puck touch feels louder.
Marchand's quote about missing half the team is true, but it also cuts both ways. If this group wants Bobrovsky rested for the spring, they need Tarasov to steady these spots, not just survive them.
Previously on Sunrise Hockey Insider