Lars Eller's First Goal as a Panther Lifts Florida Past Blackhawks 3-2, Snapping Two-Game Skid

Lars Eller picked a good time for his first goal in a Florida Panthers sweater. The veteran center beat Spencer Knight with a wrist shot from the right face-off circle with 2:23 left in the third period, and the Panthers held on for a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on Sunday, Oct. 25.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak and salvaged the middle of a four-game road trip that began with losses at Ottawa and Pittsburgh by a combined 9-1. Florida improved to 6-4-2. Chicago dropped its third straight and fell to 3-8-0.

A rough start to the trip

The trip opened with a 5-1 loss in Ottawa, and things got worse Thursday in Pittsburgh. The Penguins shut out the Panthers 4-0 behind 26 saves from Arturs Silovs, according to NHL.com, as Nick Robertson scored twice and Evgeni Malkin and Hendrix Lapierre added a goal each. It was the first time Florida had been held without a goal this season, on a night when Florida goaltender Cooper Black made his NHL debut.

Florida has been playing short-handed. Captain Aleksander Barkov, who missed all of 2025-26 after knee surgery, was hurt again on Oct. 1 at San Jose in only his second game back and is on long-term injured reserve. Maurice said early this month that he was "scheduled to be out 6-8 weeks" with non-surgical rehab. NHL.com's pregame report also listed forward Brad Marchand (knee), goaltender Jacob Markstrom (upper body) and forward Jonah Gadjovich (neck) as injured.

That left the Panthers searching for offense when they arrived in Chicago, and the answers came from players who had yet to score. Vilmanis and defenseman Radko Gudas both returned to the lineup after sitting out in Pittsburgh, and Eller centered a line with Eetu Luostarinen and Anton Lundell in NHL.com's projected lineup.

Eller and Vilmanis break through

Eller's winner came at 17:37 of the third period, when he caught Chicago in the middle of a line change and snapped a shot over Knight's glove. Florida Hockey Now credited defenseman Aaron Ekblad with setting up the play. It was Eller's first goal in 12 games this season and his first since joining Florida.

Eller, 37, signed a one-year contract with Florida on July 1, the first day of free agency, after recording 15 points in 68 games for the Ottawa Senators in 2025-26. The Panthers brought him in to center the fourth line and help on the penalty kill, and the penalty kill was a big part of Sunday's win.

"It's a good feeling to get on the board, and certainly when it helps your team get two points," Eller said, according to NHL.com.

Sandis Vilmanis also scored his first goal of the season, in his 11th game. The Latvian forward had been scratched in Pittsburgh on Thursday, and coach Paul Maurice moved him into the middle six as part of a lineup shake-up after the two road losses. Vilmanis rewarded the move by redirecting a Sam Reinhart shot past Knight at 6:49 of the first period to tie the game 1-1.

How the game unfolded

Chicago struck first when Ryan Greene finished a backhand feed from behind the net by Andrew Mangiapane at 2:34 of the first period. After Vilmanis tied it, Florida took its first lead in a week on the power play. Matthew Tkachuk was standing in front when Seth Jones' point shot deflected off him and in at 14:21, just five seconds into the man advantage. Brady Tkachuk drew an assist, and the goal ended Matthew Tkachuk's six-game goal drought.

The Panthers dominated the first period, outshooting Chicago 15-6, and led 24-15 in shots after two periods. But Roman Kantserov tied the game 2-2 at 11:15 of the second period on a wrist shot set up by Patrick Kane, and the score held until Eller's late strike.

Florida finished with 33 shots, and Knight stopped 30 of them. The goaltender is a familiar face in South Florida: he spent his early NHL seasons with the Panthers before being traded to Chicago in the 2025 deal that brought Jones to Florida. Sunday was Jones' first game at the United Center since that trade.

Penalty kill holds firm

The Panthers spent too much time in the penalty box, but Chicago could not make them pay. The Blackhawks went 0-for-7 on the power play, including two 5-on-3 opportunities of about 50 seconds each, Florida Hockey Now reported. Chicago is now 0-for-16 with the man advantage during its three-game losing streak, according to Chicago Hockey Now.

Akira Schmid stopped 19 of 21 shots to earn the win in goal. He said afterward that he focused on staying sharp for the full 60 minutes after Florida had allowed late goals in recent games.

Chicago coach Jeff Blashill said his power play was "kind of mirroring our 5-on-5 game" and that the team would study film to judge whether its process was good enough. Blackhawks captain Connor Bedard was blunter about the mood. "If there's no frustration, that's even worse than too much frustration," he said.

A step in the right direction

Maurice had called out his team's effort after the losses in Ottawa and Pittsburgh, according to The Hockey News, and he liked what he saw in Chicago. He called the performance "a step in the right direction," pointing to a stronger forecheck and more shots from the slot, according to NHL.com.

The game had a few milestones on the side. Carter Verhaeghe played his 500th NHL game, and the Tkachuk brothers combined on a goal for the eighth time this season, the most of any Florida duo. Brady Tkachuk joined his older brother in South Florida this summer when the Panthers acquired him from the Ottawa Senators in a June trade.

On the other side, Kane finished the night with 898 career assists. Two more would make him the 21st player in NHL history and the first American-born skater to reach 900.

Sunday's scoring summary:

What's next

The Panthers finish the road trip Tuesday night against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre, with puck drop at 8 p.m. ET on Scripps Sports. A win would send Florida home at .500 on the four-game trip after its rough start in Ottawa and Pittsburgh.