Panthers rout Senators to sweep season-opening homestand

Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald on Oct 11, 2025

Published in Hockey

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SUNRISE, Fla. — Paul Maurice expected Saturday night to be the biggest test of the Florida Panthers’ season-opening homestand.

It makes sense considering they were facing a divisional opponent that made the Stanley Cup playoffs last season and is looking to take the next step forward.

The Panthers handled the test with ease, dispatching the Ottawa Senators, 6-2, at Amerant Bank Arena to sweep their three-game homestand. Florida (3-0-0) also beat the Chicago Blackhawks, 3-2, on Tuesday and Philadelphia Flyers, 2-1, on Thursday to begin its quest for a third consecutive Stanley Cup.

And Florida did just about everything right on Saturday to complete the homestand sweep.

A different player scored each goal. Forwards Brad Marchand and Evan Rodrigues scored at five-on-five in the first. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad and forward Anton Lundell scored on the power play in the second. And Mackie Samoskevich scored on the power play in the third, with Sam Reinhart capping scoring with a five-on-five goal midway through the third. Through three games, the Panthers have had nine different goalscorers.

The Panthers have scored at least one power-play goal in each of their first three games for just the third time in franchise history and for the first time since the 2002-03 season. The franchise record for most games with a power-play goal to start the season is four, set at the start of the 2000-01 season.

Defenseman Seth Jones had a pair of assists, highlighted by a stretch pass to set up Marchand’s breakaway 6:08 into the first to open scoring. Marchand, Ekblad and Lundell each had a goal and an assist.

And goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 26 of 28 shots for his third win of the season and 432nd of his career to move him within five of tying Jacques Plante for ninth all time in NHL history. Shane Pinto scored both goals for Ottawa (1-1-0). He cut Florida’s lead to 2-1 with 2:27 left in the first period on a wrist shot when Bobrovsky was out of position and late getting back to the net. He then scored with 2:25 left in regulation to cut the score to 6-2.

The Panthers next head on a five-game road trip, starting Monday against the Flyers (7 p.m.) and then continuing Wednesday against the Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m.), Thursday against the New Jersey Devils (7 p.m.), Oct 18 against the Buffalo Sabres (1 p.m.) and Oct. 21 against the Boston Bruins (7:30 p.m.).