It would be easy to blame the Florida Panthers lack of energy in the third period Wednesday night to road legs. The Panthers, after all, were on the second half of a back-to-back having flown across the country just two days prior.

Ekblad has been battling an undisclosed injury and missed each of Florida's past five games. He's been seen on the ice in recent days and appears to be nearing a return. "He skated this morning and was better, so we're pretty excited about that," said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice.

Count the Florida Panthers’ Mackie Samoskevich and Paul Maurice among those cheering for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Monday’s College Football Playoff national championship game against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

If Paul Maurice was distraught with the Florida Panthers killing only one of four penalties against the Red Wings Thursday night, he certainly didn’t show it. Not after the 5-2 loss, nor on Friday morning.

A crucial piece on the blue line, Ekblad, despite missing time due to his injury, still leads Florida’s defensemen in both assists (18) and points (20). He also ranks third in hits (59) and blocked shots (56), while averaging a team-leading 23:32 of ice time per contest.

He’s one of those players where it’s just a matter of time until he breaks out — and he’s breaking out right now.’

Even though the Florida Panthers only had one shot on goal through the first 13 minutes of Tuesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils, coach Paul Maurice “loved” the way his team was playing.

The Panthers came up empty on their one trip to the power play, but also came up in the clutch with a pair of successful penalty kills against the Kings. Over the two trips to the man advantage for Los Angeles, the Panthers allowed just three shots on goal.

Winning the Stanley Cup hasn’t been a burden to the Panthers. They’re sitting near the top of the Eastern Conference near the mid-season and having the regular season they wanted.

The Florida Panthers picked up a strong victory as they began their latest road trip on Tuesday night. Facing the Anaheim Ducks for the second straight game, but this time in Southern California, the Panthers did well to stay with the program and ultimately skated to a 5-2 win.

If Paul Maurice was distraught with the Florida Panthers killing only one of four penalties against the Red Wings Thursday night, he certainly didn’t show it. Not after the 5-2 loss ...

The Florida Panthers found themselves in a familiar ... so we're pretty excited about that," said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. While conveying optimism, Maurice wouldn't go so far as to ...