RECAP: Panthers 3, Golden Knights 0

SUNRISE, Fla. - A Caturday win.

Backstopped by Sergei Bobrovsky’s 50th career shutout, the Florida Panthers defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in a commanding 3-0 win at Amerant Bank Arena on Pink in the Rink Night on Saturday.

Stopping all 17 shots he faced, Bobrovsky and the Panthers handed the Golden Knights their first regulation loss of the season.

“It’s definitely lots of games,” Bobrovsky said after the shutout win. “I thank God for the journey. I thank the players that I’ve played with and the coaches that I’ve been coached [by]. I’m excited about future. It’s all in the past, and I’m excited about next game.”

Tested right out of the gate, the Panthers found themselves shorthanded just 32 seconds into the first period.

Not wavering against one the league’s best, the Panthers didn’t allow a shot during the Golden Knights man advantage.

A defensive battle for much of the first period, with just 12 total combined shots (7-5 Vegas), Sam Reinhart finally broke the ice at 17:19 to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.

Flying through the neutral zone with speed, Reinhart blew by the Vegas blueliners and beat goaltender Akira Schmid for his fourth of the season.

“Nice play with Roddy (Evan Rodrigues) coming around the net,” Reinhart said of the goal. “He was able to carry that speed through. Hags (Carter Verhaeghe) was able to kind of handle it quick and get it to me on the outside. It was a nice play.”

Continuing the goalie battle in the second period, neither Sergei Bobrovsky or Schmid let one by in the second 20 minutes.

Getting two chances on the power play, the Panthers had some looks and rang the post, but were unable to capitalize.

Controlling the pace of play, the Panthers outshot the Golden Knights 12-5 during the period.

Per NaturalStatTrick.com, Florida had a 56.41% offensive advantage and led 16-4 on scoring chances in the frame.

“We played our game,” said Bobrovsky. “That was our style. We played with the structure, played strong. We forechecked hard and offensively did a great job. [We kept] the puck in their end. It was a good game. We beat a good team. We just have to reset and build from it.”

Bringing the fans to their feet early in the third period, after a resilient effort from the fourth line, Cole Schwindt buried a loose puck against his former team and first as a Panther at 3:29 to make it 2-0.

A third round draft pick (81st overall) by the Panthers in 2019, Schwindt’s last game with the Panthers was on April 29, 2022.

“My first was on an empty net, so this one feels a little different,” Schwindt said of his goal with a smile. “This feels great. That’s something I’d like to build into my game, a little bit of offense."

Providing some insurance for the Panthers at 10:04, A.J. Greer took a feed from Brad Marchand and scored on a wrap-around, for his third of the year.

Trading power play chances in the remaining half of the final period, neither team was able to cash in.

Preventing any late push from the Golden Knights, the Panthers held on to win 3-0 to improve to 5-5-0 on the season.

“We had some legs tonight,” said head coach Paul Maurice. “I felt that halfway through the game against Pittsburgh, things turned. We were dragging when we got off the road. Especially early in the year when you get stacked a bunch of games, it seems to cost you more. We were looking to get a little of that offensive flare back.”

THEY SAID IT

“They’ve bred a culture, and that’s a winning culture. I’m just really happy to be a part of it.” - Cole Schwindt

“Those are hard games. I think you need a mature goalie. When you play well like we did tonight, you go stretches of not seeing a lot. When you’re playing a team like that, they’re going to get an elite player alone or close to it, and he’s always good in those situations.” - Paul Maurice

CATS STATS

- Sergei Bobrovsky became the eighth goaltender born outside North America to reach 50 shutouts

- Carter Verhaeghe led the team with four shots

- A.J. Greer led the team with two points (goal, assist)

- Aaron Ekblad, Sam Reinhart, and Cole Schwindt each blocked two shots

- Evan Rodrigues won 57% of his faceoffs

WHAT’S NEXT?

Ducks fly into Sunrise.

On Tuesday, the Panthers will host the Anaheim Ducks at Amerant Bank Arena at 7 p.m. ET.

For tickets, click HERE.