What Happened
Lars Eller's first goal of the season, scored with 2:23 left in the third period, gave the Florida Panthers a 3-2 road win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. Eller took advantage of a Chicago line change, raced down right wing and beat Spencer Knight with a high shot just inside the left post. Matthew Tkachuk and Sandis Vilmanis also scored for Florida, which ended a two-game losing streak. Roman Kantserov and Ryan Greene scored for Chicago, which has dropped three straight.
Key Details
- Eller's winner came with 2:23 left in the third period.
- Akira Schmid made 19 saves for Florida; Spencer Knight stopped 29 shots for Chicago.
- Chicago went 0-for-7 on the power play, including two brief 5-on-3 advantages.
- The Blackhawks' power-play conversion rate fell to an NHL-worst 8.33 per cent.
- Bowen Byram missed his fourth game with an upper-body injury; Kevin Korchinski filled in.
- Carter Verhaeghe played his 500th NHL game and had an assist.
What It Means
The result ends Florida's two-game slide and extends Chicago's losing streak to three. Chicago's power play remains the league's least efficient at 8.33 per cent, and the Blackhawks went scoreless on seven chances Sunday, including two brief 5-on-3 windows. Byram's continued absence with an upper-body injury has opened minutes for Korchinski, the seventh overall pick in 2022, who appeared in his second game this season.
What's Next
Chicago will look to end its three-game losing streak and address a power play converting at 8.33 per cent. Byram's status for the next game has not been announced. Florida will try to build on the win after snapping its two-game skid.