The Panthers extinguish the Senators

Florida's power play burns Ottawa to the wick

Old ghosts in Sunrise

The Florida Panthers came to qualification night with a cold memory. A season ago the Buffalo Sabres doused their candle on this very first night. The Ottawa Senators knew that pain too: Buffalo had sent them home on qualification night in 2023-24. Last season only one place split these clubs, Florida 11th of 32 and Ottawa 12th. At Amerant Bank Arena one of those flames would go dark before the night was done.

The power play burns

Brad Marchand opened it at 6:08 of the first with a backhand. Evan Rodrigues snapped in a second goal 3:46 later off an Aaron Ekblad feed. Shane Pinto cut it to 2-1 with a wrist shot at 17:33, set up by Ridly Greig. Then Greig sat for interference, and 35 seconds into the second period Ekblad, a defenseman, snapped the power-play goal that stood as the winner.

After that, every Ottawa penalty cost a goal. Brady Tkachuk went off for roughing and Anton Lundell tipped one in at 18:28 of the second. Thomas Chabot took a high-sticking double minor, and Mackie Samoskevich made him pay with a wrist shot at 5:29 of the third. Sam Reinhart's wrister at 11:14 made it six.

Ottawa goes cold

Pinto struck again at 17:35, with Claude Giroux assisting, but by then it changed nothing. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 26 of 28 shots. Linus Ullmark saw six of 27 get past him. The Senators' candle was snuffed, and the Panthers burn on as one of 26 flames still lit.