Brad Marchand and the Florida Panthers suffered yet another stumble in the 2025-26 NHL season. Following the 4-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at home, a key player on the roster made sure to remind his teammates that it will take a collective effort to climb out of their hole.
During Sam Reinhart’s 800th game in the NHL, Marchand and the Panthers were found flat-footed when the Maple Leafs walked into Amerant Bank Arena. Florida can’t end their losing hex, falling in three straight home outings. Returning to Sunrise for a six-game homestand, the Cats hoped for much better results. Now, Reinhart issued a straightforward message for the team.
“There is some frustration, for sure,” Reinhart said, via NHL.com. “A lot of things have gone right for us over the past few years, and that certainly adds to it. But we have been in this position before. It is going to be guys in the room and guys who are healthy who are going to bring us out of it.”
Reinhart provided the only beacon of hope
Aside from Reinhart’s milestone, the game against the Leafs was a night that offered little of note. Reinhart scored a shorthanded goal to cut Toronto’s lead in half at 2-1. However, that was all the scoring Florida did all game. Far from putting the pressure on the visiting Buds, the Cats allowed two more goals to the Leafs.
Sam Reinhart in Hockey Canada’s 2025 National Teams Orientation Camp.
It was yet another disheartening performance for the Panthers in the 2025-26 NHL season. Marchand didn’t have a good night against the Leafs — nor did any player on Florida’s roster. The 37-year-old veteran was kept off the scoresheet, as his four-game point streak came to an end.
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Paul Maurice’s message
The Panthers are sensing the pressure. They may act as if nothing bothers them and be confident there is still a lot of hockey left to be played in the 2025-26 NHL season. Still, sooner or later, panic mode will invade the locker room if the losses keep piling up.
“In these situations, just staying with it is the most important thing. But we’ve got to get better. It’s finding that good feeling,” Paul Maurice admitted after the game. “Sometimes it’s not a whole game. You’ve just got to start with a period. I thought we did that tonight even though it felt bad.”
The Panthers must get back in the win column immediately. Having lost four of its last five games, Florida knows it cannot afford another defeat. The Cats must change the tune. Up next, the Panthers will close out their homestand with games against the Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets, and New York Islanders.
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