After woeful stretch on home ice, Panthers end homestand with win over Islanders

Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald on Dec 7, 2025

Published in Hockey

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MIAMI — The Florida Panthers entered the weekend having lost five consecutive home games, their longest stretch of futility on home ice since 2020.

They ended their homestand with consecutive wins, a pair of needed victories they hope can be the beginning of a much-needed turnaround.

After a thrilling 7-6 overtime win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday — one in which Florida overcame a pair of multi-goal deficits — the Panthers defeated the New York Islanders 4-1 Sunday at Amerant Bank Arena.

Add in an overtime defeat to Nashville on Thursday before the consecutive wins, and Florida (14-12-2) picked up five of a possible six points over the final three games to cap this six-game homestand. It’s just the third three-game point streak of the season for the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions.

Defensemen Uvis Balinskis and Seth Jones plus forwards Carter Verheaghe and Sam Reinhart scored goals for Florida, while backup goaltender Daniil Tarasov made 20 saves against the Islanders (16-11-3).

Balinskis’ goal, his first of the season, came on a point shot 12:14 into the first period on a play set up by forwards A.J. Greer and Mackie Samoskevich.

Verhaeghe doubled the Panthers’ lead 7:05 into the second period after defenseman Jeff Petry’s poke check on Islanders forward Max Shabanov in the New York zone sent the puck to Verhaeghe’s stick in the slot. Verhaeghe has scored four goals in the past three games since the birth of his son Rory and has 11 total points (six goals, five assists) in his past six games played.

Matthew Barzal cut Florida’s lead to one goal about two minutes later when his shot deflected off Florida defenseman Gustav Forsling and into the Panthers net.

But Florida held firm from there. The Panthers held the Islanders to just three shots on goal in the third period, and Jones added an insurance goal with 6:03 left in regulation before Reinhart capped scoring with an empty-net goal.

The Panthers now head on a four-game road trip that includes stops against the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday, the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, Dallas Stars on Saturday and Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 15.

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Miami Herald-sports