Lars Eller Delivers Late Winner as Panthers Escape Blackhawks 3-2

Florida got the two points it needed in Chicago, and Lars Eller supplied the finish. His goal with less than three minutes remaining secured a 3-2 Panthers win Sunday at the United Center, ending a rough stretch on the road. The result also came with a warning: Florida gave the Blackhawks seven power-play chances, leaving little room for its penalty kill to keep bailing out undisciplined play.

Secondary scoring makes the difference

Florida needed contributions beyond its leading scorers, who had gone without a goal for a couple of games. Eller and Sandis Vilmanis each scored their first goals of the season, with Eller’s arriving at the most useful moment. His late goal put the Panthers ahead and turned a close game into a much-needed road win.

That kind of support matters when the team’s established scorers aren’t finding the net. Matthew Tkachuk did get back on the scoresheet, but Florida’s depth provided the goals that shaped the result. For a team relying on its main cast—including the Tkachuks, Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart—getting production from other parts of the lineup gives the offense another way to win.

The source identifies Dmitry Kulikov, Garnet Hathaway and Bokondji Imama as the only Panthers who had appeared in at least 10 games without scoring. Their first goals remain something to watch as Florida looks for broader contributions. One game won’t establish a trend, but Vilmanis and Eller getting on the board gives the team a useful reminder that its scoring can come from beyond the usual names.

Schmid steadies himself after a strange opener

Akira Schmid’s performance was another important part of the win. With Jacob Markström sidelined, the Panthers’ crease belongs to Schmid, who has had a pattern of allowing early goals. Chicago opened the scoring Sunday on an unusual bounce, one of the stranger plays of the game. Schmid and the Panthers had to regroup from there.

They did. Florida built a 2-1 lead, and Schmid finished with 19 saves and a .905 save percentage. The source describes it as his first game of the season above .900. That figure offers a positive sign after the early setback, while the final score makes clear how narrow the margin stayed. Schmid’s response mattered because Florida spent so much time defending while shorthanded.

Seven chances for Chicago leave a clear concern

The Panthers’ penalty trouble nearly overshadowed the result. Florida has taken more penalties than any other NHL team this season, according to the league-wide team totals cited in the source. Against Chicago, that tendency meant seven Blackhawks power plays. A strong penalty kill can protect a lead for a night, but repeatedly giving opponents extra opportunities creates a difficult path to sustain over a season.

Radko Gudas also had an alarming moment when he made contact with a young Blackhawks forward with an elbow. Replay showed the contact near the head, though the play was not called during the game. The concern is what such a sequence could cost: a major penalty would leave Florida shorthanded for five minutes, and a game misconduct could take a defenseman out of the lineup for the remainder of the night.

That’s the tension in Florida’s approach. Playing physically can help set the tone, but the Panthers have to keep that edge from turning into avoidable penalties or dangerous contact. They survived seven Chicago power plays this time. Against a more efficient power play, the same volume of penalties could make a close game much harder to manage.

Winnipeg is next

Florida’s next stop is Winnipeg, where the Panthers will face the Jets after their Heritage Classic matchup with Montreal on Sunday night. The game will also be Florida’s first against Winnipeg since the Jets traded goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to New Jersey on Friday, according to the source.

The Panthers leave Chicago with the win, a steadier-looking night from Schmid and first goals for Eller and Vilmanis. The next test is whether they can carry that secondary scoring into the Winnipeg game while giving their penalty killers fewer chances to rescue them.