Sports · NEWS EXPLAINER
Eller's late first goal lifts Panthers past Blackhawks 3–2
Florida ended a two-game slide after Lars Eller scored with 2:23 left, while Chicago went 0-for-7 on the power play and lost a third straight game.
Lars Eller scored his first goal of the season with 2:23 remaining to give the Florida Panthers a 3–2 road win over the Chicago Blackhawks on October 25. The 37-year-old took Aaron Ekblad’s long pass during a Chicago line change and beat Spencer Knight from the right circle.
Florida’s recovery depended on more than the winner. Akira Schmid protected a 2–2 tie on Cole Smith’s late breakaway, the Panthers killed all seven Chicago power plays, and Matthew Tkachuk converted Florida’s only man advantage just five seconds after it began.
The opening period showed Florida’s response
Ryan Greene put Chicago ahead at 2:34, but Sandis Vilmanis answered at 6:49. Tkachuk then redirected Seth Jones’ shot for a power-play goal at 14:21, only five seconds after Tyler Bertuzzi was penalized. Florida carried a 2–1 lead after controlling much of the period.
Chicago tied it, but special teams stalled
Roman Kantserov finished a Patrick Kane feed at 11:15 of the second. Yet Chicago did not convert seven power plays, including two brief 5-on-3 chances. Florida also allowed only one shot during an early four-minute Chicago advantage, keeping the game level.
Schmid preserved the chance for Eller
With 5:45 left and the score 2–2, Schmid stopped Smith on a breakaway. That save mattered because it kept the game from turning before Florida caught Chicago changing lines on the winning sequence.
The deciding play was recognition and execution
Eller stayed available as Chicago changed, accepted Ekblad’s long pass and attacked the right side. His wrist shot went past Knight at 17:37. It was his first goal as a Panther and turned a tied game into two standings points without overtime.
What comes next
Florida completed the turnaround after losing the first two games of its road trip by a combined 9–1 and visits Winnipeg on Tuesday. Chicago closes a seven-game homestand against Los Angeles. The result does not solve either team’s season, but it clearly separates Florida’s late execution from Chicago’s unused power-play chances.
