The Florida Panthers defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 on Nov. 5, 2026, at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. Sandis Vilmanis recorded two goals and two assists for the first multi-goal and multi-point game of his career. The victory improved Florida to 9-5-2 in the standings and gave the Panthers seven wins in their last 10 games.
Carter Verhaeghe added one goal and one assist, while Sam Reinhart finished with one goal and two assists. The three Panthers combined for nine points, with Reinhart extending his point streak to five games. Head coach Paul Maurice credited the trio for their work at both ends of the ice.
“Well, they were our first line tonight,” Maurice said. “That’s how good they were, and they were good at both ends. They didn’t cheat to get generate that. They were responsible, and I really liked the way all three of them played.”
Florida builds an early lead
Vilmanis opened the scoring at 4:43 of the first period after Reinhart set him up with a pass that sent the puck past Chicago goaltender Spencer Knight. The assist extended Reinhart’s point streak to five games. “I think we’re on our toes from the start,” Reinhart said.
Verhaeghe doubled Florida’s advantage at 12:29 of the first period with a power-play goal set up by Brady Tkachuk. Seth Jones then made it 3-0 at 13:20 of the second period, and he has recorded seven points over his last four games. Chicago answered at 16:48 when Roman Kantserov scored, giving him seven goals this season and the NHL rookie goal lead.
Vilmanis answers Chicago’s push
Frank Nazar cut Chicago’s deficit to 3-2 at 9:31 of the third period with a shorthanded goal. Vilmanis responded at 11:00 with his second goal of the night to restore Florida’s two-goal lead. The performance made him the ninth different Panthers player to record four points in a game at age 22 or younger.
“We worked as a line and I think that just paid off,” Vilmanis said. “Worked up for each other, created chances and used those chances.” Nazar scored again at 16:09 to bring Chicago within one. After the Blackhawks pulled Knight for a 6-on-5 advantage with just over two minutes remaining, Reinhart sent the puck into the empty net to secure the 5-3 result.
Reinhart’s goal completed his three-point night and marked a milestone with Florida. He became the fastest player to reach 400 career points with the Panthers, doing so in 401 games. Reinhart and Verhaeghe have each reached nine goals this season.
Panthers prepare for three-game trip
Florida held a 28-12 advantage in hits and swept its two-game season series with Chicago. Reinhart said the result was important as the Panthers continued to seek a rhythm at home after spending considerable time on the road. “I mean points are hard to come by,” Reinhart said of the win. “Especially when you look at look at the division, they’re all important. Obviously, we’ve been on the road a lot, so we really haven’t been able to get in that rhythm at home. This was an important one.”
The Panthers will begin a three-game road trip against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET. Florida will carry a 9-5-2 record into that trip after winning seven of its last 10 games. Vilmanis’ four-point performance also gave the Panthers a significant contribution from a player recording the first multi-goal and multi-point game of his career.
FSB Take
Vilmanis’ four-point performance gave Florida a decisive offensive lift while Reinhart and Verhaeghe continued their productive seasons. The Panthers also paired that scoring output with a 28-12 edge in hits and a win that completed the season sweep of Chicago. Florida now turns to a three-game road trip with a 9-5-2 record and seven victories in its last 10 games.
Source: Original report