Florida Panthers beat Predators to end four-game losing streak. Takeaways from the win

All season, Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe have found ways to score clutch goals for the Florida Panthers.

So it was only fitting that they would be the two to lead the way as the Panthers snapped their season-long losing streak.

Reinhart opened scoring with a power-play goal in the second period and Verhaeghe scored the go-ahead goal in the third as the Panthers beat the Nashville Predators 4-1 on Monday at Bridgestone Arena.

Florida, which entered on a four-game losing streak, improved to 28-14-4 with the win. Nashville falls to 25-21-1.

Verhaeghe, playing in his 300th career NHL game, put the Panthers ahead for good with a snipe from the high slot 1:11 into the third period. It was his 24th goal of the season, 13 of which have come in the third period and five of which have been game-winners.

Reinhart opened scoring 11:19 into the second period when he scooped up a puck in front of the net after a faceoff and flicked it past Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros. The goal came on the Panthers’ 22nd shot on goal.

Brandon Montour and Matthew Tkachuk sealed the win with a pair of empty-net goals.

Sam Bennett had the primary assist on each of Florida’s first three goals.

Goaltender Anthony Stolarz did the rest, stopping 27 of 28 shots he faced. Stolarz was a perfect 12 for 12 in the third period, during which the Panthers were also a perfect 3 for 3 on the penalty kill (with Stolarz stopping all five shots while the Panthers were a man down).

The only goal Stolarz allowed came when Jeremy Lauzon scored on a deflection 12:16 into the second period.

The Panthers return home to face the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday before playing a back-to-back against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday and New York Islanders on Saturday to cap their schedule ahead of the All-Star Break.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Time for more Sam Reinhart feats

With his power-play goal in the second period to open scoring, Reinhart hit a slew of feats as his dominant season continues.

Those accomplishments:

▪ His 34th goal of the season, a new career-high. His previous best was 33 in the 2021-22 season, his first with the Panthers.

▪ His 17th power-play goal of the season, also a new career-high. His previous best was 16, first set in the 2021-22 season and matched in the 2022-23 season.

▪ His seventh consecutive road game with a goal, a new Panthers franchise record.

▪ A 10-game point streak, becoming just the ninth Panthers player to have a double-digit point streak.

▪ His 49th power-play goal with the Panthers, the fourth-most all-time in franchise history. He trails only Aleksander Barkov (71), Scott Mellanby (66) and Olli Jokinen (65).

How Mackie Samoskevich looked

With the Panthers missing three forwards in Barkov (lower-body), Nick Cousins (concussion) and William Lockwood (suspension), the team recalled prospect Mackie Samoskevich to draw into the lineup.

Samoskevich played on the right wing of Florida’s third line with Evan Rodrigues at left wing and Kevin Stenlund at center.

While he was held off the scoresheet, Samoskevich showed noticeable energy and aggression while on the ice. He finished with three shots on goal over 14 shifts.

Panthers without Gustav Forsling

In addition to being without three forwards, the Panthers also had a key defenseman missing on Monday in Gustav Forsling.

The 27-year-old, who has been part of Florida’s top defense pairing all season, is on family leave as his wife is due to give birth to the couple’s first child and did not travel with the team to Nashville.

In 45 games this season, Forsling has seven goals and 12 assists while recording a plus-minus rating of plus-32 (meaning the Panthers have outscored opponents by 32 goals when Forsling is on the ice at even strength or shorthanded) and leading the Panthers in average ice time (22:10).

Among 70 defensemen who have played at least 700 minutes at five-on-five this season, the 19 goals allowed by the Panthers when Forsling is on the ice is tied with Pittsburgh’s Ryan Graves for the fewest in the NHL. Meanwhile, Forsling’s Corsi For Percentage (the percent of total shot attempts generated by the Panthers when Forsling is on the ice) of 59.7 percent is the fourth-highest.

With Forsling out, Oliver Ekman-Larsson joined Aaron Ekblad as Florida’s top defense pairing on Monday. Niko Mikkola and Brandon Montour remained as Florida’s second defense unit, while Josh Mahura joined Dmitry Kulikov as the Panthers’ No. 3 defense pair.