Paul Maurice, Panthers Postgame: Florida Beats Blue Jackets in OT Thriller to End Losing Skid

Paul Maurice, Panthers Postgame: Florida Beats Blue Jackets in OT Thriller to End Losing Skid

easy to stand. Um kind of felt like you needed to win that game just because it was still there and we all felt that it was still there and you can only go in the room and say you like parts of your game but parts your game you don’t like. Uh but all the pieces that uh that were part of that win, right? The the stats won’t be kind to Sergey, but he made some big saves toward the end of that to keep it right or power play. Yeah, they they scored a couple, but they were dangerous and and there was an excitement when they out the penalty kill. Um a tough one at the end and of the and then they were a big part of that win. So, everybody gets to feel like they had a piece of it. What did you make of that return to the It just changes everything that we do and just when he’s on the ice killing a penalty in the overtime, so I’m not running other guys hard. He’s he’s a critical piece to what we do and and it I I thought that you know Evan Rodriguez in the in the in the role that he had got to do more because Lucy’s back in the lineup and that just put the lines back in order continues to stay hot from him on during this run. He’s skating so well. I mean he’s just his power is back in the game and I I think you know AJ Greer was really good for that line. I thought he was really good with Rody, too. And and a little bit of size on that line was important, but Sam’s just he feels good and he feels strong and he’s a key piece for us. When you guys uh when they challenge after Vergggy’s goal to make it 4-2. Yeah. What what did did do you did you think that that goal could come off the board seeing the replay a few times? I mean, it it’s it was called exactly the way the rule is written. I think they got it 100% right. I have felt at other times in the past that plays are blowing dead off pucks that come off hands that they’re not directed. It’s just no different in some ways than a shin pad. It’s a tough gray area to decide whether it’s directed or it’s not for me. That’s the right call. I’m just saying that I’ve seen it differently and but I thought that was the right call. Yeah, Dean was is pretty fired up. He had no basically said the game was a joke and you I’m sure you heard him throughout the game from your fantastic. I I I didn’t talk to the officials tonight, so I didn’t get any of that. Yeah. Well, and it it obviously turned things around. 4-2, get the power play, 4-3, and it’s a new bowl game. I’m I’m fine with them. I wasn’t yelling at the rest tonight. You mentioned how much you like the power play last year. You to see a couple go into the net. Well, the confidence, right? All the guys in the on your power play are your are the guys that carry the pressure of it. And we had a tough run. And again, and and when you’re losing a game by a goal, you know, before the empty net or if you go for six, you carry that. But we got fast credit to those guys. They practiced it uh yesterday and they did it as fast as they could and they look good tonight. Unusual games. How do you kind of regroup and get ready for a game tomorrow that might look very different? Not yet. Right. I’ll go through that game tonight before. It’s a nice part of the afternoon game. You can do some work tonight and then we’ll prep for that game tomorrow. But emotionally, we needed that. We needed that game. It’s to cut off the losses, but also there’s, you know, that group of men was given every opportunity um just to continue to kind of be a victim of some of the things that are happening on the ice and they they wouldn’t take it. So, good on them. I’m proud of them. The penalty kill there in overtime if you had the long delayed penalty. So, kind of like two and a half minutes and and that’s the lucy effect. But Sam Bennett’s come into our penalty kill now and done a really good job. Took a face off on his weak side. They got it down. So we’re that there’s the silver lining of your injuries. You’re going to have to put people who you haven’t used before. We haven’t used Sam to kill penalties before. He’s killing penalties now. And interestingly, so it’s ad but he’s maybe he’s in a better rhythm because of it. He’s not sitting for two or four minutes when you get stacked up calls and then you come out of your rhythm and then you try to make more happens. He just gets out there and he stays in that rhythm. uh he’d be a real real important act because he’s he kills with speed and that’s the function of our kill and Anton Lundell had bunch of big faceoff wins big faceoff wins and and that’s I mean it’s unusual 24 uh when you come into this league as a youngster you get killed in the faceoffs there’s so much that goes into it but he works at it every practice every day to have another guy especially on his offside very strong on his offside which is unusual he’s getting better every game what was your degree of familiarity with the seven phenomenon. Yeah, like somebody mentioned it. I got asked walking out somewhere. I think media. Yeah, I have no idea. But you I will reiterate there’s a whole bunch of things I don’t need to know or investigate, research, or understand better than I do now. So, let’s all just leave it right there. We’re We’re Yeah, I’m with you. Okay. Well done. Change.

Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice meets the media after his team beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-6 in overtime on Dec. 6, 2025 in Sunrise.

Florida had lost four straight and five of six. The five-game home losing streak was the team’s longest since near what would be the end of the 2019-20 season when Florida lost eight straight in Sunrise.

Sam Bennett netted the game-winner with 3.4 seconds left in OT; the Panthers had never led before that moment.

Bennett had a goal and three assists as did Brad Marchand; Florida also got goals from Evan Rodrigues, two from Carter Verhaeghe, Seth Jones, and Anton Lundell.

The Panthers play host to the New York Islanders on Sunday to wrap up a six-game homestand and stretch of 11 of 12 at home.

Video Courtesy Florida Panthers / @FlaPanthers / Panthers Vision

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