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Sandis Vilmanis, Sam Reinhart Come Up Big For Panthers In 5-3 Win Over Chicago
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- Sandis Vilmanis, Sam Reinhart Come Up Big For Panthers In 5-3 Win Over Chicago
The Florida Panthers ended their homestand on a high note.
Florida scored early and often Wednesday night, taking down the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 in front of a packed house at Amerant Bank Arena.
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Once the puck dropped, it didn't take long for the Panthers to get on the scoreboard.
Sandis Vilmanis finished off a slick pass from Sam Reinhart as the two came through Chicago's zone on an odd-man rush, giving Florida a 1-0 lead just 4:43 into the game.
"He's jumping on pucks so quick, and he's kind of exploding out of that," Reinhart said of Vilmanis. "He's not waiting and looking for the play, he's moving and attacking right away, and things are starting to open up for him."
It was the start of a big night for Vilmanis and the Cats' second line.
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Later in the period, the Panthers went on the game's first power play after Connor Bedard took down Lars Eller in the neutral zone.
Florida quickly took advantage, as Brady Tkachuk deflected a Matthew Tkachuk pass between his legs and to the opposite side of the goal crease, where Carter Verhaeghe was waiting to slam the puck past Spencer Knight.
The first half of the second period was on the quiet side for the Panthers, other than killing a pair of Chicago power plays.
Eventually, Florida's offense got going again, leading to Seth Jones' third goal of the season.
It came off a nice little centering pass by Vilmanis, who held on to the puck before making the play and in turn, he picked up the first multi-point outing of his young NHL career with the assist.
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"He hung on to it," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. "It goes to the idea of you realize there are places on the ice that you have a little bit more time, and he wasn't slow in that because he kept his motion, which kept drawing people to him and opened that lane up."
About three minutes later, it was Chicago's turn to get on the scoreboard.
Roman Kantserov finished off the play from the top of the goal crease, jumping on a deflected centering pass that was partially blocked by Gus Forsling to cut Florida's lead to 3-1 with 3:12 left in the middle frame.
That's how the score would remain until about halfway through the third period, when Alex Vlasic was called for tripping Vilmanis.
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It didn't lead to another Panthers power play goal though, but instead it was Frank Nazar scoring on a shorthanded breakaway to bring Chicago to within one goal with 10:29 still on the clock.
It took exactly 89 seconds for the Panthers to respond.
Picking up the puck in the right circle, Vilmanis quickly fired a wrist shot short side that sailed past Knight to restore Florida's two-goal advantage.
For Vilmanis, it was the first multi-goal game of his NHL career. He finished with an impressive four points to lead all players.
"It means everything," he said after the game. "It's a special night that I will remember, for sure.
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Nazar added a second goal of his own to bring Chicago back within one with just under four minutes to go, sniping Markstrom over his blocker.
That's as close as the Blackhawks would get.
With Knight on the bench, Reinhart scored into Chicago's vacated net with 1:27 to go, ending the 'Hawks plans of a third period comeback.
Reinhart finished with three points, giving his line with Vilmanis and Verhaeghe an impressive total of four goals and five assists on the night.
The progression in the play of Vilmanis since he moved to the line has been fun to track, and all three players seem to be enjoying playing with one another.
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"It's been great," said Reinhart. "Ever since we've got with him, it's been pretty great to see the change in his game. You know, just a little bit of confidence goes a long way, and especially when you're kind of fresh in the league. Nothing but positive things to say about him."
On to Washington.
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Photo caption: Nov 4, 2026; Sunrise,Florida, USA;FloridaPanthersleft wing Sandis Vilmanis (95) celebrates with defenseman Gustav Forsling (42), center Carter Verhaeghe (23), center Sam Reinhart (13), and defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) after scoring against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
