There was nothing but the goaltender separating Anthony Duclair from a game-tying goal and the chance for the Florida Panthers to finally find a breakthrough in a frustrating game against the Nashville Predators.
The winger leaked out past the blue line and a clearing pass found him near center ice as he sped toward the other end with no defenseman in his way. He faked to the right and then shifted the puck back to his left. Juuse Saros didn’t bite. The Predators goaltender denied Duclair with his right leg to preserve Nashville’s lead and, ultimately, a 2-1 win in Sunrise.
It was the last great chance the Panthers’ dynamic offense created. Despite piling up 41 shots against the Predators, Florida (19-6-4) only found the back of the net once — on a 2-on-1 in the first period — while Nashville denied the Panthers any room to operate.
Florida went 0 of 2 on the power play and only generated the two breakaway opportunities, going 1 for 2 and opening the second half of the season with an ugly loss at the BB&T Center.
The Predators (13-16-1) piled up 25 hits, forced the Panthers into seven giveaways and blocked 11 shots to keep Florida in check.
The loss ends a four-game winning streak for the Panthers and is just their second in eight games. Florida, which entered Thursday tied for the NHL lead in points, drops into second place in the Central Division, two points behind the division-leading Tampa Bay Lightning.
Nashville set the tone with a physical first period, outhitting the Panthers, 12-4, and baiting them into a pair of penalties, leading to a minute of 5-on-3 action.
Noel Acciari rescued Florida then. The forward blocked three straight slap shots in 5-on-3 play to keep the game scoreless, then All-Star left wing Jonathan broke through with 1:33 left in the period off a pass from right wing Patric Hornqvist on a 2-on-1.
It was all the Panthers managed in the first game of the second half of the season.
The first half of the year was unprecedented for Florida. The Panthers’ 42 points were their most ever in the first 28 games of a season, and they charged atop the Central Division and NHL standings. No one in the league had more points than Florida when Thursday began.
They did it by piling up comeback wins — their 12 victories after giving up the first goal lead the league — and dancing past opponents on offense. Star forwards Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau both rank in the top 10 in points, and star defenseman Aaron Ekblad’s 10 goals are second most at his position. They averaged the second most goals in the league and the second most shots, and they used their explosiveness to stage five multi-goal comebacks in the first half.
Their defensive turnaround was nearly as important. Last season, Florida allowed the third most goals per game. This year, the Panthers are flirting with a top-10 defense. They’re finally a complete team after years of leaning on Barkov, Huberdeau and whatever the former top-three picks could manufacture.
Even Thursday, Florida outshot the Predators, 41-27, but the chances weren’t often clean and the Panthers ultimately made the most costly mistake.
In the opening minutes of the period, the score was tied 1-1 and Sergei Bobrovsky chased a puck behind his own net, looking to find a teammate to clear the puck or start a break in the other direction. Instead, Nashville pressed and the goaltender turned the puck over on a backhanded pass. Predators forward Mikael Granlund intercepted the goalie and found Calle Jarnkrok in front of the net. The Nashville winger’s second goal of the game with 18:43 left dealt Florida a frustrating loss at home.
