A Banner Night Turns into a Tough Lesson for Chicago
The 2025–26 NHL season started with a tough challenge for the young Chicago Blackhawks.
The defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, raised their banner in front of a sold-out crowd in Sunrise, and from the moment that banner went up, you could tell this was going to be a long night for Chicago.
The Blackhawks, with a lineup full of young prospects, faced an experienced, structured, and confident team. Florida’s forecheck, puck pressure, and overall discipline controlled most of the game.
The 3–2 final score doesn’t reflect how one-sided the game really was. The Panthers dominated the first and third periods and outshot the Hawks 37–19 overall.
A Slow Start and Costly First Period
Chicago opened the scoring when Frank Nazar buried his first of the year after a nice setup from Tyler Bertuzzi. But that was the only highlight of a rough opening frame.
Florida answered quickly, then added another later in the period to take a 2–1 lead.
The young defense core — especially Sam Rinzel and Artyom Levshunov — struggled to find their rhythm early. The cohesion wasn’t there, the breakouts were messy, and the Panthers fired 17 shots in the first period while the Hawks managed only three.
Luckily, Spencer Knight was sharp in his first start against his former team, keeping the score close with several key stops, including a few odd-man rushes.
A Strong Second Period Brings Hope
The second period was the Hawks’ best of the night. They played faster, attacked the puck, and created problems for Florida.
Teuvo Teravainen tied the game early in the frame, scoring his first goal of the season on a feed from Nazar and Bertuzzi — the Hawks’ most dangerous line of the game.
Chicago had two power plays to take the lead but couldn’t convert, finishing 0-for-3 on the man advantage.
Despite that, the effort and structure looked much better.
Panthers’ Experience Takes Over Late
In the third, Florida’s experience and patience took control again. They played smart, waited for mistakes, and at 9:40, Adam Boqvist scored the game-winner — batting the puck out of mid-air on a set play off the end boards.
From there, the Panthers locked it down, allowing only five shots in the final period. That’s what veteran, championship teams do — protect their lead and close the door.
Coach’s Comments: Execution Over Systems
Head coach Jeff Blashill summed it up perfectly:
“I don’t think we’re going to walk out of the game and have a big system meeting tomorrow. It’ll be more about pure execution — careless plays with the puck, being harder on it.”
He also added:
“It’s such an unforgiving league. You’re not going to be perfect, but you can’t let the lows be too low. Some guys need to learn that lesson — that’s their takeaway.”
The Hawks were out-chanced 33–11 in the first and third periods combined.
Frank Nazar said it best:
“It’s bits and pieces. There are moments we do a great job, then moments we slip up and Knight has to bail us out.”
Top Line Shuffle and Bedard’s Tough Night
Connor Bedard showed flashes — hitting the crossbar early and undressing ex-Hawk Seth Jones for a great look later — but struggled overall.
At five-on-five, the Hawks were outshot 15–2 with Bedard on the ice. He went 3-for-17 on faceoffs, prompting Blashill to move Ilya Mikheyev up to his line mid-game.
Bedard led all forwards in ice time (22:00) and finished with two shots.
My Three Takeaways
1️⃣ Young Defensemen Struggle Early
Rinzel, Levshunov, and Del Mastro all had a tough time.
- Rinzel, expected to be the team’s No. 1 defenseman, didn’t control play as usual.
- Levshunov looked nervous and out of sync before settling in.
- Del Mastro, in for the injured Alex Vlasic, was caught out of position too often.
With one of their top D-men missing, everyone’s playing above their ideal role — and it shows. That’s part of the learning curve for a rebuilding team.
2️⃣ Spencer Knight Keeps Them in It
Knight faced 37 shots and stopped 34 (.919 SV%). He was the reason Chicago had a chance late.
Calm, focused, and steady — exactly what the Hawks hoped for when they traded for him. Expect Knight to steal a few games this season if this pattern continues.
3️⃣ The Second Line Delivers Again
The line of Teravainen – Nazar – Bertuzzi combined for 6 points, finished +3, and scored both goals.
Their speed and chemistry stood out all night. If they keep this up, this trio could become the Hawks’ most consistent offensive threat.
What Didn’t Work
Faceoffs — plain and simple. Chicago won just 40% of their draws, with Florida taking 42 of 70 (60%).
“It’s a huge thing,” Blashill said. “When you lose them all night, you’re chasing the puck constantly.”
Even on special teams, it was rough:
- Power play: 3-of-9 faceoffs won
- Penalty kill: 1-of-4
The Hawks also failed to generate consistent zone time on the man advantage and struggled to recover pucks.
Final Stats Snapshot
| Category | Blackhawks | Panthers |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 19 | 37 |
| Faceoffs | 40% (28/70) | 60% (42/70) |
| Power Play | 0/3 | 0/2 |
| Hits | 22 | 28 |
| Blocks | 16 | 11 |
| TOI Leader (Skater) | Rinzel – 25:18 | |
| Top Forward TOI | Bedard – 22:00 | |
| Hits Leader | Del Mastro – 6 | |
| Goalie | Knight (.919 SV%) |
My Final Thoughts
The result wasn’t a surprise. The Panthers are an elite, battle-tested team. The Blackhawks are young, raw, and learning. But there were positives — especially that second period and the performance from Knight.
This season will be full of nights like this — tough lessons, small steps, and valuable experience. You can lose games and still build your future. That’s what tonight was about.
Next up: Blackhawks vs Bruins, Thursday night in Boston 7:00PM EDT
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