Panthers drop into last in Eastern Conference after loss to Maple Leafs

Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald on Dec 2, 2025

Published in Hockey

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SUNRISE, Fla. — Home-ice advantage has been good to the Florida Panthers over the past few years as they have evolved into one of the NHL’s top teams.

Which is why this current stretch, even with Florida missing so many players, is a bit surprising.

With a 4-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday at Amerant Bank Arena, the Panthers (12-12-1) have now dropped four consecutive home games and are just 8-6-1 overall on home ice.

This ties for the longest stretch of consecutive home losses under coach Paul Maurice, matching a stretch of four consecutive home defeats from March 16-28, 2024.

With the loss, Florida is now in last place in the Eastern Conference nearly one-third of the way through the season. Toronto improves to 12-11-3

The Panthers gave up two goals in the opening eight minutes, with Troy Stecher and Dakota Joshua beating Sergei Bobrovsky on two of Toronto’s first three shots of the game. Stecher’s shot came on a wrister from the point 5:24 into regulation for his first goal of the season. Joshua got a pass from Bobby McMann right in front of the crease and beat Bobrovsky five-hole at 7:54.

Bobrovsky then stopped the next 23 shots he faced as Florida attempted to mount its comeback bid.

Sam Reinhart cut Florida’s deficit to 2-1 with 5:17 left in the second period by scoring his second short-handed goal of the season — and 14 goal overall of the campaign — on a feed from Anton Lundell. It was Reinhart’s 12 career short-handed goal with Florida, which ties Tom Fitzgerald for the third-most in franchise history. His mark trails only Radek Dvorak (16) and Aleksander Barkov (13).

But Scott Laughton pushed Toronto’s lead back to multiple goals when a bounce went his way in front of the net with 7:42 left to play. Joshua added an empty-net goal with 18.6 seconds left to cap scoring.

Joseph Woll made 26 saves for Toronto.

The Panthers were down yet another top player Tuesday. Winger Carter Verhaeghe did not play Tuesday as he and wife Casey are expecting the birth of their first child. They already have seven players sidelined in forwards Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Eetu Luostarinen, Tomas Nosek, Jonah Gadjovich and Cole Schwindt, plus defenseman Dmitry Kulikov.

Florida continues its homestand Thursday when it hosts the Nashville Predators. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.