Sandis Vilmanis delivered a remarkable performance, recording two goals and two assists to lead Florida to victory. The Latvian forward achieved career highs in goals, assists and points in a single NHL game.
Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe also found the net for the Panthers, while defenceman Seth Jones continued his impressive form by scoring his third goal of the season.
Reinhart extended his scoring run to four consecutive games and has now registered eight points in his last five appearances. Verhaeghe also maintained his five-game point streak.
For Chicago, Frank Nazar scored twice, ending a seven-game goal drought, while Connor Bedard provided two assists.
The victory improved Florida’s record to 9-5-2, while Chicago suffered its fourth consecutive defeat to fall to 4-11-1.
Senators rally to defeat Sabres
The Ottawa Senators produced a third-period comeback to defeat the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 on the road.
Buffalo entered the final period with a 1-0 advantage after Peyton Krebs scored his first goal of the season in the opening period.
However, Ottawa responded through Shane Pinto, who equalised in the second period of the game, before Michael Amadio completed the comeback with a late goal in the third.
Amadio's decisive strike came with 3:09 remaining, as he converted a three-on-two opportunity following assists from Fabian Zetterlund and Tim Stützle.
Goaltender Samuel Ersson made 23 saves for Ottawa, helping the Senators secure an important victory.
The result improved Ottawa’s record to 10-6-1 and ended its road trip on a positive note. Buffalo, meanwhile, saw its three-game winning streak come to an end.
Results:
• Florida Panthers 5-3 Chicago Blackhawks
• Ottawa Senators 2-1 Buffalo Sabres
The Panthers will take confidence from Vilmanis’ outstanding performance, while Ottawa will be encouraged by its ability to recover from a deficit and secure victory in the closing stages.