The Chicago Blackhawks End Their Three-Game Road Trip With 5-1 Loss to the Florida Panthers in Saturday Matinee

The Chicago Blackhawks dropped their second straight game in a row as they lose 5-1 to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers in a Saturday matinee. With the loss, the Blackhawks fell to 16-31-5 of the season.

Petr Mrazek stopped 39 shots in the loss.

Landon Slaggert made history, scoring the fastest game-opening goal in Blackhawks history--seven seconds in--to put Chicago ahead 1-0.

Jonah Gadjovich tied the game up at one, scoring on the rebound in front of the crease. Chicago challenged for goalie interference but the call on the ice was a good goal. As a result, the Blackhawks were assessed a delay-of-game penalty. Fortunately, their penalty kill stepped up to the task.

Sam Reinhart gave Florida a 2-1 lead, firing a wrist shot from the low slot for his 30th goal of the season. The Panthers entered the first intermission with the one-goal advantage.

Florida dominated the opening frame, outshooting Chicago 22-4 in the first period alone and had more than 40 shot attempts.

The Panthers extended their lead to 3-1 in the second period on a tip-in goal from Matthew Tkachuk. They continued to take over the game, outshooting Chicago 14-12 in the period.

Evan Rodrigues made it 4-1, just 10 seconds in the third period.

Carter Verhaeghe made it 5-1 Panthers, scoring on the power play off the cross-ice pass from Sam Reinhart to seal the victory.

Takeaways from the Game:

1. Landon Slaggert's Blackhawks Record: Slaggert's goal seven seconds in the first period set a new franchise record for the fastest game-opening goal in Blackhawks history.

2. Paul Maurice's 900th Win: Panthers head coach Paul Maurice notched his 900th NHL win, becoming just the fourth coach in league history to reach the milestone.

3. Panthers' Offensive Depth: After trailing 1-0, Florida's offense took over. Sam Reinhart finished with a goal and two assists while Carter Verhaeghe added a goal and an assist.

What's Next: The Blackhwks return home to face the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. CST on TNT/truTV/HBO Max.