Boqvist scores go-ahead goal as Cup champ Panthers beat Blackhawks 3-2
on banner-raising night
[October 08, 2025] By
TIM REYNOLDS
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Jesper Boqvist scored the go-ahead
goal midway through the third period and the Florida Panthers, after
raising their second straight Stanley Cup banner, opened defense of the
title by beating the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 on Tuesday night. |
Florida Panthers left wing A.J. Greer (10) celebrates scoring the team's
first goal against the Chicago Blackhawks along with teammates including
defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5), during the first period of an NHL hockey
game, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca
Blackwell) |
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Mackie Samoskevich — getting his second assist, the fifth
two-point game of his career — chipped the puck toward the goal
and Boqvist knocked it out of the air for the lead with 10:20
left. A.J. Greer and Carter Verhaeghe also had goals for
Florida, which got 17 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky.
Frank Nazar had a goal and an assist and Teuvo Teravainen also
scored for Chicago. Former Panthers goalie Spencer Knight made
34 saves for the Blackhawks.
For the Panthers, it was the sort of grind-it-out win that might
be necessary with star forwards Aleksander Barkov and Matthew
Tkachuk out with injuries.
“That’s what the year is," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.
"It’s the building of that identity and the finding of it.”
It was the official debut for new Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill,
who coached Detroit for seven seasons — 2015-16 through 2021-22
— and was hired by Chicago in May. The Blackhawks won the
Stanley Cup in 2015 and haven't made it past the first round of
the playoffs since.
“This is what we love to do, and life goes by fast,” Blashill
said. “Let's make sure we're enjoying it.”
Chicago scored first midway through the opening period on a
breakaway from Nazar, but the Panthers — who outshot the
Blackhawks 17-3 in the first 20 minutes — went into the first
intermission up 2-1 after goals three minutes apart from Greer
and Verhaeghe.
Teravainen scored early in the second to tie the game at 2-2,
and it stayed that way until Boqvist delivered.
Up next
Blackhawks: Visit Boston on Thursday.
Panthers: Host Philadelphia on Thursday.
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