5 TAKEAWAYS: Predators 7, Panthers 3

NASHVILLE - Missing out on a chance to move into a playoff spot, the Florida Panthers closed out their four-game road trip with a 7-3 loss to the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday.
At 28-25-6, Florida sits one point out of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
"We just weren't hard enough from the start," forward Matthew Tkachuk said. "We gave up way too many goals. We definitely didn't start the game as well as we would've liked, that's for sure."
For a quick recap of the game, click
HERE
.
To read up on five key takeaways for the Cats, continue below.

1. COUSINS HITS 500

Nick Cousins hit a nice round number in Nashville.
Taking the ice against his former team, the Panthers forward skated in the 500th game of his NHL career. Celebrating the milestone with a great moment, the 29-year-old veteran got the Panthers on the board in the first period when he beat Kevin Lankinen to make it 1-1.

"It's exciting," Cousins, who spent two seasons with the Predators before inking a two-year contract with the Panthers this past summer, said prior to puck drop. "It's funny how it's back in Nashville. Obviously I spent some time here and really enjoyed playing here. I'm real excited."
In 58 games this season, Cousins has logged 20 points (six goals, 14 assists).
"Those upcoming games at home, they mean something now," Cousins said of the playoff push. "I feel like our team is tough to play against at home. Even going back to last year before I got here, this team's made that rink a really tough place to play."

2. TKACHUK NETS ANOTHER

Tkachuk cracked the scoresheet once again.
Earning at least point in 17 of his last 21 games, the All-Star forward netted his 28th goal of the season when he re-directed a shot past Lankinen to put the Panthers up 2-1 in the first period.

Sitting fourth in the NHL in scoring with 76 points (28 goals, 48 assists), Tkachuk has carried the hottest sick in the league since Jan. 1. Leading the NHL in scoring in 2023, he's racked up 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 22 games, with 22 of those points coming at even strength.
A force on the ice, the Panthers led the Predators 18-13 in shot attempts and 9-7 in shots on goal over the 15:19 that Tkachuk was deployed at 5-on-5. Per NaturalStatTrick.com, Tkachuk's 58.06 CF% ranked second to only defenseman Josh Mahura's team-high 68.18 CF% on the Panthers.
Still only 25, Tkachuk is third in the NHL with 180 points since the start of the 2021-22 season.

3. REINHART HEATS UP

Sam Reinhart has been touching twine at a steady rate in recent weeks.
Finding the back of the net eight times in his last 13 games, the 27-year-old forward showed off his hands on the power play in Nasvhille when he tipped in a shot from Aleksander Barkov to cut Florida's deficit down to 6-3 just before the midway point of the third period.

Fifth on the Panthers in scoring with 45 points (21 goals, 24 assists) this season, Reinhart also ranks second on the team in power-play goals with nine. Since arriving to South Florida in the summer of 2021, he ranks first on the team in both power-play points (49) and power-play goals (25).
A model of scoring efficiency, Reinhart has scored at least 20 goals in seven of his eight full seasons in the NHL.

4. HOME COOKING

The Panthers are going to be waking up in their own beds for a while.
After surviving a grueling road-heavy schedule for the last few months, the Panthers will play 15 of their final 23 games in front of their own fans at FLA Live Arena, including nine of the next 10.
Since Jan. 1, Florida has gone 6-3-0 at home.
"We've certainly paid for it in full, and now we've got to make the most of it," head coach Paul Maurice said. "We've got a great opportunity to play in front of our fans and get them excited."
Florida ranks second in the NHL with 3.88 goals per game at home.
"I think every team plays that much more intense at home," defenseman Brandon Montour said. "At this time of the year, it's nice to have that. That's to our advantage, for sure."
Also expected to get some reinforcements, Maurice said after Sunday's practice that both Sam Bennett and Anthony Duclair, who has yet to play this season, could return to action on Friday against the Sabres.

5. GETTING SOME HELP

Even with their loss, the Panthers got some help around the NHL.
Looking at the teams fighting with the Panthers (62 points) in the playoff race, the Red Wings (60 points), Capitals (62 points), Islanders (63 points) and Penguins (63 points) all lost on Saturday.
The only team that gained ground was the Sabres (60 points), who beat the Sharks 4-2.
As it stands now, MoneyPuck.com has the Sabres with a slight advantage of over the Panthers to win the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. That, of course, is due to Buffalo having played five fewer games. With that, Friday's head-to-head battle in Sunrise will be huge.
With 23 games left to play, the Panthers are right in the thick of the race.
"At this point, there's expectations in the room," Tkachuk said when asked about the road ahead. "We're still making a push and we're still right there. We have a lot of home games that we still have to take care of, but we can't wait any longer."