Sitting at 4-1-1, the Panthers closed out their homestand with a 3-2 win over the New York Islanders on Sunday. Getting all three goals from the bottom six, Eetu Luostarinen, Anton Lundell and Ryan Lomberg all scored, while Spencer Knight turned aside 23 of 25 shots.
Strong on defense, the Panthers limited New York to just 13 even-strength shots.
"We just tried to hit the ground running and play our game," Knight said of the team's hot start. "We've played a lot of close games. It's a testament to our character and the guys in the room. We stick to the game plan. Everyone's playing for the team and not playing for themselves."
Held without a point against the Islanders despite firing a team-high five shots on goal, Matthew Tkachuk, who's produced at least one point in five of six games this season, leads Florida in goals (3), assists (5) and points (8), while Luostarinen and Colin White have each scored two goals.
Showing off their depth, 13 players have scored a goal and 16 have recorded a point.
"It's been our strength the last couple of years," said captain Aleksander Barkov, who has four assists. "It's no different right now. A lot of guys are scoring, different lines every time. It's our strength and what we like, but at the same time it's part of our game that every line is going to play the same way."
After dropping their first two games to start the season, the Blackhawks have flipped the script in a hurry. Pushing their winning streak to three games, they came from behind to secure a 5-4 win over the Seattle Kraken on Sunday behind a pair of goals from Tyler Johnson.
In each win during the streak, Chicago has erased a two-goal deficit.
"We're already having some fun, being able to come together as a team even though it's been a short time and a lot of new faces," Johnson told reporters following the win against Seattle. "I feel we're a pretty together team already and we've just got to keep on building."
Max Domi leads the Blackhawks with three goals, while four other players have all netted a pair. In the points department, Sam Lafferty and Johnson rank first on the team with five points apiece.
Standing tall between the pipes, Alex Stalock, who stopped 30 of 34 shots against the Kraken has posted a 2-1-0 record with a .938 save percentage in three appearances so far this season.
Last season, Florida won both of its meetings with Chicago by a combined score of 9-2.
"I think we bought in really well in this new system, playing tight defense in our zone," Barkov said. "We kind of figured out really quick how to do it. Everyone seems to like it and understand it and knows what to do. That's a lot of confidence for everyone."
