BB&T CENTER – SUNRISE, FLA
| FLORIDA PANTHERS | CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS |
| 5 | 2 |
- Florida improved to a 9-0-2 record over their last 11 season opening games
- Eight Panthers made their Florida debut: Radko Gudas, Alex Wennberg, Carter Verhaeghe, Eetu Luostarinen, Gustav Forsling, Patric Hornqvist, Anthony Duclair, and Ryan Lomberg
- Keith Yandle scored his 100th NHL goal at 5:33 of the 2nd period to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead and was named Third Star of the Game
- Playing in his ninth NHL game and his first as a Panther, Eetu Luostarinen tallied the game-winning goal, the first goal of his NHL career, also adding an assist (1-1-2), and was named First Star of the Game
- Patric Hornqvist recorded two points (1-1-2) in his Florida debut
- Jonathan Huberdeau posted three points (1-2-3) and was named Second Star of the Game
- Aaron Ekblad scored Florida’s first goal of the season 12 seconds into the second period
- Nine different Panthers produced at least one point
- Chris Driedger stopped 23 of Chicago’s 25 shots, including 18 of 19 at even strength
- Chicago forward Patrick Kane’s first-period goal was overturned after official review for offsides
NHL.com Final Score: FLA 5, CHI 2
PANTHERS POSTGAME QUOTES – JAN. 17, 2021
Head Coach Joel Quenneville
“We need everybody to push each other…Luosty [Eetu Luostarinen] tonight certainly earned his share tonight and he got some critical situations as the game progressed.”
“We did some good things, we had some good movement with our defense joining the attack.”
“I thought [Chris Driedger] played very well. What we saw last year, his composure, patience and confidence that he seems to play with, in the first game of the year right off the bat…he did what he had to do. He looked big, he looked patient, big factor in tonight’s win.”
Forward Eetu Luostarinen
“I felt good out there. I think that’s a huge win for us and a good way to start off the season. Two points, that’s what we wanted.”
““I think we were ready to go right from the start. That’s a huge win for us.”
Defenseman Keith Yandle
“Getting the win is the biggest thing, being able to contribute and help out. Driedgs [Chris Driedger] played unreal and was able to hold down the fort. Getting my 100th goal, it took a long time but I’m happy to get it. ”
“Talk about having that underdog mentality, we played like that tonight. I thought we battled hard, did a lot of good things.”
Goaltender Chris Driedger
“It’s great to get the win. Just starting off with two points is huge for us… I think we got [the nerves] out in the first period and then the guys just got to work.”
“We’ve got a great group of guys, but nothing brings a team closer than winning some hockey games.”
“It was great [to have fans]. It was good to see support from the fans and it’s pretty unique we’re able to do that so pretty awesome to have some fans. The atmosphere was pretty good and it felt like a hockey game.”
