Blackhawks lose 3–2 as Eller’s late goal rewards Florida’s penalty kill

CHICAGO — The Blackhawks found an early lead, recovered from a deficit and entered the final minutes tied with Florida on Sunday. What they never found was a power-play goal, and that left one late breakdown capable of deciding the afternoon.

Lars Eller scored at 17:37 of the third period to give the Panthers a 3–2 victory at the United Center. Ryan Greene and Roman Kantserov scored for Chicago, while Sandis Vilmanis and Matthew Tkachuk supplied Florida’s earlier goals. The Panthers improved to 6–4–2 after completing all seven penalty kills.

The final NHL box score and event summary credit Florida with a 33–21 advantage in shots on goal. Spencer Knight made 30 saves for Chicago, and Akira Schmid stopped 19 for the Panthers. Those final records show how much work Chicago’s goalkeeper did to keep the game available despite Florida’s larger shot total.

For the Blackhawks, the missed opportunity extends beyond the final goal. They had repeated chances with an extra skater and still needed to score at even strength to recover from Florida’s first-period response. Once the game reached its closing stretch, there was no power-play production to provide a cushion against another Panthers finish.

A lead that lasted less than five minutes

Greene opened the scoring at 2:34 of the first period. Andrew Mangiapane and Kevin Korchinski received assists, giving Chicago an early return before Florida’s offense established the larger share of the shot volume.

Vilmanis answered at 6:49, scoring from a rebound near the crease. Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe assisted on the play. The Panthers had erased Chicago’s early advantage without waiting for their power play to supply the equalizer.

Their next goal did come with an extra skater. Tkachuk was credited with the finish at 14:21 after Seth Jones’ shot went off him and into the net. Jones and Brady Tkachuk received assists, and Florida took a 2–1 lead into the first intermission.

The difference in special-teams results was already significant. Florida converted a first-period opportunity while surviving Chicago’s early advantages, including a stretch at five-on-three. The Panthers’ penalty killing kept an opening Chicago lead from becoming a larger one, then helped them carry their own lead through the remainder of the period.

Kantserov brings the game back to even

Chicago’s second goal arrived at 11:15 of the second period, when Kantserov scored from the right circle. Patrick Kane and Connor Bedard received assists. The goal made it 2–2 and gave the Blackhawks another chance to turn a competitive game into a home victory.

It was Kantserov’s fourth goal of the season. His contribution followed Greene’s first, giving Chicago scoring from two young forwards on a day when the power play did not convert. The final record credits both Blackhawks goals at even strength.

Kane’s assist moved his career total to 898, according to the Blackhawks’ official report. That leaves him two short of 900, but the immediate effect Sunday was more practical: his line’s scoring play removed Florida’s advantage and reset the game entering its later stages.

The Panthers had to protect that tie as well. Schmid denied Cole Smith on a third-period breakaway and stopped the follow-up attempt, according to Florida’s final account. Those saves prevented Chicago from moving ahead before Eller’s eventual winner.

Seven chances without a power-play goal

Florida’s seven successful penalty kills were central to the result. The Panthers’ report describes surviving both a first-period two-man disadvantage and a dangerous four-minute Chicago advantage in the second. The Blackhawks continued receiving opportunities without getting the scoring change they needed.

The final NHL event summary credits Chicago with seven shots on goal on the power play and no goals. That is a shot total, separate from the seven power-play opportunities. It shows that Chicago did direct pucks toward Schmid while up a skater, but none of those attempts supplied a finish.

Florida’s own power-play goal therefore remained an important part of the scoring balance. Each team scored twice at even strength; the Panthers also had Tkachuk’s special-teams goal. In a one-goal game, that difference was enough once Eller finished the decisive late chance.

Eller took a long pass from Aaron Ekblad and beat Knight with 2:23 remaining. The timing left Chicago needing an immediate response rather than another full period to work through its scoring problems. Florida protected the lead through the final horn.

The Blackhawks finish their seven-game homestand Tuesday, October 27, against the Los Angeles Kings. The official NHL schedule lists a 7 p.m. Chicago-time start. Sunday’s result makes the next point of improvement concrete: Chicago needs more from the advantages it earns, because even an early goal and a successful second-period recovery did not create enough separation to survive one late Florida strike.