Panthers handle Blackhawks as Paul Maurice secures 900th coaching victory

Adam Beasley, Miami Herald on Feb 1, 2025

Published in Hockey

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SUNRISE, Fla. — When Paul Maurice coached his first NHL game three decades ago, the salary cap was still a concept and the two-line pass was illegal.

Maurice’s ability to adapt to the changing landscape and relate to players who must seem younger and younger with each passing season has helped him win a ton of games — including a historic one Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Panthers blasted the Blackhawks, 5-1, to give Maurice his 900th career win — becoming just the fourth coach (and second Panthers coach) in the league’s 108-year history to do so. The others? Scotty Bowman, Joel Quenneville and Barry Trotz.

Quenneville secured win No. 900 early in the 2019-20 season with a Panthers victory over the Rangers that November.

But Maurice will likely go down as not just the best coach in franchise history, but one of the best the sport has ever produced. Just 58 years old, it’s not inconceivable that he retires as the NHL’s all-time leader in games coached (2,141, Bowman) and games won (1,244, Bowman).

“It means you’re old and you have been fortunate for sure,” Maurice quipped modestly when asked about joining the exclusive 900-win club. “And you’ve coached a lot of good players.”

Asked if he ever allows himself to think about the bigger numbers still out there for him to chase, Maurice replied:

“No, I don’t. I’d like to win the next one. I’m sure there’ll come in time when you’ll sit back and but by that time you’re so damn old, you can’t even remember. So it’s good. It’s fine.”

Maurice in just two and a half seasons with Florida already owns the regular season record for wins by a Panthers coach (125). And with as loaded as the Panthers’ roster is and looks to be going forward, there’s no reason he can’t double that before his contract expires (believed to be after the 2027-28 season).

The Panthers’ stars on Saturday shone bright against a young and overmatched Blackhawks club.

Leading the way in Florida’s offensive explosion: Their electric top line. Sam Reinhart had a goal and two assists, Carter Verhaeghe posted a goal and an assist, and Aleksander Barkov added two assists of his own (his 31st and 32nd of the year).

That was more than enough support for Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who stopped 24 of 25 shots he faced to win his fourth consecutive start. Bobrovsky has allowed just five goals on 107 shots (.953 save percentage) during this current streak.

Chicago’s lone goal came seven seconds into the game — the fastest goal in Blackhawks history.

Chicago (16-31-5) won the opening faceoff and Landon Slaggert got Bobrovsky leaning the wrong way with a convincing deke before slipping the puck through Bob’s legs for his second goal in three games.

The Panthers (31-19-3) seemed to take it personally. They outshot Chicago 22-2 the rest of the way in the first period, with a ridiculous 34 scoring chances.

They cashed in on two of them — first on a rebound by Jonah Gadjovich at the 5:28 mark, and then on a one-timer by Reinhart, his 30th goal of the season.

Chicago created a bunch more chances in the second period, but to no avail. Bobrovsky stopped all 14 shots he saw in the second 20 and the Panthers added to their lead courtesy of a vintage Matthew Tkachuk goal.

A mere 23 seconds after the Blackhawks killed off a four-minute power play — officials assessed a double minor to Slaggert after his high stick on Barkov drew blood — Tkachuk redirected a Reinhart shot past Petr Mrazek for his 17th goal on the season.

And when Evan Rodrigues beat Mrazek 10 seconds into the third period with a snap shot — a goal made possible by a brutal own-zone turnover by Chicago defenseman Alex Vlasic forced by Anton Lundell — the question shifted from if Maurice would get No. 900 on national TV Saturday to how lopsided the final margin would be.

Verhaeghe answered that query with a power play goal on a lethal wrist shot set up by Reinhart midway through the third. After the game, he paid homage to the coach that has helped elevate his game to new heights.

“[Maurice] leads the group so well, and I think he always kind of knows what we need at certain times, and when to push us on and push certain guys,” Verhaeghe said. “The results kind of speak for themselves. He’s a seasoned veteran. He got us to two Stanley Cup Finals and won one in two years. He’s such a great coach, and I’m really, really happy for him to get the milestone.”