It’s been a long month for Aaron Ekblad.

Vegas Golden Knights forward Phil Kessel has broken the NHL record for consecutive games played.

Phil Kessel matched the NHL record for consecutive games played, Chandler Stephenson scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1.

Scott Laughton scored 2:22 into overtime, Cam Atkinson had a pair of goals in regulation and assisted on the winner, and the Philadelphia Flyers snapped a franchise-record 13-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Keith Yandle has broken the NHL record by playing in his 965th consecutive game.

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Keith Yandle tied retired center Doug Jarvis for the NHL record of 964 consecutive games played.

Florida Panthers General Manger Bill Zito hit the offseason ground running, making several moves Thursday that should positively impact the team for the foreseeable future.

Dallas Stars goaltender Ben Bishop has waived his no-movement clause to be exposed in the Seattle expansion draft after approaching the team with the idea.

Andrei Vasilevskiy wrapped up a series with a Game 6 shutout for the second straight time, stopping 29 shots in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 4-0 victory over the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night.

The Florida Panthers entrusted their season to a rookie goalie making his playoff debut.

Alex Killorn scored a pair of second-period goals and the Tampa Bay Lightning rebounded from its first postseason loss to rout the Florida Panthers 6-2 and take a commanding 3-1 lead in the first-round Central Division playoff matchup.

Brayden Point scored two late goals, including the game-winner with 1:14 left in the third period, to lift the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning over the Florida Panthers 5-4 to take Game 1 of their playoff series.

Chris Driedger stopped 30 shots to record his third shutout of the season, Juho Lammikko scored a short-handed goal, and the Florida Panthers secured home-ice advantage for the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 4-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the regular season finale for both clubs.

On Saturday, Yandle is expected to play in his 921st consecutive National Hockey League game.

Frank Vatrano had a goal and an assist for the Panthers, who tied a season-high with their fourth straight win.

Ty Dellandrea of the Dallas Stars defends against Keith Yandle of the Florida Panthers as he circles behind the net with the puck during first period action at the BB&T Center on February 22, 2021 in Sunrise, Florida. SUNRISE, Fla. – Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle scored, Chris Driedger made 24 saves and the Florida Panthers beat the slumping, rusty Dallas Stars 3-1. Aleksander Barkov scored an empty-net goal to seal the Panthers’ sixth win in eight games. Florida dominated the middle twenty minutes, outshooting the Stars 29-4 and scoring the only two goals of the second period. Blake Comeau scored for Dallas, and goalie Anton Khudobin stood on his head, stopping 49 of 51 shots.

FRISCO, Texas – Just like an old friend stopping by for a visit, the Florida Panthers’ former hybrid has rolled back into town and is pulling into a familiar garage. Florida Panthers defenseman Mark Pysyk is congratulated for his goal against the Detroit Red Wings Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)A restricted free agent after the conclusion of the season, the eco-friendly Pysyk moved on from the Panthers and headed west. On Monday, Pysyk and the Stars will arrive in Sunrise and begin a three-game set with the Panthers. “It’s going to be a little bit weird going back to the place I spent the last four years,” Pysyk said Sunday.

A big part of the team’s success has been its power play, which is humming right along at a league-leading 37 percent success rate. These days the Panthers power play looks a bit different. Much like the team’s record so far, their power play success also falls into an easily brushed aside ‘too good to be true’ mentality. “We’re still figuring each other out, it’s still early in the year,” the 34-year-old said of Florida’s new-look power play unit. (2021 Getty Images)The power play wasn’t the only thing Yandle was asked about on Wednesday.

Keith Yandle #3 of the Florida Panthers celebrates his first period goal with teammates while playing the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on January 30, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan. DETROIT – Patric Hornqvist, Aaron Ekblad and Carter Verhaeghe scored, and the Florida Panthers held off the Detroit Red Wings for a 3-2 win. Anthony Mantha scored with 1:48 remaining to pull the Red Wings within a goal after pulling goalie Thomas Greiss to add an extra skater. Detroit pulled its goaltender again but couldn’t get another shot past Florida goaltender Chris Driedger to extend the game. Dylan Larkin scored to put the Red Wings ahead early in the game.

Goaltender Chris Driedger of the Florida Panthers stops a shot by Philipp Kurashev of the Chicago Blackhawks at the BB&T Center on January 17, 2021 in Sunrise, Florida. SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers opened their 2020-21 season in front of a sparce and socially distant crowd the BB&T Center, hoping to get off on the proverbial right foot. He skated in eight games for the Carolina Hurricanes before Florida acquired him last season in the Trade Deadline deal for Vincent Trocheck. Asked about his big goal after the game, Luostarinen seemed more interested in talking about the team’s win than his individual accomplishment. “I think that’s a huge win for us and a good way to start off the season.

The 10th-seeded Panthers trail the best-of-five series 2-1 with Game 4 at the NHL's Eastern Conference hub city of Toronto on Friday. Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Brock Nelson, with 1:27 remaining, scored for the Islanders, the East's seventh seed. The Panthers scored first for the second straight game, with Haulas power-play goal 4:02 into the second period. NOTES: The game was Panthers first as the home team since 4-1 win against Montreal at Florida on March 7. The Islanders made no lineup changes from Game 2, while Panthers D Mike Matheson was scratched after picking up four of the Panthers 10 minor penalties this series.

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. If anybody in the Florida Panthers dressing room has his finger on the pulse of the team, it's defenseman Keith Yandle. Across the board, the Panthers players bought into the program. Keith Yandle #3 of the Florida Panthers prepares for a face-off against the Chicago Blackhawks at the BB&T Center on February 29, 2020 in Sunrise, Florida. IF YOUVE SEEN ONE MASKSome of you may have been hoping to hear about the cool and unique face masks that Panthers players were wearing around the rink. Florida Panthers coach Joel Quenneville handles bench duties during the first period against the New York Islanders on October 12, 2019.

SUNRISE, Fla. One of the biggest surprises of the Florida Panthers season came in the form of defenseman-turned-forward Mark Pysyk. Now Pysyk and the rest of the Panthers are working hard to get back into form as the NHL hopes to resume the season with its 24-team Return to Play Plan. Its going to be a weird, quick, mad dash to get back into shape and back into game speed, Pysyk said. I think the NHL has done a great job of putting things in place, Pysyk said. 7 seed New York Islanders in what the NHL is calling the Qualifying Round, which will be a best-of-five series.

"I think the guys here do a good job of having a good variety of music before the game," said Panthers winger Brett Connolly. Just the game day itself, Barkov said. You wake up, its a game day. Obviously, theres some routines you do during the game day, those things remind you that you have a game tonight and you have to be ready. Then you come to the rink, you see these guys getting ready for the game, its like, contagious.

SUNRISE, Fla. – With 2019 about to come to a close, Episode 8 of Chirping the Cats features host David Dwork and his guest, Local 10′s Ian Margol, as they go up and down the Florida Panthers roster and assess each player’s season, to this point. SUBSCRIBE TO THE CTC PODCAST - iOS | Android2:20 – Josh Brown5:25 – Keith Yandle9:10 – Aaron Ekblad16:50 – Anton Stralman20:55 – Colton Sceviour22:50 – Jayce Hawryluk25:15 – Brian Boyle30:30 – Brett Connolly34:30 – Jonathan Huberdeau39:55 – Mark Pysyk43:10 – Dominic Toninato45:50 – Aleksander Barkov49:15 – Mike Matheson

Aside from some childish enjoyment over what was literally just an oversized hockey puck, it didn’t seem like anything particularly special. "I guess it's just a weighted, big puck," Yandle said. FRIENDLY SWORDSMANSHIPObservant fans have probably noticed the somewhat different way that Panthers players celebrate victories on the ice. That's right, Panthers players enjoy some playful sword fighting on the ice every time they collect two points. HEY MR. DJFinding the right music for a locker room full of hockey players can be a tricky endeavor.

Keith Yandle of the Florida Panthers in action against the New York Islanders on November 09, 2019. CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. - When discussing the new-look Florida Panthers and their early-season success, the conversation quickly gravitates to head coach Joel Quenneville. "You have to play good defense if you're going to play good offense. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images Josh Brown of the Florida Panthers checks Michael Dal Colle of the New York Islanders on October 12, 2019. pic.twitter.com/U9e2kWahrb Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) November 20, 2019Copyright 2019 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

BOSTON - Mike Hoffman scored one of four Florida goals in the third period and added the winner in a shootout as the Panthers rallied from a four-goal deficit and beat the Boston Bruins 5-4 on Tuesday night. David Pastrnak scored his league-leading 16th goal for Boston, which broke a scoreless tie with four goals in the second, but could not hold off Florida. Joakim Nordstrom, Anders Bjork and Zdeno Chara also scored for Boston, and Tuukka Rask made 25 saves. Boston added goals by Bjork and Chara, taking a 4-0 lead into the third. Play was halted for a few minutes in the first period when the arena lights flickered with the Panthers on a power play.

Dzingel's second goal extended Carolina's lead to 5-0 at 1:31 of the second. Yandle's power-play goal with 10:26 left in the third closed the Panthers to 5-2. Dadonov made it 5-3 on a power-play goal with 4:08 left. Dzingel's power-play goal with 1:46 left in the first made it 4-0. ... Reimer, acquired by the Hurricanes from the Panthers on June 30, made his first start against his former team.