PITTSBURGH - Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice issued a blunt self-assessment after his team was shut out 4-0 by the Pittsburgh Penguins, a loss that left the Panthers outscored 9-1 over back-to-back games and prompted their coach to question the culture he has allowed to develop.
“I don’t know where on the spectrum of arrogance and softness that I have allowed to creep into our game,” Maurice said, according to Florida Hockey Now. “I’m going to find that out here in a couple of days. I have to figure out where it’s coming from. I think it’s coming from me. … I need to get their attention.”
The loss was particularly stark given the circumstances: Cooper Black, a 25-year-old undrafted rookie out of Dartmouth, made his NHL debut in net and gave the Panthers every opportunity to win. Black, who at 6-foot-9 became the tallest goalie in NHL history, stopped 18 of 22 shots before the Penguins pulled away. The Panthers scored zero goals in return.
“Very hard to win games in this league when your team scores zero in front of you and gets what it deserves,” Maurice said. “I was fine with him for his first game. Happy for him.”
Black, who hails from upstate Michigan and signed with the Panthers out of Dartmouth in 2024 after attending a development camp in Coral Springs, said the moment did not overwhelm him. “Definitely exciting for me to be out there and play with these guys,” he said. “You look across the way, and there are some great players. Great experience. Not the outcome you want, but it is what it is.”
Forward Matthew Tkachuk was less measured. “We’re not playing good, at all, and it’s very frustrating,” Tkachuk said. “To have a back-to-back, quick turnaround, and lay an egg like we did. It’s a long year, but these things can’t happen. It’s not that we’re losing, it is how we’re playing. We’ll have to fix it here. Been a tough 24 hours these past two games. It’s unfortunate.”
The Panthers have a day off before resuming practice Saturday in Chicago ahead of a Sunday afternoon matchup against the Blackhawks at United Center. Florida leads the all-time regular season series 22-30-4 with three ties, and won last season’s meeting 2-0. The Panthers’ next game after Chicago is Tuesday at the Winnipeg Jets at 8 p.m.