SUNRISE, Fla. (Interstat) — Robert Thomas scored twice and added an assist as the St. Louis Blues dominated the Florida Panthers 6-2 in NHL action Saturday night at Amerant Bank Arena. The Blues, improving to 14-23, built a 3-0 lead before the Panthers answered with two second-period goals. St. Louis then sealed the win with three third-period tallies. Jake Neighbours also scored twice for St. Louis, and Jonatan Berggren had a goal and two assists. Joel Hofer made 27 saves for the win. The Panthers, who fell to 19-16, saw a two-game win streak snapped before a crowd of 19,081. Sam Reinhart and A.J. Greer scored for Florida. The Blues’ victory defied pregame projections that heavily favored the Panthers.

SUNRISE, Fla. (Interstat) — In a result that defied both the odds and recent form, the struggling St. Louis Blues delivered a decisive and unexpected road victory, routing the Florida Panthers 6-2 on Saturday night at Amerant Bank Arena. The Blues, who entered the game with the second-fewest wins in the NHL, dominated the Panthers, a team that had earned points in seven of its last eight contests. St. Louis methodically built its lead, scoring once in the first period, twice in the second, and putting the game out of reach with three more in the third. The catalyst was center Robert Thomas, who was named the game’s top star after posting two goals and an assist. His performance anchored an offensive outburst from a Blues squad that had mustered just four total goals in its previous three games. St. Louis set the tone early, capitalizing on a sustained offensive-zone shift. Jake Neighbours opened the scoring at 9:59 of the first period, deflecting a Cam Fowler point shot past Panthers goaltender Daniil Tarasov. Rookie Otto Stenberg, playing in his first NHL game, recorded the secondary assist for his first career point. Florida responded in the second period to briefly tie the game. A.J. Greer deflected a Seth Jones shot past Blues netminder Joel Hofer at 14:35 to make it 1-1. The Panthers then took a 2-1 lead on a power-play goal from Sam Reinhart, who fired a wrist shot past Hofer at 24:45 for his team-leading 19th goal of the season. The Blues’ response was swift and marked a turning point. Just over two minutes after Reinhart’s goal, Jonatan Berggren snapped a wrist shot past Tarasov to tie the game at 2-2. The goal survived a video review for a potential offside. Before the period ended, St. Louis reclaimed the lead when defenseman Justin Faulk hammered a slap shot from the point at 38:59, sending the Blues to the intermission with a 3-2 advantage. Any hope of a Florida comeback was extinguished in the third period as St. Louis dominated play. Neighbours notched his second of the night at 16:02, finishing a feed from Stenberg to make it 4-2. Thomas then scored twice in the final minutes to seal the victory, completing a three-point night with a wrist shot at 16:53 and adding a shorthanded, unassisted empty-net goal at 18:28. Hofer was stellar in net for St. Louis, stopping 27 of 29 shots to earn the win. Tarasov made 29 saves on 34 shots for Florida in the loss. The game featured seven minor penalties, four assessed to St. Louis and three to Florida. The Blues’ penalty kill was a key factor, successfully killing off three of four disadvantages, including the shorthanded empty-netter. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the Panthers, who fell to 19-16-0 on the season. The Blues, meanwhile, improved to 14-23-0, securing just their fourth road victory of the campaign. According to pregame projections from National Statistical, Florida had been a significant favorite with a 70.6% probability to win and was installed as a 1.5-goal favorite on the betting spread. The total of eight goals sailed over the posted over/under line of 5.5. St. Louis will look to build on the win as it continues a road trip against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. Florida will aim to regroup quickly, traveling to face the Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.

Panthers Host Struggling Blues in Saturday Night Matchup SUNRISE, Fla. (Interstat) — The Florida Panthers look to continue their climb in the standings when they host the slumping St. Louis Blues at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday night. The Panthers (18-15-0) enter on a three-game winning streak, including a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday. Center Sam Bennett, a key player to watch, scored a goal in that contest and has been productive lately, posting eight points (five goals, three assists) in his last 10 games. His physical, two-way play will be central against a Blues team searching for consistency. St. Louis (13-23-0) has lost four of its last five and is coming off a 2-1 overtime defeat to the New York Rangers on Thursday. Goaltender Jordan Binnington, who made 28 saves in that loss, will likely be tasked with slowing Florida’s attack. Binnington’s recent performances have been mixed; he allowed seven goals on 25 shots in a loss to Nashville on Dec. 11 but also posted a 28-save win over the Islanders on Nov. 22. The Blues have struggled to score, managing two or fewer goals in seven of their last 10 games. Robert Thomas, who led the team with six shots against the Rangers, will need to spark an offense that averages among the league’s lowest. Florida has found success at home during its streak, outscoring opponents 12-4 over its last three games in Sunrise. Goaltender Daniil Tarasov, who earned the win Wednesday, has provided stability. According to National Statistical’s game simulator, the Panthers are projected to win 3-2. The Blues won the only meeting between the teams last season, a 4-3 victory in St. Louis on Jan. 16, 2025. Following this game, the Blues begin a two-game road trip in Tampa Bay on Monday. The Panthers hit the road for a matchup at Carolina on Tuesday.