Panthers Make Changes To Middle Six Ahead Of Matchup With Chicago

The Florida Panthers had some new-look forward lines when they took the ice on Saturday in Chicago.

Fresh off a pair of lopsided defeats in Ottawa and Pittsburgh, the Panthers will be looking to get back on track when they face the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday afternoon at United Center.

Florida head coach Paul Maurice was not pleased with his players following the back-to-back losses and said he would be looking for a way to turn things back around ahead of Saturday’s skate.

“I think it looked the way I thought it did from the bench,” Maurice said. “We’ve got some things we’ve got to clean up in our game and we have an opportunity to do that tomorrow.”

When the team took the ice, it was apparent that Maurice had done some tinkering with the forward groupings.

The top line and the fourth line remained the same, but Maurice made a not-so-subtle move to his middle six.

Exciting young forward Sandis Vilmanis was bumped up to the second line, where he skated alongside Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe.

Vilmanis was a healthy scratch on Thursday.

“It’s just a little different look,” Maurice said. “When he was with Lundell and Luostarinen, I liked it early on but it’s starting to fall off a bit for me. We gave him a little bit of a reset, so he should have some good legs and good urgency in this game.”

Dependable forward Lars Eller, who Maurice has complimented several times during the early stages of the season, was on the left side of the Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen line.

In terms of defensive pairings, Radko Gudas was back with Dmitry Kulikov after being a healthy scratch during Thursday’s loss to the Penguins.

That was the only change on the blue line, as the top two pairings remained intact.

Between the pipes, Florida will turn back to Akira Schmid after giving rookie Cooper Black his first taste of NHL action on Thursday.

Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Saturday’s showdown in Chitown:

Brady Tkachuk – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk

Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Reinhart – Sandis Vilmanis

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Lars Eller

Boko Imama – Cole Schwindt – Garnet Hathaway

Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones

Dmitry Kulikov – Radko Gudas

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

NHL Insider Reveals Florida Panthers' Offer For Connor Hellebuyck

'Arrogance And Softness': Paul Maurice Blasts Panthers Following Second Straight Lopsided Defeat

Cooper Black To Make Florida Panthers Debut, Will Set New Record For Tallest Goalie In NHL History

NHL Dishes Maximum Fines To Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk, Senators' Nick Cousins

'F--k You, Brady!': Senators Fans Showcase Explicit Hatred Toward Former Captain Brady Tkachuk 

Brady Tkachuk Receives Warm Reception From Senators Fans In Return To Ottawa

Photo caption: Jan 10, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Florida Panthers left wingSandisVilmanis(95) chases the puck in the first period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. (Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images)