In a dominant display, the Florida Panthers defeated the San Jose Sharks 7-2, marking a strong comeback for defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who contributed a goal and an assist after returning from injury. Matthew Tkachuk also shone with a goal and two assists, while multiple players including Nate Schmidt, Sam Bennett, A.J. Greer, Jesper Boqvist, and Sam Reinhart scored for the Panthers. In a decisive second period, Florida outscored San Jose 4-0, thwarting any chance of a competitive game. The Sharks, meanwhile, fell to their sixth consecutive defeat, with only a few players managing to find the net, including Cody Ceci and Will Smith.