Matthew Tkachuk has not been on the ice for the Florida Panthers since early February, Aaron Ekblad is not eligible to play again until Game 3 of the first round of the postseason , and Brad Marchand still hasn't debuted with his new team since joining at the trade deadline.
Those are big holes down the stretch, and yet they keep on rolling. The Panthers won nine of their first 14 games since the NHL season resumed after the 4 Nations Face-Off break and remain atop the Atlantic Division with 11 left to play.
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Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov, right, celebrates after his winning overtime goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets with teammate defenseman Seth Jones, left, in an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)
Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice, center top, watches his team against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the third period an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)
Florida Panthers left wing Jonah Gadjovich, right, celebrates after his goal with defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) acknowledges the crowd after the Panthers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in an NHL hockey game, Sunday, March 23, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov acknowledges the crowd after being recognized for scoring the game-winning goal in a shootout in an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sunday, March 23, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) celebrates after his goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Seth Jones has fit in perfectly since they acquired him from Chicago, and the defending Stanley Cup champions look primed for another playoff run.
“That’s the way it goes," said Sam Bennett, whose 12 points over this span are tied with captain Aleksander Barkov for second-most on the roster behind Sam Reinhart (13). "You’re going to be down important guys at important times of the year. In the playoffs, especially, there’s going to be times that you lose guys and it’s up to us to step up and every guy’s got to play a little harder, play a little bigger when we have those really important guys out of our lineup.”
Tkachuk, Florida's heart-and-soul top forward, was injured playing for the U.S. at the 4 Nations on Feb. 15. Ekblad, the top-four defenseman in his 11th season in the league, was suspended 20 games on March 10 for performance-enhancing drugs.
And the team knew Marchand would not be available right away after getting hurt March 1 in what turned out to be his final game with the Boston Bruins. Coach Paul Maurice said the 36-year-old was skating hard and could be back as soon as the end of this week, if not early April.
Even without those guys, the Panthers have allowed opponents to score just two goals a game during this stretch — tied for the fewest in the NHL.
“What separates them and why I think they’re the best defending team in the league is they protect the net front and the slot better than anybody in the NHL for my money,” Washington Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said before his team beat Florida on Saturday. “And that’s partly the way that their structure is, so the system, but also the commitment to win your 1-on-1 (matchups) and protect that area is elite, elite, elite.”
Maurice thinks the Panthers have handled the situation really well, absent a clunker of a 3-1 defeat at Montreal. After losing to Washington, the affable coach who has been behind the bench for over 2,000 NHL games deadpanned that despite a sub-.500 road trip, "We won’t fold the season.”
Overall, he has been pleased.
“We’ve been pretty good,” Maurice said. “We’ve played playoff games without Bennett, without Barkov — with 2out a number of players. ... We just have some experience with it.”
Since hiring Maurice and trading for Tkachuk in the summer of 2023, Florida has won seven of eight playoff series while making back-to-back trips to the final and captured the first championship in franchise history. The hope is to do more of that after getting Marchand and Jones, who has been playing big minutes — over 25 a game — in Ekblad's absence.
“He’s been great," forward Jonah Gadjovich said of Jones. "He’s been great on the ice and off the ice. He’s a great guy, obviously a great player, as well, so we’re so happy to have him and his leadership around the locker room.”
Inside the locker room, Gadjovich said being without top players is no excuse, so he and his teammates are not treating it as such.
“Obviously we’re down a lot of guys right now, and I think we’re looking forward to having them back whenever they come back," he said. “Whoever’s in the lineup just has to do their job. We all know how to play. We all know Panther hockey and what’s expected of us.”
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Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov, right, celebrates after his winning overtime goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets with teammate defenseman Seth Jones, left, in an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)
Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice, center top, watches his team against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the third period an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)
Florida Panthers left wing Jonah Gadjovich, right, celebrates after his goal with defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) acknowledges the crowd after the Panthers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in an NHL hockey game, Sunday, March 23, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov acknowledges the crowd after being recognized for scoring the game-winning goal in a shootout in an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sunday, March 23, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) celebrates after his goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
TORONTO (AP) — The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation projects that Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre will lose his own seat in Parliament.
The loss of his seat representing an Ottawa district during Monday’s election would cap a stunning decline in fortunes for the firebrand Poilievre, who only a few months ago appeared to be a shoo-in to become Canada’s next prime minister and to shepherd the Conservatives back into power for the first time in a decade, before U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada and suggestions it should become the 51st state outraged voters and upended the election.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party won Canada’s federal election on Monday, capping a stunning turnaround in fortunes fueled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s annexation threats and trade war.
After polls closed, the Liberals were projected to win more of Parliament’s 343 seats than the Conservatives. It wasn’t immediately clear, though, if they would win an outright majority — at least 172 — or would need to rely on one of the smaller parties to pass legislation.
The Liberals looked headed for a crushing defeat until the American president started attacking Canada’s economy and threatening its sovereignty, suggesting it should become the 51st state. Trump’s actions infuriated Canadians and stoked a surge in nationalism that helped the Liberals flip the election narrative and win a fourth-straight term in power.
In a victory speech before supporters in Ottawa, Carney stressed the importance of Canadian unity in the face of Washington's threats. He also said the mutually beneficial system Canada and the U.S. had shared since World War II had ended.
“We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons,” he said.
“As I've been warning for months, America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country," Carney said. "These are not idle threats. President Trump is trying to break us so America can own us. That will never ... ever happen. But we also must recognize the reality that our world has fundamentally changed.”
The Conservative Party's leader, Pierre Poilievre, hoped to make the election a referendum on former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose popularity declined toward the end of his decade in power as food and housing prices rose.
But Trump attacked, Trudeau resigned and Carney, a two-time central banker, became the Liberal Party’s leader and prime minister.
In a concession speech and with his own House of Commons seat still in doubt, Poilievre vowed to keep fighting for Canadians.
“We are cognizant of the fact that we didn't get over the finish line yet," Poilievre told supporters in Ottawa. "We know that change is needed, but change is hard to come by. It takes time. It takes work. And that's why we have to learn the lessons of tonight — so that we can have an even better result the next time Canadians decide the future of the country.”
Even with Canadians grappling with the fallout from a deadly weekend attack at a Vancouver street festival, Trump was trolling them on election day, suggesting again on social media that Canada should become the 51st state and saying he was on their ballot. He also erroneously claimed that the U.S. subsidizes Canada, writing, “It makes no sense unless Canada is a State!”
Trump’s truculence has infuriated Canadians, leading many to cancel U.S. vacations, refuse to buy American goods and possibly even vote early. A record 7.3 million Canadians cast ballots before election day.
As Poilievre and his wife cast their ballots in Ottawa, he implored voters to “Get out to vote — for a change." After running a Trump-lite campaign for weeks, though, the Conservative leader's similarities to the bombastic American might have cost him.
Reid Warren, a Toronto resident, said he voted Liberal because Poilievre “sounds like mini-Trump to me.” And he said Trump’s tariffs are a worry.
“Canadians coming together from, you know, all the shade being thrown from the States is great, but it’s definitely created some turmoil, that’s for sure,” he said.
Historian Robert Bothwell said Poilievre appealed to the “same sense of grievance” as Trump, but that it ultimately worked against him.
“The Liberals ought to pay him," Bothwell said, referring to the U.S. president. "Trump talking is not good for the Conservatives.”
Carney and the Liberals secured a new term, but they have daunting challenges ahead.
If they don't win a majority in Parliament, the Liberals might need rely on one of the smaller parties to remain in power and pass legislation. The Bloc Québécois, which looked set to finish third, is a separatist party from French-speaking Quebec that seeks independence from Canada. Trudeau’s Liberals relied on the New Democrats to remain in power for four years, but the progressive party faired poorly on Monday and its leader, Jagmeet Singh, said he was stepping down after eight years in charge.
“This is a dramatic comeback, but if the Liberals cannot win a majority of seats, political uncertainty in a new minority Parliament could complicate things for them,” said McGill University political science professor Daniel Béland.
Until this year, foreign policy hadn’t dominated a Canadian election this much since 1988, when, ironically, free trade with the United States was the prevailing issue.
In addition to the trade war with the U.S. and frosty relationship with Trump, Canada is dealing with a cost-of-living crisis. And more than 75% of its exports go to the U.S., so Trump's tariffs threat and his desire to get North American automakers to move Canada's production south could severely damage the Canadian economy.
While campaigning, Carney vowed that every dollar the the government collects from counter-tariffs on U.S. goods will go toward Canadian workers who are adversely affected by the trade war. He also said he plans to keep dental care in place, offer a middle-class tax cut, return immigration to sustainable levels and increase funding to Canada's public broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Associated Press reporter Mike Householder contributed to this report.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, center, dances to Canadian band Down With Webster as they play live at campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, center, dances to Canadian band Down With Webster as they play live from campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reacts with wife Diana Fox Carney on stage at his campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives on stage at his campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his wife Diana Fox Carney react on stage at his campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his wife Anaida gesture following his speech at his campaign headquarters on election night, in Ottawa, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addresses supporters at Liberal campaign headquarters in Ottawa, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his wife Anaida Poilievre wave as they leave the stage Tuesday, April 29, 2025 in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney embraces his wife Diana Fox Carney before addressing supporters at his campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives to address supporters at his campaign headquarters on election night in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives to address supporters at his campaign headquarters on election night in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to supporters on stage at his campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to supporters on stage at his campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Justin Tang//The Canadian Press via AP)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to supporters on stage at his campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh addresses supporters accompanied by his wife Gurkiran Kaur at his campaign headquarters on election night, in Burnaby, B.C., Monday, April 28, 2025. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet speaks to supporters on election night, in Montreal, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet, center left, greets supporters on election night, in Montreal, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh kisses his wife Gurkiran Kaur as he pauses while addressing supporters on election night, in Burnaby, B.C., on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney greets attendees as he arrives to address supporters at his campaign headquarters on election night in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to supporters with his wife Anaida Poilievre at his campaign headquarters on election night, in Ottawa, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press via AP)
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his wife Anaida Poilievre kiss at his campaign headquarters on election night, in Ottawa, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, center, walks with his wife Gurkiran Kaur as he arrives to address supporters on election night, in Burnaby, B.C., on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his wife Anaida at his campaign headquarters on election night, in Ottawa, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney smiles on stage at his campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada's new Prime Minister and Liberal Leader Mark Carney and his wife Diana Fox Carney take in the results on election night in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
Liberal Party's supporters cheer on results at the party election night headquarters in Ottawa, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada's new Prime Minister and Liberal Leader Mark Carney and his wife Diana Fox Carney take in the results on election night in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
Liberal Party's supporters cheer on results at the party election night headquarters in Ottawa, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Liberal Party's supporters cheer on results at the party election night headquarters in Ottawa, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Liberal Party supporters cheer on results at the party election night headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
A voting sign stands near a memorial for victims after a vehicle drove into a crowd during a Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Voters line up at a polling location at the Collingwood Neighbourhood House in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Diana Fox Carney, left, votes in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh arrives for a sign waving campaign event with Port Moody-Coquitlam NDP candidate Bonita Zarrillo and volunteers on election day, in Port Moody, British Columbia, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
A sign for a federal election voting center stands near the memorial for the victims of a driver who rammed into a crowd during a Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Canada's new Prime Minister and Liberal Leader Mark Carney casts his vote in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, right, and his wife Anaida Poilievre cast their votes in the federal election in Ottawa, Canada, Monday, April 28, 2025 in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
Liberal Leader Mark Carney arrives in Ottawa, Canada, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
Liberal Leader Mark Carney arrives in Ottawa, Canada, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
Elections Canada signage is seen as voters arrive at a polling station on Election Day in Halifax, Canada, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press via AP)
Liberal Leader Mark Carney makes an announcement during a tour of Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario on Friday, April 25, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick /The Canadian Press via AP)
Liberal Leader Mark Carney holds a rally beside the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ontario, on Saturday, April 26, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
Liberal Leader Mark Carney holds a rally beside the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, on Saturday, April 26, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks at a rally in Oakville, Ontario, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (Laura Proctor/The Canadian Press via AP)
FILE - A digital bill board flashes a message in Kennedy Township, Pa., March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
FILE - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, speaks with U.S. President Donald Trump at the start of the a plenary session at the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre speaks at a campaign rally in Delta, British Columbia, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (Rich Lam /The Canadian Press via AP)
FILE - Toronto residents Douglas Bloomfield, left, and his son Phoenix, right, hold a Canadian flag and an ice hockey stick to show their support for Canada regarding trade tariffs as they pose with with another visitor to the city wearing a mask of President Donald Trump in front of the White House in Washington, March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)
