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The Florida Panthers picked up a much-needed win against a strong Vegas Golden Knights team last night, concluding their road trip with a 2-2-0 record. They'll now return home for a five-game homestand. 

Last night's win witnessed another strong performance from 23-year-old defenseman Donovan Sebrango. He finished the game with two assists, his first two points of his NHL career, while blocking a shot, throwing two hits and recording a fight in 12:18 of ice time. 

His emergence comes as a surprise, but it's most definitely a pleasant one. But the real question is, should it be considered a surprise? Recent evidence of the Panthers under GM Bill Zito shows that he is a wizard at both pulling off blockbuster moves and finding unearthed talent on the waiver wire.

He hit big-time with Gustav Forsling, and while it's still very early into both his Panthers and NHL career, Sebrango appears to be another possible home run. His minutes have been fairly sheltered, but as time goes on, it wouldn't be shocking to see coach Paul Maurice continue to use Sebrango in more high-leverage situations.

Standing 6-foot-2, 223 pounds, Sebrango is a big body who is slowly becoming more comfortable using. Prior to his inclusion in the lineup, the third pairing of Jeff Petry and Uvis Balinskis was struggling. They were hemmed in their own zone far too often, and the Panthers were losing their minutes badly.

HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) on XNHL GameScore Impact Card for Florida Panthers on 2025-11-10:

Maurice made the simple swap of Balinskis for Sebrango, and it's changed the Panthers. According to Natural Stat Trick, at 5-on-5, the Panthers are outscoring their opponents 6-1, hold the high-danger chances advantage 17-9 and own 52.92 percent of the expected goals with Sebrango on the ice. Sebrango has skated in almost half the ice time as Balinskis has, but each statistic is in favor of Sebrango. 

The 2020 third-round pick (63rd overall) of the Detroit Red Wings hasn't featured too prominently on the penalty kill just yet, but he is an option Maurice can turn to if needed. 

Recent reports suggested the Panthers could be looking at the trade market for a depth defenseman to replace Dmitry Kulikov while he is on the shelf with a long-term injury, but if Sebrango continues to play at this level, Zito will likely stay off the phones. 

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Three takeaways: Panthers end road trip looking more like themselves, power play snaps cold spellPanthers shake off slow start, reclaim their identity on the road. Their potent offense and disciplined play deliver crucial wins and a snapped power play drought.

The Florida Panthers have to be feeling good after wrapping up their four-game western road trip on Monday night.

Despite starting the trip with an ugly loss, Florida bounced back and played three consecutive solid games, capped off by Monday’s 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.

Now they will head back to Sunrise for an extended period of games on home ice, where they can hopefully build off the positive momentum that was found during their visit to the west coast.

In a tightly packed Eastern Conference, it won’t take more than a solid week for the Cats to get right back in a prominent position in the Atlantic Division.

Here are Monday’s takeaways:

VINTAGE BENCH

Over the past several seasons, we’ve often heard Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice talk about how the team will often manage itself during games.

When he’s standing behind Florida’s bench, and the team is humming along like a well-oiled machine, as he’s said more than once, “there’s not a lot of coaching going on there.”

The players manage themselves. They hold each other accountable and are all pulling on the rope equally.

On Monday, the team was giving their coach those kind of vibes again.

“I liked the bench,” Maurice said after the win. “There was lots of juice and enthusiasm for that game. The 5-on-3 (penalty) kill, I liked the energy on the bench. The end of a road trip, (playing a) really good team looking to get back on track, so they were going to push real hard…yeah, I liked the energy on the bench.

THREE STRAIGHT TO BE PROUD OF

Florida held their only practice of the road trip the day after losing to Anaheim.

They arrived in the Los Angeles area (the Kings’ practice facility is in El Segundo) and held a back-to-basics kind of skate, something Maurice and his staff have been able to put together in previous instances where the Cats have seemingly fallen out of their grove when it comes to playing their physical, fast five-man defensive systems.

Since then, the Panthers have more resembled the team they want to be than any other stretch on the road this season.

If not for an outstanding effort by San Jose Sharks’ goaltender Yaroslav Askarov, Florida would likely be flying home on the heels of three straight wins.

Truly, there is a lot for the Panthers to feel good about as they make the trip back east.

“I think we've been good in our last three, really good,” Maurice said. “Even if you've won some games in the past, you have to fight for your confidence. So now, style of game and energy level, you can bring that back home and feel really good about your last three.”

IMPORTANT POWER PLAY GOAL

While the win is always the ultimate goal, Florida also getting to ride home with a fresh power play goal on the scoresheet is a nice cherry on top.

After picking up a PPG during their loss in Anaheim, Florida went 12 straight man advantages without scoring a goal.

Those missed opportunities stretched from the Anaheim game all the way through to Vegas.

But it was the last power play of the trip that Florida cashed in on, and boy was it a biggie.

“Maybe the most important piece, because again, we talk about confidence,” Maurice said. “We've got a little cold here for the last four or five games, and to have it be the game winner (was great). I thought they moved (the puck) really well. We had a great chance back door that didn't go, and now you're starting to feel snake bit, because we've had a few of those, so it's good that it's a game winner, and off a shot tip.”

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Photo caption: Nov 10, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) celebrates with team mates after scoring a goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the third period at T-Mobile Arena. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images)

Welcome to a new episode of The Wraparound, featuring rapid-fire NHL and hockey topics.

Here's what Emma Lingan, Michael Augello, and Stephen Kerr discussed in this episode:

0:00: Can the Anaheim Ducks capture the Pacific Division title this season?

5:15: With Pierre-Luc Dubois out, could the Washington Capitals be on the hunt for a new center?

8:25: Will the Toronto Maple Leafs regret trading Fraser Minten?

12:15: Breaking down Sean Couturier’s comments on Matvei Michkov

16:10: Could Matthew Wood play a big role for the Nashville Predators this season?

21:50: What direction will Doug Armstrong take the St. Louis Blues in his last season as GM?

26:55: Looking ahead to the top candidates for the 2026 Hockey Hall of Fame class

31:02: Are the Buffalo Sabres in danger of being out of the playoff mix before American Thanksgiving?

Do The Washington Capitals Need Another Center? by The Wraparound

See below for where to subscribe to the show for future episodes.

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DENVER —  It’s not the Stanley Cup Final, but it might as well be. The two best teams in the NHL collide tonight at Ball Arena, where the surging Anaheim Ducks—led by veteran head coach Joel Quenneville—arrive in Denver to test the red-hot Colorado Avalanche.

While it’s a tough test on paper, the Avalanche enter this matchup riding some impressive accomplishments this season. Colorado has earned a reputation as “The Streak Killers,” halting the New Jersey Devils’ five-game winning streak with an 8-4 victory last month and following it up last week with a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning to end their five-game surge. But this isn't just any game for the Ducks.

Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) on XThe sky is the limit for Gavin Brindley!

For much of the past decade, the Ducks have struggled to find their identity. In fact, you might as well have called them the Anaheim Dodos—they’ve been, quite frankly, all but extinct. They’ve missed the playoffs in each of the last seven seasons. But Coach Quenneville, unlike Yoda, has emerged from exile to guide a new generation of Ducks. So far, the results have been promising—but tonight will be by far their toughest test.

“[They're a] dangerous offensive team,” head coach Jared Bednar said of their upcoming opponents “And even if it’s not in the number of chances they’re getting, they are finishing everything off. They get a chance. It’s in the back of the net.”

Led by forwards Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, and Troy Terry, the Ducks have been one of the season’s biggest surprises. It’s worth remembering, however, that Joel Quenneville—who resigned from the Florida Panthers four years ago amid a sexual assault investigation linked to his time with the Chicago Blackhawks—won three Stanley Cups as a head coach with his former team.

The Avalanche lead the league with 64 goals, with Anaheim close behind at 62. Colorado’s top trio—Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Martin Necas—have combined for 70 points, while Carlsson, Gauthier, and Terry have amassed 64. This shapes up as a true 50-50 battle.

B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) on XNathan MacKinnon’s 82-game pace … ▫️72 goals ▫️76 assists ▫️148 points ▫️364 shots on goals EARLY SEASON DOGG MIXTAPE ➡️ https://t.co/Ll2tZL8oma

In goal, Scott Wedgewood, who tops the NHL with nine wins, will start for Colorado, while Lukas Dostal, just one win behind, will guard the net for the Ducks—underscoring just how evenly matched these teams are in terms of talent.

Let's Dance

The Avalanche (10-1-5) host the Ducks (11-3-1) at Ball Arena, with coverage starting at 7:30 p.m. local time on Altitude and TNT. Let's see who comes out on top. 

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

While most people’s attention was focused on the players’ growth in the Montreal Canadiens’ rebuild, someone else was growing before our eyes: coach Martin St-Louis. Much was made of the fact that he had no professional experience when he was hired to take the helm of the most storied franchise in NHL history, but not enough has been written about how he has adapted since then.

Speaking to the media earlier this week, the bench boss confessed that giving everyone their fair share of ice time in the NHL was on him, and that some players’ reduced ice time was on him, too—they didn’t necessarily deserve so little time. It was a refreshing sight to see a coach do his mea culpa, but for St. Louis, that’s just normal. He explained that if he asks his players to be accountable and face their truth, it’s only logical that he does the same:

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Because I feel if I’m asking my players to self-assess with some truth, I’ve got to be able to do the same thing, So, I have to own it. If I expect my players to own it, I better own it myself.

- St-Louis on accountability

His players respect St-Louis not only because of his Hall of Fame career, but also because he holds himself to the same standards he holds them to. He’s not playing the games anymore; he can’t help them on the ice, but he’s the one who decides who’s on in which circumstances and for how long. After doing his mes culpa about ice time, the pilot started the next game with the Kirby Dach, Brendan Gallagher and Zachary Bolduc line alongside his third pairing formed by Arber Xhekaj and Alex Carrier. Sure, the players the Utah Mammoth chose to start allowed him to do that; they weren’t the ones he wanted his first-line to face, but he could have gone for the Jake Evans or Oliver Kapanen lines just as easily.

Going from bantam hockey to the NHL was quite the jump for the bench boss, and while he’s improved by leaps and bounds since then, he feels he still has a long way to go:

The first game was so fast on the ice … I couldn’t believe the speed of the game. But two, three games in, it slowed way down. At the youth level, it was easy; you just rolled the lines, and everybody played the power play. It was fun, it was easy. Let’s go. At the NHL level, you got to be a little more calculated. I feel I’ve come a long way, and I’ve got a ways to go.”

- St-Louis on coaching in the NHL

This is what makes St-Louis a great coach: he can be critical of his players when needed, but he can also be critical of himself. He knows his players are still growing, still learning, but so is he. While he had seen it all as a player throughout his 16-year career in the NHL, behind a bench, he’s still learning.

Last year, he was a Jack Adams Trophy finalist for guiding his young team to the playoffs; this year, he has them leading their division and showing no signs of slowing down. When St-Louis agreed to join the Canadiens, he knew he was joining a team with potential for greatness but that needed to be built up, much like his coaching career, and he’s doing a fine job of both.

---

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When Ottawa-born Donovan Sebrango joined the Senators, he was part of the Alex DeBrincat deal with the Detroit Red Wings. At the time, he was exiting Detroit, a team in the middle of the second-longest NHL playoff drought, to join Ottawa, a club in the middle of the third-longest NHL playoff drought.

You might assume that neither roster, in those circumstances, should have been carved in stone; that an opportunity might have been there for a useful player. 

But Sebrango never caught on as a full-time player in either market. As he left Detroit, he hadn't seen any NHL action in Motown after four years with the club. As for the Senators, they immediately put him in Belleville and he even spent some time in the ECHL.

They did bring him up to Ottawa twice last season and then twice last month due to the preseason injury to Tyler Kleven. When Kleven got healthy, the Sens tried to send Sebrango back down to Belleville, but he was claimed on waivers by the Florida Panthers.

At his press conference on Monday, when asked about the left side of his blue line, Staios admitted that losing Sebrango hurt the Sens' depth in that area.

Now, since the move to Sunrise, Sebrango has found more work with the defending two-time Stanley Cup champions than he did in Ottawa and Detroit combined.

Not only did Sebrango play in his fifth game in a row for the Panthers on Monday night, but he also registered two assists in the game, including his first NHL point as Florida won 3-2 in Las Vegas.

"Yeah, I mean, it's always fun to get points," Sebrango told the media after the game. "That's not why they brought me in, but it's always fun to get a couple of points, and your first ones you always remember."

Even in his short time in Ottawa, it was very clear that Sebrango is tight with his mom, Kim.

So after he got his first NHL point, it's not hard to guess who he texted first.

"She said she was so proud of me," Sebrango said. "And I want to make her proud. And that means the world to hear from her. But I mean, that was for her tonight."

But Sebrango has other admirers in Florida, where he seems to be fitting right in. He's played the last five games for the Panthers, averaging 14 minutes a night, and setting up shop alongside Jeff Petry, who's closing in on 1000 NHL games (997).

"I think (Sebrango) has played the same game (every night)," head coach Paul Maurice told the media. "And that's a really impressive thing because he doesn't have a lot of NHL experience. He's still a young man, but he has been very, very consistent in his style of game and what we expect from him. And that is highly unusual in a young player, especially on defense.

"We play a different game than he's been experiencing. So we're really impressed with his composure in the game, and we like his bite. You know, he didn't wait a long time for the first fight.

"We like that a lot."

This shouldn't be read as a Sens tale of the one that got away, which all too often haunts the fan base. For one, it's far too early for any such declaration. Secondly, even if Sebrango ends up as a full-timer in Florida or spends the next decade in the NHL, this is merely the kind of thing that can happen to good teams when they don't have enough room on the roster for everyone. He was never going to rank ahead of Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot, or Tyler Kleven.

This is more a story of a young man who's worked hard and honestly for a long time, just waiting for an opportunity like this to finally come his way. Even if Florida doesn't bring Sebrango back next season, every game he plays now for the champions only serves to improve his resume.

And how do you not tip your cap to a story like that?

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

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