Jacob Markstrom starts for Panthers vs. Kraken

The first sign came at the morning skate, when the 2 vets who've been day-to-day were both on the ice early.

Sending Black back to Charlotte told you most of it. You don't send down the emergency goalie unless the real one is good to go. Markstrom and Gudas both missed the Panthers' win at Columbus on October 14 with undisclosed injuries, and the team's own update had them both pointed at a return on October 21 in Ottawa. Markstrom beat that by a few days.

Markstrom's whole season is 4 games, but they've been good ones: 2-1-1 with a 2.03 GAA, a.904 save percentage and a shutout. That's a big step up from his last year in New Jersey, where he went.883 over 44 games. Florida traded Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist, Ben Steeves and Angus Crookshank to the Devils for him on July 2, 2 days after Sergei Bobrovsky signed with Toronto. Bobrovsky had been in net for back-to-back Cups in 2024 and 2025. So the 36-year-old, who the Panthers drafted in 2008 and who spent his first 4 NHL seasons here, isn't just the backup. He's the guy they picked to follow Bob.

Gudas is the bad news. Paul Maurice had said Gudas might get to a point where he could play Saturday. He didn't get there.

Staying on the ice for extra work at morning skate is the classic sign a guy is sitting. That means Uvis Balinskis, who has been filling in, probably stays on the blue line. Losing Gudas hurts more than his numbers show. In 7 games he had 13 hits, 11 blocked shots and a +2, and that kind of physical work is hard to replace. Akira Schmid, who started while Markstrom was out and won in Columbus, stuck around for extra work too. That's what a backup does again once the starter's healthy.

Then there's the actual hockey problem: Florida keeps falling behind early.

That number is ugly. The Panthers have scored first only once this season, and it was the overtime winner in the opener in Carolina, so they've never actually led a game in regulation. Every other night they've started by chasing. Markstrom can't score goals, but a tight first period from the goalie keeps a 1-0 hole from turning into 2-0 before the forwards wake up. It's also Pink in the Rink night at home, so the building will be loud. The thing to watch is simple: does Florida finally score first, and does Markstrom look like the guy who started 2-1-1 or like someone who needed more time? If Gudas is still on the extra-work crew by Ottawa, that becomes its own story.