According to reports from the game, Ekblad got into a bit of an altercation with a Blackhawks fan who was sitting near the bench.
Apparently, the veteran defenseman went so far as to insult the fan.
Naturally, fans online did not respond well to this revelation. Many chirped back at the 28-year-old blueliner, as you would expect from good hockey fans.
One called him irrelevant and said that he is, 'crashing out.' Another responded with sarcasm saying he 'really got him.'
Several pointed to the fact that the Panthers lost to the Blackhawks as a good enough response. After all, the Panthers are the defending Stanley Cup champions and the Blackhawks are among the worst teams in the NHL.
Even Panthers fans were chirping their own team after the loss to Chicago. This is certainly a low point for the team this season.
That being said, the Panthers are still in a great position to succeed this season.
With the loss to Chicago, the team is now 12-7-1, with 25 points through 20 games.
That is good for second in the Atlantic Division, just one point behind the Maple Leafs, for the division lead who are 12-6-2.
Additionally, while the Blackhawks are a poor team, this was the second half of a back-to-back for Florida, as they played the lead-best Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday, dropping that one 6-3.
It is just the third time this season the team has dropped back-to-back games this season, but two of those occurrences have come in the past two weeks as they have now dropped four of their last five.
After the game, head coach Paul Maurice revealed what needs to change.
The Panthers will be back in action tomorrow when they host the Colorado Avalanche, who are looking to win three in a row.
POLL | ||
How far do you think the Florida Panthers will go in the NHL playoffs this year? | ||
1st round exit | 11 | 16.4 % |
2nd round exit | 24 | 35.8 % |
Conference finals | 20 | 29.9 % |
Stanley Cup Finals | 12 | 17.9 % |
List of polls |