Sandis Vilmanis Promoted to Panthers Second Line Ahead of Chicago Game

Sandis Vilmanis was elevated to Florida's second line alongside Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe during Saturday's practice. After being a healthy scratch in Thursday's loss to Pittsburgh, the young forward received a brief reset as head coach Paul Maurice revamped his middle six following consecutive lopsided defeats. Maurice noted that while Vilmanis started strong on his previous line, his play had stalled, prompting the change to add urgency and fresh legs for Sunday's matchup in Chicago.