Sharks starting goalie Alexandar Georgiev, in a shaky performance, was pulled at the 3:01 mark of the second period after allowing four goals on 15 shots. Yaroslav Askarov came on in relief and but did not fare much better, as he allowed three goals on 16 shots.

Tkachuk scored a power-play goal on two shots and added two assists in Saturday's 7-2 win over the Sharks. Tkachuk set up Aaron Ekblad's game-winner late in the first period before adding a pair of points as the Panthers solidified their lead in the second.

BOTTOM LINE: The San Jose Sharks aim to end their five-game skid when they play the Florida Panthers. San Jose is 8-15-1 in home games and 14-31-6 overall. The Sharks have a 5-12-2 record when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent.

Welcome back to NHL Predictions! Today, like every day, Last Word on Hockey looks at the games happening and gives our predictions for each. We’ll also break down head-to-head matchups and other factors that may play a part.

After a strong first period in which they scored two goals in less than a minute, the San Jose Sharks went south quick and hard Saturday night in a 7-2 loss to the visiting Florida Panthers.

This affiliate content is not influenced by our advertising relationships, but AP and Data Skrive might earn commissions from our partners’ links in this content.

Closing out the scoring explosion in the second period, Sam Reinhart took a tap pass from Tkachuk, who went flying through the slot to make it happen, and fired a shot into the back of the cage to put the Panthers up 7-2 at 16:25. In the third period, the Panthers shut the door.

Cody Ceci and Will Smith scored in the Sharks' 7-2 loss to Panthers, who got goals from seven players in handing San Jose its sixth straight loss Saturday.