Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Tallies opening goal

Balinskis scored a goal on three shots and added two PIM in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Oilers.

Balinskis started the scoring in this rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Finals, ending his own eight-game point drought in the process. The 28-year-old defenseman didn't play in the postseason last year, but he could have a chance to this spring in the likely event the Panthers qualify. There's always a chance they make a trade to bolster their defensive depth as well -- which would likely threaten Balinskis and Nate Schmidt's roles on the third pairing. For the season, Balinskis has 15 points, 71 shots on net, 56 hits, 39 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating over 57 outings.