The Panthers, who have won four of their last six, erased an early one-goal deficit with six unanswered goals to coast past the host San Jose Sharks.

Defenseman Aaron Ekblad had a goal and an assist in his return from an upper-body injury and the Florida Panthers routed the San Jose Sharks 7-2 on Saturday night.

The Panthers acquired Tarasenko from the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline last season to add depth to their forward group as well as a veteran presence who had already been where the Panthers were trying to go. Tarasenko already had one Stanley Cup win under his belt, winning it all with the St. Louis Blues in 2019.

Florida stumbled out of the gate on Saturday in San Jose, but once they snapped into form it was off to the races

Florida had scored at least six goals in nine of their first 33 games this season, but Saturday was the first such instance in the past 17 games.