Panthers goalie Daniil Tarasov leaves net by mistake in strange sequence vs Canadiens

In a post that's circulating, it's claimed that the Panthers' goaltender left his net to go to the bench, convinced a penalty had been called against the Montreal Canadiens. The problem is that there was no call.

The Florida Panthers acquired him this summer in exchange for a fifth-round pick, 160th overall. At 26 years old, he arrives with a resume that's already fairly extensive, even if his recent numbers don't exactly intimidate opposing goaltenders.

Here is the sequence in question below:

In 2024-25, he posted a 7-10-2 record with one shutout, a 3.54 goals-against average, and an .881 save percentage in 20 games. Over his NHL career, he has played 78 games, with a 23-40-8 record, a 3.35 goals-against average, and a .898 save percentage.

The Panthers then kept him under contract with a one-year, $1.05 million deal for 2025-26. That places him in a clear role behind Sergei Bobrovsky, who is 36 years old and nearing the end of his seven-year, $70 million contract. In that context, the last thing you want is a video going viral for the wrong reason.

For the Montreal Canadiens, this kind of sequence always sparks the imagination, because it directly touches on the chaos around penalties and the bench.

A split second of hesitation was all it took to create confusion. Despite Daniil Tarasov's unusual sequence, the Panthers' backup goaltender still came up with several strong saves.

However, it wasn't enough, as the Canadiens clawed their way back into the game with late heroics by Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki.

In the end, it was one of those moments that summed up the night-confusing, chaotic, and memorable. The Canadiens took advantage, turning a strange sequence into another reminder that in this league, every second matters.