Panthers' Aaron Ekblad gets into a serious altercation with a fan during last night's game

Aaron Ekblad, star defenseman of the Florida Panthers, lost his cool in last night's 3-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks and an altercation ensued with a fan.

The reigning Stanley Cup champions are starting to fall into a slump, having lost four of their last five games after losing to the Blackhawks last night.

Just weeks ago, the team was cruising along with a 12-3-1 record, pacing 128 points or so.

Now, cracks are showing.

Tension seems to be rising as Aaron Ekblad made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

The witnesses at the United Center described how the Panthers defenseman had a heated argument with a fan, calling him a "fat f***."

You can watch the scene unfold in the video below:

Such behavior is a long way from what is expected from a professional sportsman, and the backlash has been swift.

Fans didn't hold back, calling Ekblad a "bum" and making fun of him for losing to the badly struggling Blackhawks, one of the weakest teams in the NHL.

To be fair, much of the game saw the Panthers dominant, outshooting Chicago 33-19 and posting superior advanced metrics.

By all accounts, Florida probably deserved better, but hockey's not won on the stat sheet, it's about the scoreboard.

And for all their efforts, the Panthers just couldn't capitalize when it mattered most, leaving Blackhawks fans with plenty of reasons to gloat.

For Ekblad, however, the criticism surpasses that outburst.

Offensively, he's given very little, with just eight assists and no goals in his 20 games this year, which could start to spur up some trade chatter.

He had a 14-point campaign a year ago, which is still well below the level expected from a key player.

The Panthers' next chance to snap out of this funk comes against the Avalanche, a middling team currently on a hot streak.

If the Panthers are to turn things around, Ekblad will have to step up and deliver, not just to quiet his critics, but to help his team get back on track.

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