Florida Panthers Roundtable
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Three takeaways: Marchand flips sides mid-game, Bobrovsky shows off laser focus
The Florida Panthers have been racking up the points on home ice.
Friday’s 2-1 overtime victory against the Utah Hockey Club was Florida’s seventh straight at Amerant Bank Arena.
While the Panthers did control much of the puck possession, there will be plenty for the coaching staff to pick apart when they go through the video.
Now that the Cats are getting back into a more traditional schedule, we’ll see if they can start building some consistency as the playoffs draw closer by the day.
Let’s get to Friday’s takeaways:
TOUGH WIN AGAINST DESPERATE TEAM
Utah hasn’t been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention yet, but being 10 points out with 10 games to go is a near impossible mountain to climb.
Still, Utah had something to fight for entering Friday’s game, and boy did they.
The Hockey Club played well enough to keep the Panthers off their game for segments of Friday’s contest, forcing the Cats to the final minute of overtime before they finally pulled out the two points.
“It was a hard-fought game, they played really well,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “They didn't give up a whole lot. They had to work for it. We didn't give up a lot, but Sergei (Bobrovsky) still had to make about three really, really good saves, because they’ve got shooters on their team. So I'm reasonably pleased with the win.”
QUICK TWEAK TO MARCHAND LINE
Much of the spotlight on Friday night was focused squarely on Brad Marchand, and rightly so.
The veteran forward made his Panthers debut after a stunning deal at the NHL Trade Deadline sent Marchand to Florida.
Skating on a line with Sam Bennett and Mackie Samoskevich, the group seemed to pick up steam as the game progressed.
There was something not-so-subtle that Maurice did with the line that may have helped pour a little gasoline on the fire.
“He makes a lot of small area plays in traffic and in corners that that are really hard to do, and his hands are fantastic,” Maurice said of Marchand. “I thought in the third period, when he went back over to the left and Samoskevich came to the right, that line got a little faster. It's a little easier on the breakout, you don't have people going the other way. It was a good start and gives us a little different look.”
BOB STANDS TALL
Friday’s win was the seventh in nine starts for Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky this month.
The veteran netminder has been playing lights out, and the game against Utah is a prime example of what make Bob so unique.
Florida played an excellent defensive game against Utah, mainly by possessing the puck a ton and limiting their zone time to a fraction of what the Cats’ did.
Bobrovsky ended up facing only 14 shots on goal, but four of them were high danger shots, and Bob stopped each one of those.
“It is so hard to do what Sergei has done in a lot of the games where we've really suppressed the shot total, and we've had blocks of time where the other team doesn't get a lot, to stay mentally sharp,” said Maurice. “It’s very challenging.”
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Brad Marchand speaks on Panthers debut, excitement level to join team building 'something special'
It was quite a night on Friday at Amerant Bank Arena, one that fans had been anticipating for several weeks.
That’s because superstar forward Brad Marchand made his debut as a member of the Florida Panthers.
Florida acquired the future Hall of Famer at the NHL Trade Deadline back on March 8 in a shocking move that came in literally moments before the 3 p.m. buzzer.
In the time since, Marchand has been working his way back from an upper-body injury that he suffered about a week before the trade.
Between skating with the team on the ice and attending meetings and working out off the ice, Marchand has had a chance to acclimate himself to his new surroundings.
That feeling of familiarity was finally extended to the fans on Friday, and they gave Marchand some very loud ovations, starting with the moment his name was announced as part of the starting lineup.
It was appropriate that the night started with Marchand causing the fans to get loud, because that’s exactly how it would end.
Marchand was on the ice during overtime with the puck on his stick, and it was the newest Panthers player who made a perfect pass to Sam Bennett that was backhanded into the net to win the game for Florida.
After celebrating with his teammates, Marchand picked up a couple plastic rats off the ice before heading into the locker room, which he later explained was something he promised his children he would do.
The 36-year-old finished the game with an assist, a plus-1 on-ice rating and four shots on goal. He played 16 minutes and 30 seconds split over 22 shifts that included work on Florida’s second power play unit.
Following the game, Marchand spoke to the South Florida media. He is everything he had to say:
On the overtime goal: “In our D-zone, great read by (Forsling) to pick off that pass and try to make a play on the rush. (Bennett) did a great job, kind of stopping in a position to for me to get it to him and made a great play.”
On making an immediate impact in his first game: “It's great to get the win and be part of that with the guys. They compete so hard here, and it’s just nice to get out there and feel like you're part of it. It's tough watching in a position like this, but great to be out there with them again.”
On picking up a couple rats while heading off the ice: “It was one of the things that my kids said. Right away, they were asking about the rats being thrown out there, and I was like, I don't know when it happens, but if it does, I'll grab a couple. So I did.”
On spending the past three weeks with the Panthers: “It’s tough. You want to be with the group right away. It's the best way to build chemistry, build relationships and find your game on the ice with a group. It's tough on your own, and we're traveling, and my schedule is different than the group, but I was just trying to spend as much time with the with the team as I can. The coaching staff was awesome, they brought me in for all the meetings, pre games, so I could just kind of get accustomed to the way they did things around here, which definitely helped me feel more comfortable coming in today. It's such a great group to come in to, everybody's so welcoming and really, really good group in the room, which made the transition very easy.”
On if it’s starting to feel normal being with the Panthers: “It was still different today. It's the first time I've done a pregame skate at home, the schedule is a lot different than even what it was on the road, so even little things like that, that you're not accustomed to. Every day that goes by, I’m feeling much more comfortable and much more part of the group. And when you play and you're in everything day to day, it definitely helps that happen quicker. So yeah, I'm excited to continue to build with the group here.”
On his first message in the Panthers group chat being a chirp: “That's just how I am, and I'm not going to change now, but it's a great group to do that. There's a lot of banter in the room, and you see why they've had so much success last few years, with how close they are and the way that they work and compete every day. When you have a group like that, they accept people in and make them feel part of the group really quickly.”
On the importance of the final 10 games of the regular season: “I want to try to get as many games in here as possible and really feel comfortable with the group and try to get used to the system and the way our lines are going to play; they shuffle things around a lot here. Just getting up to speed with the way they do things and everything, the more time on the ice is definitely very beneficial.”
On playing his first game for a team other than Boston: “It was odd when I stepped on the ice. That was the first time it kind of hit me. Going out there and being cheered by Panthers fans was a lot different, but it's a great feeling. It's not often that you get to be part of a group like this. I've been on a lot of teams throughout the years, and you know when you have something special, and you know when you walk into a special room, and that's what they have here, and that’s what you want to be part of. There's not many teams that are legit contenders each year, and when you walk in the room, the way they talk about the game, the way they talk about working, competing and showing up every day, there's a reason why they're as good as they are, and you want to be part of that. It's something special, and you don't get it every day, and the longer you're around and the quicker it goes by, you realize how special it is. So I feel very fortunate and excited to be part of this group.”
On playing the Panthers’ style of hockey for the first time: “I love the way that the team competes and how calm they are in every moment of the game. They just have that confidence and swagger all the way through, and it's contagious in the group and in the room, so I love that aspect of it. But from day one coming in here, I've always loved the way guys compete, and the way they work, how they take care of themselves. It's a lot of fun to see.”
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Bennett scores twice, Marchand picks up OT assist as Panthers defeat Utah 2-1
Fans were treated to a fun Friday night at the hockey barn in Sunrise.
Hosting the Utah Hockey Club for the first time, the Florida Panthers welcomed Brad Marchand to their lineup and pulled out a gutty 2-1 win in overtime.
It took some time for the game to get going, with the two teams combining for only 11 shots on goal during the opening 20 minutes.
An early second period power play for Florida would change that.
Controlling the puck right off the face off in Utah’s zone, Florida worked the puck around before Sasha Barkov found Sam Bennett with a perfect back door feed.
Bennett deposited the puck behind Karel Vejmelka to give the Cats a 1-0 lead just 2:28 into the second period.
Florida’s lead held until the early stages of the third period, when Sean Durzi finished off a 2-on-1 while the teams were playing at 4-on-4.
Some strong penalty killing by the Panthers would help push the affair past regulation for the second straight home game.
The extra session was all Florida, but it took nearly the entire five minutes for the Cats to cash in.
Brad Marchand had the puck on his stick behind Utah’s net, finding Bennett at the side of the goal crease.
His second of the game would give Florida their seventh straight win on home ice.
On to Montreal.
QUICK THOUGHTS
Bennett’s goal was his sixth over his past nine games.
Barkov has five points over his past five games after picking up the primary assist on Bennett’s goal.
Marchand’s primary assist on Bennett’s OT winner was his first as a member of the Panthers.
Florida held Utah to only 14 shots on goal.
The Cats went a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill, including one late in the third period where they held Utah to zero shots on goal.
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The Hockey Show: Ovechkin's classy move, Frozen Four and This Is SportsCenter spots with John Buccigross
The Stanley Cup Playoffs and NCAA Frozen Four are both fast approaching.
This week on The Hockey Show, much attention was spent on both the NCAA Division One Hockey Tournament and the race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Joining hosts Roy Bellamy and David Dwork to discuss was one of the most qualified people to do so, and that’s Mr. Cawlidge Hawkey himself, John Buccigross.
In addition to the men’s and women’s college hockey tournaments, Bucci also chatted about a classy move by Alex Ovechkin, Brad Marchand’s addition to the Florida Panthers and some of his favorite This Is Sportscenter commercials.
Roy and Dave also discussed the latest happenings in and around the Panthers, the firing of John Tortorella in Philadelphia and, of course, their wins and fails of the week.
This week they included Nikita Kucherov searching for his tooth before scoring a goal, a goale fight that we were all robbed of, a goalie taking his anger out on his helpless stick and a homemade goal horn that Roy wants to use to torture people.
You can catch the full episode in the video below:
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Panthers aim for 7th straight home win, host Utah Hockey Club for first time
The Florida Panthers are about to enter the home stretch of their regular season.
Coming off a nice four-day break between home games, Florida is looking to hit the ground running as they host the first of their final 11 games against the Utah Hockey Club Friday night at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise.
Entering play Friday, the Panthers are tied atop the Atlantic Division with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning but lose out to their neighbors from north of the border on a tiebreaker.
Both the Cats and Leafs hold identical 43-25-3 records, but due to Toronto having more non-shootout wins (42 to 38), the tiebreaker goes to them. Tampa has the same amount of points, but one more game played than Florida and Toronto.
But with 11 games remaining for each team, things are surely going to change over the next few weeks.
Florida’s last game was five days ago, a 4-3 shootout victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was the Panthers sixth straight win on home ice.
As for Utah, the former Coyotes arrive in South Florida with their playoff chances on life support.
With only 10 games remaining, Utah is currently 10 points behind St. Louis for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.
It’s been a strong second half the season for Utah, though.
Over their past 20 games, Utah has points in all but seven of them (11-7-2). That includes their game on Thursday’s night, an 8-0 drubbing at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Now they’ll make the short trip from Tampa to Sunrise and wrap up a back-to-back set against a rested and hungry Panthers squad.
If all goes well, Florida will get a boost to their lineup in the form of Brad Marchand.
The future Hall of Famers acquired by the Panthers at the Trade Deadline has been working his way back from an injury he suffered about a week before the deal was made.
Marchand has been skating with Florida for the past several weeks and has been nearing a return.
If he plays, he’ll line up on the Cats’ second line with his old buddy Sam Bennett and rookie Mackie Samoskevich.
Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Sunday’s showdown with the Pens:
Carter Verhaeghe – Sasha Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Evan Rodrigues
A.J. Greer – Nico Sturm – Jesper Boqvist
Gus Forsling – Seth Jones
Niko Mikkola – Tobias Bjornfot
Nate Schmidt – Uvis Balinskis
Scratches: Tomas Nosek, Jonah Gadjovich, Dmitry Kulikov
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About Florida Panthers RoundtableFlorida Panthers news, video, analysis and community on The Hockey News
Follow all Panthers news at https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthersGraemeMay 11, 2024
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