Panthers will need Ekblad at his best during series against Presidents' Trophy-winning Bruins
Aaron Ekblad has been playing some of his best hockey of the season in recent weeks.
It’s a good thing, because if the Florida Panthers are going to shock the world and defeat the league-best Boston Bruins during the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they’ll need Ekblad at the top of his game.
Florida’s number one defenseman has had an up-and-down season.
He’s battled injuries, slumps, obnoxious heckling pro golfers, and even a strange streak of stick-breaking that had Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice scratching his head.
None of that matters now, though.
Late in the season, Ekblad endured one of the oddest stretches of his career. He logged just three points, all goals, over an 18-game span, while temporarily losing his spot on the top power play.
Then, something clicked.
The 27-year-old former first overall pick recorded his first assist in nearly two months during Florida’s late-March loss in Ottawa. Two nights later he picked up a power play assist on a crucial, game-tying goal during the final minute in Toronto.
Florida went on to win that game, and their next five, en route to clinching a playoff spot.
Ekblad, back on PP1 and looking more like the confident, 200-foot threat that had him among those considered annual Norris Trophy candidates entering this season, had points in all six of those critical wins.
If the Panthers are a team playing their best hockey at the perfect time of year, Ekblad is at the core of the run, breathing life into a Panthers team that has yet to reach its full potential.
“You know what? I feel good,” Ekblad said Saturday following practice at the Ice Den.
You know what? He’s looked good.
It’s not just the numbers on the scoresheets that are showing up for Ekblad.
His play on the ice, his assertiveness, his awareness, his ability to create and maintain opportunities in the offensive zone, things he’d become so proficient at that they were starting to be taken for granted by those of us watching in awe at the ascension of his career, are starting to show up once again.
Now with a few extra days to let the batteries recharge before the postseason beings, the hope is that Ekblad can continue his game-altering play in a series Florida will have to be at its absolute best if they’re going to stand a chance.
“I’m just going to try and continue doing the same things I was doing toward the end of the season,” he said. “This brings a whole new challenge, such a good team. It’s going to be real interesting.”
Much of the attention around Florida heading into the series is the regular season success they had against the Bruins.
No team, other than the Panthers, defeated Boston twice in regulation or overtime
Ekblad knows that while it’s a nice sentiment, those games don’t mean anything anymore.
All that matters is what each team is capable of doing right now, in this moment.
“You can throw the regular season out the window,” he said. “It’s man vs. man. We’re really excited to get going and see what we can do.”