Paul Maurice praises Panthers center Anton Lundell for bounce-back effort in New Jersey
Lundell is playing in his third season with Florida after they selected him 12th overall at the 2020 NHL Draft
John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports - Paul Maurice praises Panthers center Anton Lundell for bounce-back effort in New JerseyEntering the season, Florida Panthers third year center Anton Lundell looked like a player poised for a breakout.
He arrived for training camp looking bigger and stronger, both on the ice and off.
Between practices at the Ice Den and the Panthers preseason games he played in, Lundell appeared to have all the symptoms of a young athlete ready to take the next step.
Speaking to THN Florida in an exclusive preseason chat, Lundell said he wants to be a player the coaches can call on in big moments.
During Florida's first two games of the season, however, Lundell struggled at times, particularly with the defensive side of his game.
That was likely troubling for the coaching staff, as the young Finn may have been sporadic at times with his scoring contributions, but his two-way play was generally quite reliable.
Unfortunately for Lundell, that wasn't the case on Saturday in Winnipeg when some of his advanced metrics took a bit of a plunge.
Lundell was on the ice for seven Jets scoring chances to just two for Florida, including four high-danger opportunities for Winnipeg, while the Panthers generated none.
After traveling from Manitoba to the states on Saturday, Lundell and his teammates spent Sunday in New York City.
Perhaps the down time in the Big Apple was just what the 22-year-old needed, because his defensive game looked vastly improved the following night in New Jersey.
Against the Devils, Lundell was on the ice for only two Jersey shots while helping Florida generate seven.
Though scoring chances were even with Lundell on the ice – six for each team – the high-danger chances were 3-0 in the Panthers favor, which was a very nice and welcomed change.
"I felt really good," Lundell said of his game in New Jersey. "I felt like the first game I was okay and the second game was tough for me and the whole team. The third game in Jersey was way better, we played our butts off, we competed, we battled really hard and I think that's why we had some success."
Lundell also offered praise for his linemates, which against the Devils were Nick Cousins and Justin Sourdif.
"We were able to drive and create some chances, and played against their top six guys," he said. "It was good to help the team that way."
From both the individual and team standpoint, Lundell's performance did not go unnoticed.
After the game, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice offered some unsolicited praise for his young center.
"I thought Lundell gave us a great game, his best of the three, and that was really what I was looking for," Maurice said.
Following Wednesday's practice at Amerant Bank Arena, the Panthers first skate in South Florida in a week, THN asked Maurice to expand on what he liked from Lundell.
"I thought he skated in the jersey game and I didn't think he had done that nearly as well, and that's a driver for him," Maurice said. "When you're skating, you get into pucks and you get into corners and you get into the defensive zone faster and you're more involved in the game and you hang on to pucks better, so I think that's a driver for him. I didn't think he had it in his first two, I didn't think the line generated enough, I thought they were on the negative side of the chances for and against too much for a player of his quality, but I was pleased with his Jersey game."
Considering there was such a stark uptick in Lundell's performance, it's natural to wonder if there was a conversation between coach and player prior to the Devils game.
"We talk to all our players," Maurice said with a smirk when asked if he spoke with Lundell between games. "He's still a very young man. He's still learning the game and still learning the way we play. A big chunk of (having) success in this league is understanding the other teams, the different styles, the different players that they have, and being able to adjust your game."
Overall, Maurice said that three games is way too small a sample size to judge the way a player is starting a new season.
In Lundell's case, there is still some growth that the coaching staff wants to see.
"I liked his game in Jersey, but we still have a lot of ground to cover," Maurice said.
With three days between games, we'll see if Lundell can build on his strong effort in Newark when Florida holds its home opener on Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"It's only a few games into the season," he said. "But you want to be good in every game."
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