Lars Eller, Garnet Hathaway, and Boko Imama stifled Carolina’s attack in Raleigh, combining physical play with airtight defensive positioning to boost Florida’s relentless five-man system.
The Florida Panthers had some new faces in the lineup when they took the ice for Opening Night on Tuesday afternoon in Raleigh.
Florida played a tight defensive game, skating to a 1-0 overtime win over the host Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center.
In addition to the more publicized debuts of forward Brady Tkachuk and goaltender Jacob Markstrom, the Cats also welcomed an entirely new fourth line to the fold.
The unit featured Lars Eller centering Garnet Hathaway and Boko Imama.
One of the reasons the Panthers have become such a feared, formidable opponent in the NHL under head coach Paul Maurice is the fast, aggressive, tight checking five-man defensive systems they run, and a strong fourth line is key to the team being able to roll its forward lines and keep its players as fresh as possible for the demanding roles they all must play.
Despite not seeing a ton of even strength shifts, largely due to the ridiculous amount of power plays in this game (Florida and Carolina combined to take 13 minor penalties and went a combined 0-for-13 on the man advantage), the Cats’ fourth line did exactly what Maurice was asking.
Looking into the advanced metrics on Natural Stat Trick, the group did not allow Carolina much of anything in terms of offensive opportunities.
With the fourth line on the ice, the Hurricanes did not generate a single scoring chance or shot on goal.
Interestingly, when looking into the four times Maurice sent the group over the boards for a faceoff, three of those starts came in the neutral zone and the fourth was in the offensive zone.
It appears that statistically, the line did a good job with towing the line between high energy, physicality and responsibility.
They combined for eight hits, one takeaway, and a blocked shot, and were only credited with a single giveaway.
Additionally, Imama was involved in the game’s only fight, a heavyweight tilt with Carolina tough guy Nicolas Deslauriers.
Overall it would appear that Florida’s new fourth line had a strong debut against one of the best lineups the Eastern Conference has to offer.
We’ll see if they can keep it going as the Panthers continue their season-opening four-game road trip, which continues in San Jose on Thursday night.
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Photo caption: Sep 29, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Florida Panthers right wingGarnetHathaway(21) checks Carolina Hurricanes defense Shayne Gostisbehere (4) during the second period at Lenovo Center. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)
