Florida Panthers' Evan Rodrigues has made the most of his move to the middle of the ice, and his performance against the Anaheim Ducks highlighted that.
Despite the loss and a night where the Anaheim Ducks outplayed the Florida Panthers, veteran forward Evan Rodrigues was once again a difference-maker.
In just 13:53, Rodrigues finished with a goal and an assist, while creating several chances for himself and his teammates.
The 32-year-old has made the switch from the wing to center after the injury news to Aleksander Barkov and Tomas Nosek, and offensively, the move has paid off. While Rodrigues has had some issues in the defensive zone as he's transitioned to a center, the move to the middle of the ice has elevated his puck skills.
The puck is on his stick far more often as a center, and it's allowed him to showcase his hands to create chances for himself and his teammates. Through 13 games, Rodrigues has scored three goals and eight points. That's 0.62 points per game, which is the highest rate he's ever scored at.
When coach Paul Maurice revealed that Rodrigues would be skating as a center, he was quick to acknowledge that he would be sacrificing size but would be replacing it with speed. His goal against the Ducks was what he was referring to.
Mackie Samoskevich received a pass by the Panthers' blueline and was quick to turn the puck up the ice. He saw Rodrigues splitting the defense and hit him with a pass in stride. Rodrigues then showed off his slick hands before roofing the puck.
On the Panthers' third goal, Rodrigues evaded a check before finding Eetu Luostarinen for a tap-in.
The action-packed game for Rodrigues wasn't finished. Rodrigues was caught with a high hit from the Ducks' superstar Leo Carlsson, which resulted in a five-minute major and misconduct.
In the off-season, Rodrigues was the main candidate to be dealt, but GM Bill Zito remained firm that he had no interest in moving the Toronto, Ont., native. When Matthew Tkachuk was announced out until the New Year, the decision already seemed wise, but after the news about Barkov, keeping Rodrigues proved to possibly be one of Zito's smartest decisions.
The Panthers are still struggling to score, but Rodrigues is doing his part to create offense.
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