Panthers defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson had a solid debut for Florida on Opening Night in Minnesota. Panthers defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson had an excellent debut with his new team Thursday night in Minnesota. The veteran blueliner was active on both ends of the ice, ultimately leading the team in time on ice, playing 26:32 while gobbling up minutes in all situations. He had four shots on goal on ten attempts, but all four came at even strength. Ekman-Larsson admitted he thought he could’ve done better while working the point on Florida’s top power play in terms of getting pucks through to Minnesota's net. “I missed a couple during the first (period),” he said. “I think it’s a little different if I hit the net there and we get those second chances around the net. That’s usually where we score the goals and that’s where (Matthew Tkachuk) is unbelievable in front of the net, so I’ve got to do a better job getting the puck there.” Despite his self-criticism, Ekman-Larsson lived up to his reputation and proved effective moving the puck and generating opportunities on the power play, but he also was solid while Florida was down a man, playing 2:56 while the Panthers were shorthanded. He may be known as an offensive-defenseman, but Ekman-Larsson was also quite effective in Florida’s end of the ice. “His overall game – he’s an offensive guy and when you don’t score, he’s going to want to get a few more of those pucks through – but his game was good,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “The five-on-five, the plays he broke up with his stick, we were real happy with his performance.” That sentiment also rings true with Florida's front office, apparently. Panthers General Manger Bill Zito mentioned Ekman-Larsson during a first intermission interview with play-by-play voice Steve Goldstein on Bally Sports Florida. When asked about the plethora of new Panthers players on the blue line, Zito was quick to bring up Ekman-Larsson and how good he's looked in a Panthers sweater. “I really liked Oliver Ekman-Larsson,” Zito said. “He’s a pretty well-known commodity but he played pretty well.” It was about as good of a debut as the 32-year-old could’ve asked for in a game where Florida was held off the scoresheet. Following the game, Ekman-Larsson gave credit to his teammates when discussing how seamless of a transition he seemed to have in game on with the Panthers. “It’s not that hard to come in (and play well) with all these guys,” he said. “There are some details I still need to work on, but overall, I felt pretty good. It would have been nice to get a win, though.” LATEST THN FLORIDA STORIES Panthers new partnership with Publix will ‘enhance and reimagine’ plaza outside Amerant Bank Arena [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-new-partnership-with-publix-will-enhance-and-reimagine-plaza-outside-amerant-bank-arena] Panthers blanked 2-0 on Opening Night in Minnesota [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-blanked-2-0-on-opening-night-in-minnesota] Sam Bennett not on road trip with Panthers but 'won't be too much longer' [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/sam-bennett-not-on-road-trip-with-panthers-but-wont-be-too-much-longer] Fully healed and hungry to win, Matthew Tkachuk ready to lead Panthers into new season [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/features/fully-healed-and-hungry-to-win-matthew-tkachuk-ready-to-lead-panthers-into-new-season] Florida Panthers open 2023-24 season with tough road matchup against Minnesota Wild [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/florida-panthers-open-2023-24-season-with-tough-road-matchup-against-minnesota-wild] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjE3OTM2NjIzMjQ4NDky/img_6014.jpg]
