Panthers center Sam Bennett speaks after Florida's 6-4 win over Boston on Oct. 8. The Florida Panthers got their Stanley Cup title defense off on the right foot during Opening Night in Sunrise. Florida played a familiar physical and exciting brand of hockey while receiving contributions from across the lineup as they defeated the Boston Bruins 6-4 at Amerant Bank Arena. Eleven different Panthers players found their way onto the scoresheet, and while several of Florida’s big names did what they’re expected to do, it was what stood out from the supporting cast that really turned some heads. Let’s jump into our Opening Night takeaways. COULDN’T ASK FOR A BETTER START Sure, the start of the game was delayed due to Florida raising their Stanley Cup Championship banner, but there was no lag from the home team once the puck was dropped. The Panthers were all over Boston from the start, jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead and holding a 12-1 shot advantage during the game’s first ten minutes. They were skating fast, they were hitting, they were moving the puck…it was Florida Panthers hockey at its finest. “You like to think you know what you're going to look like in the opening game, but you never do, and that's what keeps you awake the night before the first game,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “And then we looked right and fast and quick, our gap was good, we skated very well. It was the banner, for sure, but it's actually the fans, right? That was wired and there was a great buzz in the building tonight. It’s so nice that they're all Panther fans, and I think we played off that and had lots of energy for it.” THIRD LINE LOOKED EXCELLENT Florida’s third line, the team’s youngest by far, consisted of rookie Mackie Samoskevich joining Finnish forwards Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen. There appeared to be chemistry from their first shift, with the group seeming to grow more confident as the game progressed. A decent amount of special teams play limited Samoskevich’s minutes compared to his linemates, but there was a lot to like about the trio at even strength. And in case you’re wondering, the average age on the line is 23.3 years old (Eetu is 26, Lundell is 23 and Mackie is 21). “I thought early in the game, when (Samoskevich) was in the fold of the game, it's funny, you’ve got like two veteran players playing with him,” Maurice said of his young third line. Anton Lundell is a young man, but you got that many playoff games in, and Eetu was just really, really good, like all over the ice, killing plays, creating loose pucks, so there's something there. We think we've got a good line at the start of it.” Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjE3OTM2NjIzMjQ4NDky/img_6014.jpg] ENERGY ON THE FOURTH LINE, TOO It wasn’t just the Lundell line that had Maurice singing the praises of the bottom six. Florida’s new-look fourth line, which featured Jesper Boqvist centering Jonah Gadjovich and A.J. Greer, did not give Maurice any reason to shield their minutes. On more than one occasion, Maurice sent the unit out for an offensive zone start, which is notable because, well, it’s a fourth line. They rewarded their coach by playing strong, physically responsible shifts, and the line was rewarded with one of the nicer goals of the night, when Boqvist made a great cross-ice pass to find Gadjovich cutting toward the back post. “The quality of the play was really, really high,” Maurice said of the line. “Some speed on that to the net, lots of patience by (Jesper) Boqvist, we think he's got a real good set of hands, and both the other two were two feet from the paint, they weren't opening up to the far side, they went right to the net, so there’s something there.” LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Carter Verhaeghe signs 8-year contract extension with Florida Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/carter-verhaeghe-signs-8-year-contract-extension-with-florida-panthers] Panthers raise Stanley Cup banner before dropping Bruins 6-4 on Opening Night [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-raise-stanley-cup-banner-before-dropping-bruins-6-4-on-opening-night] Florida Panthers season tickets completely sold out for first time in franchise history [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/florida-panthers-season-tickets-completely-sold-out-for-first-time-in-franchise-history] Florida Panthers to raise Stanley Cup banner, face Boston Bruins on Opening Night [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/florida-panthers-to-raise-stanley-cup-banner-face-boston-bruins-on-opening-night] Panthers release 22-man Opening Night roster, which features a couple surprises [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-release-22-man-opening-night-roster-which-features-a-couple-surprises] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNjQxMjA5NjI4NzMxMDIz/unnamed.jpg]
