A Closer Look At The Panthers Resurgence

This is an excerpt from this week’s 5 Observations column. For more on the Florida Panthers and other thoughts on the NHL, check it out!

The Panthers were in last place in the Eastern Conference at the start of the month, albeit in a bunched-up conference, where only a few points separated them from the top teams. With seven wins in their last nine games, they are only a few points out of the top spot in the Atlantic Division. What’s fascinating is how this version of the Panthers is winning games because it’s not the same group. 

They are without Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, two core players and arguably the most integral to their recent success. The Panthers, who are known for having a shutdown defense, have struggled in their end, allowing 3.08 goals per game while failing to find replacements for Dmitry Kulikov, who is also hurt, and Nate Schmidt, who left in free agency. Yet, they keep winning games. There are a few things that stand out about this version of the Panthers, who are proving why they look like a modern dynasty in the making. 

The Overlooked Stars Are Finally Getting Their Time to Shine

The player hockey fans knew but didn’t know well was Anton Lundell. He was the third-line center who stood out in the playoffs and gave the Panthers favorable matchups. He was always seen as a depth center but not a star, until this season. He’s centering a top-six line and occasionally the top line with Barkov out and is having a career year. 

One scout noted that he’s like Barkov but younger and is maturing into the next version of him. It’s hard to compare any player to the perennial Selke Trophy winner but the parallels are uncanny. Both centers are from Finland, play a two-way game, and make the other skaters on their lines better. Lundell, at 24 years old, is starting to take that leap, with 11 goals and 16 assists in 35 games. 

Lundell is the key player filling the Barkov void but the Panthers have other forwards stepping up to carry this team as well. Brad Marchand is turning back the clock at 37, with 20 goals and 19 assists in 37 games, while Sam Reinhart is not only generating offense but also continuously finding the back of the net, with 18 goals in 34 games. 

Throw in Sam Bennett and his recent resurgence, plus Carter Verhaeghe, and the Panthers have a good enough top six to still win games. It leads to the next key in their great season. –

The Forward Unit Covers Up Other Issues

There are different philosophies to team building. One is to build from the net out. Another is having a core with star players at every position. The Panthers built their team from the forward unit out with Barkov, Tkachuk, and four great forward lines leading them. 

The forwards cover up the other issues with their roster. The defense doesn’t have an elite two-way talent and sometimes struggles on the second or third pair (although it’s worth noting that Gustav Forsling is one of the NHL’s best stay-at-home defensemen). With a forward group that comes at teams in waves while also forechecking, defending, and playing any type of game, it doesn’t matter. 

This season in particular, it’s allowed them to stay competitive. The third line from the recent playoff run, which had Lundell, Marchand, and Eetu Luostarainen, is still making a difference, just higher up in the lineup. Having a forward unit built like this allows them to have the next-man-up mentality every team preaches but few can execute. 

Bobrovsky is Inconsistent, in a Good Way

Sergei Bobrovsky is not having a great season, at least based on the numbers. His .888 save percentage (SV%) and -6.2 goals saved above average (GSAA) are ranked near the bottom of the league. For every 30-save one-goal performance, there’s a game where he allows five or six goals. 

That’s not how fans or the hockey world should measure Bobrovsky’s play. The thing that stands out with him is something old-school hockey fans like. It’s the wins. He leads the league with 15 but in the bigger picture, when the Panthers need him to make a big save or to steal a game, he can and does. It’s why he’s established himself as the best goaltender in the playoffs in recent seasons. When the Panthers need him in a must-win game, there isn’t a better goaltender in the game. 

And at 36 years old, he’s still delivering when it matters most. It’s why he might get a big contract this offseason as he heads to free agency (yes, he’s old but a team will offer him a lot knowing what he can do in the playoffs). He was playing at a high level in the recent stretch, and it’s allowed the Panthers to not only win games but beat some of the best teams in the NHL, including the Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Hurricanes. 

The Panthers & The Game

The late Ken Dryden’s book The Game is a must-read for hockey fans. It’s a book that will make any hockey fan, from avid to casual, smarter. One of the themes in that book is the day-to-day grind, and for the Montreal Canadiens, it’s finding that drive and motivation to win, even in the rough stretches of the season and even after they’ve won it all. 

The Canadiens won five titles in a row, and by the fifth one, they knew the regular season games don’t matter, and the grind isn’t the same. The Panthers are going through the same thing to a lesser degree. They know the games in December don’t matter, as long as they can make it to the playoffs. 

It’s why the early-season struggles were easy to shrug off. The Panthers know that a loss on a given night doesn’t matter but added up, they start to make an impact. The recent stretch is where they flipped the switch, where the veterans who know what it takes are starting to take over games. Bobrovsky, who knows how to shut down an opponent, starts doing so. In a season that is a marathon with a sprint at the end, the Panthers are warming up for that grind that is needed to win, and it shows in their recent play. 

And don’t put it past general manager (GM) Bill Zito to make a big move either. Last season, he acquired Seth Jones to fix the defense and then made the last-second move to add Marchand. This time around, the Panthers will need a depth defenseman, and there will be plenty to target. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if Zito makes a minor trade or two and possibly a splash to allow the Panthers to be in peak form at the right time, which is for a run at a third Cup title in a row, something that hasn’t happened since the New York Islanders in the 1980s.