Why the Panthers think time off is good, even in the middle of a five-game winning streak
The first five-game postseason winning streak in the history of the Florida Panthers was crammed into nine days, required three flights to three different cities and three comebacks, included a pair of overtime games and saw the Panthers thrice win when facing elimination.
By the end of it, Florida was running on fumes and adrenaline.
“Coaches, we wear suits. We don’t take a shift. We don’t block a shot. I’m tired this morning,” coach Paul Maurice said Friday, less than 12 hours after the Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs for their fifth straight win. “I don’t know how the hell those guys are doing it.”
After its first two-day break in nearly two weeks, Florida finally got to reset and refresh before hosting the Maple Leafs for Game 3 on Sunday in Sunrise.
“I finally woke up this morning feeling pretty good,” left wing Carter Verhaeghe said.
It’s a potentially pivotal moment in this second-round series, especially if the way Round 1 played out is any indication.
Panthers riding goalie Sergei Bobrovsky’s five-game winning streak in NHL playoffs
In their first-round series with the Bruins, the Panthers lost three of the first four games, then got two days off before the series shifted to Boston for Game 5 and everything flipped. Florida won three straight elimination games, including Game 7 last Sunday, to pull off one of the biggest upsets in NHL history. The Panthers then hopped on a flight to Toronto and beat the Maple Leafs twice at Scotiabank Arena to take a commanding series lead in Round 2.
Now, they play just once in five days, with two days off before Game 3 and then two more days off before Game 4 on Wednesday at FLA Live Arena.
“Our gas tank might’ve been half full after Game 2 and maybe they had two days off before, so maybe they were at three-quarters of a tank. Both teams get to fill up the tank. They’re even,” Maurice said. “I don’t think there’s an advantage to us over them. We just kind of get to the same starting point.”
The strange schedule will present some challenges for Florida, but also, considering the style it plays, some benefits.
The Panthers’ challenge is trying to sustain what they’ve hit on in the last two weeks. Florida’s five-game winning streak was only its second of the season, and it came by beating the Presidents’ Trophy winners three times and another Stanley Cup contender twice. The Panthers don’t want to lose the magic they’ve found.
“There’s lots of highs and lows. It’s a bit of a roller coaster,” Verhaeghe said. “We’ve found a piece of the game plan and I think that’s kind of what we’re doing is try to stick with it through the highs and lows.”
The benefits, however, could outweigh these concerns.
Florida is winning by using one of the most aggressive forechecks in the league, playing with relentless effort and physicality to force giveaways in the opponents’ defensive zone and turn those into quick goals. All three of the Panthers’ goals Thursday came off the forecheck and so did Verhaeghe’s series-winning overtime goal in Game 7 of the first round last week.
“Two days is going to be good for us. We had a two-day block after Game 4 in the Boston series. We needed it,” Maurice said. “For a forechecking team, a little bit of rest helps. ... We need to keep this team fresh.”
Panthers call up AHL players
AHL Charlotte’s season ended with a loss to AHL Hershey in the second round of the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs, but the year isn’t done for close to a dozen of its best players.
The Panthers called up nine players from the Charlotte Checkers this weekend to provide extra depth for the rest of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. After calling up defenseman Lucas Carlsson on Saturday, Florida defensemen Matt Kiersted, John Ludvig and Calle Sjalin, and forwards Grigory Denisenko, Aleksi Heponiemi, Connor Bunnaman and Patrick Giles, as well as goaltenders Mack Guzda and Evan Fitzpatrick, on Sunday.
In all likelihood, none of these nine newcomers will suit up in the Cup playoffs, but they will give the Panthers some extra bodies in practice and be able to get some valuable NHL experience by tagging along for a playoff run.
Four of these newcomers have played in NHL games this season, too: Kiersted had four points in 20 games, Denisenko had three points in 18 games, Heponiemi had three points in 10 games and Carlsson appeared in two games, too.
None are particularly highly regarded as prospects, although Denisenko, 22, was a first-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
