WASHINGTON -- The Florida Panthers are doing some soul searching ahead of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Monday (7 p.m. ET; TBS, SN1, TVAS2, NBCSWA, BSFL).
Panthers looking 'for us to just be us' in Game 4 against Capitals
Hope to raise intensity, battle level down 2-1 in Eastern First Round series
© John McCreary/Getty Images
Trailing 2-1 in the best-of-7 series following a 6-1 loss in Game 3 on Saturday, the Panthers don't think they've played close to their best game yet.
"I think there's a lot of things that we could do better," Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad said Sunday. "I think to sum it up simply is find the game that we had in the regular season and mold it into a playoff game that we can play. I feel confident that we can do that. I'm confident in our team and we're obviously a fantastic team. … I'm really happy about the way we've come back from adversity all year, and I think this is just another step for us."
The Panthers have shown some flashes of being the offensive powerhouse that led the NHL with an average of 4.11 goals per game and won the Presidents' Trophy for finishing atop the NHL standings with 122 points during the regular season. But Washington has dictated the style of play for much of the series, slowing Florida's offensive skill and speed with its forecheck and structure through the neutral zone.
Panthers coach Andrew Brunette also has lamented how the Capitals have won most of the puck battles. So though Florida's practice Sunday mostly was lighthearted, it included a 1-on-1 battle drill.
"Just a little bit of a reminder that our battle level has to be high," Brunette said. "We're losing a lot of those 50/50 pucks right now."
RELATED: [Complete Panthers vs Capitals series coverage]
Brunette also wants the Panthers to remember what made them successful during the regular season. Florida has scored eight goals in the series, but five came in its 5-1 win in Game 2. Brunette mentioned again Sunday how the Panthers continue to play with "a little bit of the nervousness," which has contributed to their mistakes.
"I think I'm looking for a little bit more intensity and just some room to breathe a little bit and just find our game," Brunette said. "In doing that, pressure you can handle two ways: It can beat you down or you could pick it up a notch and work harder and bring that level of battle and intensity to a higher level. And I think for us to just be us. We haven't really been us this series.
"We've shown little flashes here and there of being us, but we haven't really been the team that we've been all year."
The Panthers were dominant offensively during the regular season but are learning during this series that the Stanley Cup Playoffs can be different. Every detail matters, little mistakes can lead to bigger ones, and the momentum quickly can swing.
Through the first three games the Capitals have been handling the big moments better. In Washington's 4-2 win in Game 1, Florida led 2-1 in the third period before neutral-zone turnovers led to Evgeny Kuznetsov's tying goal and T.J. Oshie's winning goal.
With the score tied 1-1 in Game 3, the Panthers controlled play for much of the second period but couldn't break through for a second goal against goalie Ilya Samsonov. The pivotal moment came when Samsonov made a left pad save on Aleksander Barkov to keep the score tied and Marcus Johansson scored nine seconds later to give the Capitals a 2-1 lead at 9:51.
"The first game was obviously very frustrating," Panthers forward Sam Reinhart said. "I don't think we created enough. They did an exceptional job of keeping us to the perimeter. I think last game was a little bit different. It's just the mistakes that we did have, they made us pay. I think we were able to get to the net a little bit more.
"Obviously their goalie was a little hot yesterday and he made a big difference for them. But I think it's more the defensive side of the puck for us and that offense is going to come."
Brunette said "everything is on the table," as far as potential lineup changes for Game 4. But Florida needs more from those who drove their offense during the regular season.
Jonathan Huberdeau scored the Panthers' lone goal in Game 3 but has two points in the series (one goal, one assist) after tying for second in the NHL during the regular season with 115 points (30 goals, 85 assists) in 80 games. Barkov had a goal and an assist in the first period of Game 2 but has been shut out otherwise in the series after he had 88 points (39 goals, 49 assists) in 67 regular-season games.
Reinhart has one assist in the series after he was third on Florida with 82 points (33 goals, 49 assists) in 78 regular-season games. Anthony Duclair has two assists in the series after he had 58 points (31 goals, 27 assists) in 74 regular-season games.
"Credit to them, they're making it hard," Brunette said. "They know how to play playoff hockey and we're learning a little bit here. I think there's some good lessons to learn and hopefully we grasp them and bring them into tomorrow."
