Panthers staying on course in Atlantic without Tkachuk, other stars

TORONTO -- Matthew Tkachuk, decked out in street clothes, stood in the entrance of the Florida Panthers dressing room Thursday, exchanging fist bumps with his teammates and offering words of encouragement as they made their way off the ice after a 3-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Area.

The Panthers, of course, would much rather see the veteran forward in hockey equipment than a dress shirt, scoring goals, causing chaos and getting under the skin of opponents in the way only a Tkachuk can.

But he, of course, was not available for this showdown in the battle for top spot in the Atlantic Division. Nor, for that matter, was defenseman Aaron Ekblad and forward Brad Marchand, cogs that likely will be keys come the spring in Florida’s attempt to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.

And yet, even with those absences in the lineup, the Panthers grind away in their patented in-your-face, north-south style.

The faces might change but the blueprint doesn’t. And as long as that’s the case, the Panthers continue to send the message that they are the class of the division until someone proves they aren’t.

On this night, the Maple Leafs could not do it. And when the Panthers stick to their successful formula, you have to wonder if anyone else can in the final five weeks of the regular season.

“I think it’s just part of our DNA at this point,” forward Sam Bennett said. “It’s who we are. It’s the style we play.

“Look, in the playoffs, you’re going to lose guys, big guys, important guys, at key moments. Other guys just have to step up. I mean, a lot of guys are stepping up right now, and it’s helping us.”

Starting with Bennett himself.

Consider who was missing from Florida’s lineup. Tkachuk likely is out for the regular season with a lower-body injury he sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off, the hope being he’ll be available when the Stanley Cup Playoffs start next month. Ekblad was suspended 20 games Monday for violating the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. And Marchand, who was acquired from the Boston Bruins Friday, remains out of the lineup in what the team is calling week to week with an upper body injury.

Yet when all was said and done, the Panthers (41-22-3) still were able to widen their gap over the Maple Leafs atop the division. Florida’s victory gave them 85 points, four ahead of Toronto (39-23-3) and six in front of the Tampa Bay Lightning (37-23-5), who lost 4-3 in a shootout against the Philadelphia Flyers Thursday. Toronto and Tampa Bay hold a game in hand over Florida.

“It was like a playoff game out there,” Bennett said. “You have to do a lot of the small things right and, for the most part, we did that.”

With the Panthers’ top power-play unit operating without Tkachuk, in stepped the feisty Bennett to score twice with the man-advantage and cause havoc on the doorstep of Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz, his teammate with Florida last season. His second goal of the game, which came at 17:13 of the second period, made it 3-1 and would prove to be the game winner.

Florida also got some unlikely offensive help from defenseman Niko Mikkola, who scored his fifth goal of the season.

Once again, the Panthers found a way, no matter the lineup. It’s what they do. As a result, make it seven victories in the past eight games.

“I think it has to do with familiarity,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said. “We don’t look the same with those guys out of the lineup, but we play the same. So hopefully you have the same effect but it’s not going to look it. We’re not as heavy a team. That’s fine. We can still skate, we can still check and do those kinds of things.

“Matthew is irreplaceable on your power play, but Sam Bennett is pretty darn good.”

With dozens of family and friends in the stands, Bennett, who grew up 40 miles north of Toronto in Holland Landing, was exactly that.

Meanwhile, down the hallway in the Maple Leafs dressing room, they understood that it was an opportunity lost despite a valiant effort in defeat.

The game marked the first of three meetings between the Maple Leafs and Panthers in the final stretch run of the season. They’ll face each other again in Toronto on April 2 followed by a matchup six days later at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.

The trio of head-to-head games likely will go a long way in determining who finishes atop the division, which at first blush would equate to an easier matchup in the Eastern Conference First Round. In Toronto’s case, for example, such a scenario would mean avoiding facing Florida or Tampa Bay, two of the stronger teams in the League, in the opening round.

Unfortunately for Toronto, which controlled its own fate, Round 1 went to the Panthers.

“I knew going in, we all knew going in, it was going to be tight,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said. “It’s the way they play. There’s not a lot of room out there. You’ve got to stay patient within your game and not force things.

“It was a good battle.”

One the defending champions seem to find a way to come out on top of these days, no matter who might be sidelined.

And one the Maple Leafs are still looking for answers for.