EDMONTON -- Vladimir Tarasenko isn’t the most outwardly talkative guy, at least to the media.
But for Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice, Tarasenko’s voice, especially on the bench, has been a huge part of why the veteran forward has fit in with them so seamlessly.
“He’d be on the bench with (center Aleksander) Barkov, and they’d never stop talking hockey," Maurice said Friday. "Like, straight through the entire game they were talking about the plays.
“The nice part for me with that is he’s now doing it with (forward) Anton Lundell. Anton’s got a whole lot of playoff experience but he’s still a young player. He’s keeping him engaged, talking to him about the specifics about what happens on the ice. So there’s a leadership component to communication on the bench. He’s been very impactful in that way.”
Tarasenko has been impactful on the ice as well. After helping the St. Louis Blues win the first Cup in their history in 2019, the 32-year-old is trying to do the same with the Panthers against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN+, ABC).
Florida leads the best-of-7 series 3-0 following a 4-3 win at Rogers Place on Thursday, thanks in part to Tarasenko's second-period goal, the first of three straight for the Panthers that turned a 1-1 tie into a 3-1 Florida advantage.
Tarasenko, who arrived in Florida after being acquired in a trade with the Ottawa Senators on March 6, is one of two Panthers players who have won the Cup before, along with forward Carter Verhaeghe, won it with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020. As right wing on the top line with the Blues in 2019, Tarasenko had 17 points (11 goals, six assists) in 26 postseason games.