FORT LAUDERDALE – The Florida Panthers plan to roll with new-look lines when they wrap up their three-game homestand against the high-flying Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.
Sticking to the combinations they found success with in the third period of Thursday’s 4-2 win over the Washington Capitals, the Panthers plan to keep two-thirds of each of their top-three lines intact, while shifting around three of their wingers to see how things shake out.
“Over 82 games, they get stale every once in a while,” head coach Paul Maurice said of the decision to switch things up following Friday’s practice at the Baptist Health IcePlex. “They just get into a game and it’s not there for them, so you try to give them a little bit of a feel.”
Taking a look at the new combinations, Carter Verhaeghe is now with Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart on the first line, Nick Cousins is with Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk on the second, and Evan Rodrigues is with Eetu Luostarinen and Anton Lundell on the third.
In the third period against the Capitals, Florida led 23-5 in scoring chances, 15-2 in high-danger shot attempts and 1-0 in goals at 5-on-5 with those lines, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
Given those eye-popping numbers, why not give them another look?
“I thought when Rodrigues went with Lundell, that game took off,” Maurice said. “I liked that line. They had some quickness and looked different from our other lines. We’ve seen the offensive-zone play by Cousins with the Bennett line be very, very good, and then a change in speed in some ways with Barkov [back with Verhaeghe]. Just wanted to change things up.”
With elite chemistry both on the ice and in the locker room, the Panthers also have the luxury of being able to switch up their lines at will without the fear of the unknown.
We’ve already seen Verhaeghe have success with Barkov in the past, Cousins was part of a dominant line with Bennett and Tkachuk during last year’s playoffs, and Rodrigues, despite being a new guy, has already logged nearly 80 minutes with Lundell at 5-on-5 this season.
While these lines might be new, the relationships aren’t.
“I thought we were playing really well yesterday,” Rodrigues said. “Sometimes [changes] are just to get your legs underneath you or your brain thinking. Sometimes it’s those little things that make a difference, and it worked out for us last night. I think it’s a big piece of this group that every player can almost play every position and with different players.”
For Cousins, the changes provide an opportunity to re-team up with two players carrying hot sticks.
Since Jan. 1, Tkachuk, who’s been on a tear for quite some time, leads the Panthers in scoring with 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists), while Bennett ranks fourth with 11 points (five goals, six assists).
With plenty of built-in familiarity in place, Cousins spent 186:39 of ice time at 5-on-5 skating alongside Tkachuk and Bennett during last year’s run to the Stanley Cup Final.
The hope now is to recapture some of that magic.
“Those two have been playing really well for us, especially Chucky,” said Cousins, who’s played in the last two games after missing more than a month with a concussion. “He’s really been coming on the last month and a half and playing really well for us. Benny’s been good for us all year. I’m just trying to come out and help those guys however I can. We had success last year in the playoffs and stuff. We just want to try and recreate that chemistry.”
Between the pipes, Sergei Bobrovsky is slated to get the nod in net against Colorado.
FOURTH LINE FEELING FINE
The one line that didn’t get split up against Washington was the fourth.
And for good reason.
In addition to Ryan Lomberg netting the game-winning goal late in the third period, the Panthers led 18-2 in shot attempts and 10-0 in shots on goal when the trio of Lomberg, Kevin Stenlund and Jonah Gadjovich was deployed at 5-on-5.
Per NaturalStatTrick.com, the Capitals didn't even earn a fraction of an expected goals against the line.
“I think it’s more of an identity line for our team,” Lomberg said. “Not necessarily breaking the game open or anything like that, but definitely being fast, being physical, being over top of pucks. Pretty much just playing your perfect X’s and O’s game but maybe with a little more physicality. … The fourth line has to have that consistently.”
While lines always change throughout a season, the specific combination of Lomberg, Gadjovich and Stenlund has been effective for the Panthers as of late. Stenlund is an elite faceoff man, Lomberg has speed to burn and Gadjovich is about as tough as they come.
Throw the various traits of those three players into a blender and what you get is a gritty line built to forecheck and sustain pressure in the offensive zone. Thanks in large part to that pressure, teams haven’t been generating much in terms of offense against the fourth line.
Over 60:40 of ice time at 5-on-5, that line has surrendered just two goals.
“The fourth line has been in flux and I don’t think they came into their own until the last month or so,” Maurice said. “I don’t’ think we’re set on it and that’s probably a good thing. I think what we’ve learned this year is that Lomberg can play both sides. That was the big adjustment and that means we can use different people depending on the game or injures. … We’ve got really good depth. We’re still figuring out maybe what our expectations would be or how we would use that line depending on personnel. Last night was a big important game for those guys because they were the best line. Their very first shift looked like the game-winning goal shift. … They do a lot of basic things, but hard things, very well.”
With that, it’ll be interesting to see how the identity of the fourth line continues to evolve.
FRIDAY’S PRACTICE LINES
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Steven Lorentz
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Nick Cousins
Will Lockwood – Kevin Stenlund – Ryan Lomberg
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Brandon Montour
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Josh Mahura
Goaltenders
Anthony Stolarz
Did not practice: Sam Reinhart, Dmitry Kulikov, Jonah Gadjovich, Sergei Bobrovsky
