FORT LAUDERDALE – It’s hard to put this past year into words for the Florida Panthers.
The arrival of Matthew Tkachuk.
The 2023 All-Star Game in South Florida.
An unforgettable run to the Stanley Cup Final.
Those were just a few of the things that defined 365 days of unbridled fun and excitement.
Before officially closing the book on 2023 with a 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, head coach Paul Maurice took a moment to reflect on everything that occurred over the previous 12 months.
“A lot of laughs, a lot of great memories, but all of it based on how hard those guys work,” Maurice said. “For me, I don’t sweat much during the games, I don’t block any shots and I haven’t been in a fight in a long time, so it’s nice to be associated with a group of guys that work that hard. It was a fun year.”
After making strides and steadily rising from championship hopefuls to legitimate contenders over the past few seasons, the Panthers really saw everything finally come together in 2023.
Playing 81 regular-season games in 2023, they posted a 48-27-6 record for 102 points.
In that span, they ranked eighth in the NHL in goals scored (275) and 11th in goals allowed (239).
Finishing third in voting for the 2022-23 Hart Trophy, Tkachuk led the Panthers with 93 points (28 goals, 65 assists), while captain Aleksander Barkov finished second with 89 points (25 goals, 64 assists). Filling up the back of the net, Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe each had 42 goals.
“I think it was an experience not just for ourselves, but for the organization and the fan base,” said Brandon Montour, who led Florida’s defensemen with 49 points (11 goals, 38 assists) in 2023. “It had a little bit of everything. For South Florida, how great of a run that was, how close we got, it really shows how Florida hockey has grown and how excited we are for the future.”
Sergei Bobrovsky saw the bulk of the work in net in 2023, starting 55 of 81 games.
Standing tall, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner posted a 33-18-3 record in those starts.
“He’s incredibly efficient, and then explosive,” Maurice said of Bobrovsky.
In the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Panthers proved all doubters wrong.
After upsetting the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Boston Bruins in seven games in the Eastern Conference First Round, they needed just five games to dispatch the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 2. Cruising through the Eastern Conference Final, they swept the Carolina Hurricanes in four games.
Despite coming up just short against the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers still won their first-ever game in the Stanley Cup Final and proved they belong among the NHL’s best.
Gaining folk-hero status during that run, Tkachuk, who played through a fractured sternum for part of the Stanley Cup Final, found another gear to his game, leading Florida in goals (11), assists (13) and points (24) while turning heads around hockey.
Nearly unbeatable in net, Bobrovsky saved 16.3 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck.com.
“If you work your butt off, it’s a good time to be a Panther,” Maurice said.
It’ll be hard to top 2023, but the Panthers are confident they can.
With their newfound experience, last year certainly felt like the start of something big.
Heading into 2024 sitting in second place in the Atlantic Division at 22-12-2, the Panthers entered the New Year in a great spot with a 93.7% chance to make the playoffs, per MoneyPuck.com.
They’ll take those odds.
FIRST TO STRIKE
One trend the Cats would like to continue this year?
Scoring first.
So far this season, they own a 15-0-2 record when breaking the ice.
“When you’re not scoring or you’re struggling a little bit, the weight of that goal is critical,” Maurice said. “You get the first one, you get a little bit of a cushion, things are going to start to turn, at least one guy on your bench is happy, hopefully a couple others get helpers.”
On the flip side, they’re 7-12-0 when surrendering the first goal.
But when asked about the affect the first goal has had on his team’s play this season, Maurice said that he hasn’t necessarily felt the weight of that goal being as heavy as it sometimes can be.
When the Panthers go up early, they’re usually feeling pretty good, playing well and can just continue to build from there. When they fall behind early, that goal can sometimes wake them up and give them a needed spark to mount a comeback.
“I haven’t felt that first goal either way has changed much for us,” Maurice said.
No matter the situation, the Cats remain confident.
That being said, it's never a bad thing to find the back of the net first.
MIKKOLA MISSES PRACTICE
Niko Mikkola was the only player absent from Monday’s practice at FTL War Memorial.
When asked about the status of the team’s hulking second-pair defenseman, Maurice said he expects Mikkola to be on the ice when the Panthers kick off their four-game road trip with a battle against the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena on Tuesday.
Mikkola leads Florida’s defensemen in hits (61) and blocked shots (62) this season.
In Mikkola’s place, Josh Mahura skated with Montour during line rushes this morning.
MONDAY’S PRACTICE LINES
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Nick Cousins
Ryan Lomberg – Kevin Stenlund – Will Lockwood
Jonah Gadjovich – Steven Lorentz
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Josh Mahura – Brandon Montour
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Dmitry Kulikov
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Anthony Stolarz
