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      Panther Push Pace

      In today's Baptist Health Practice Notebook, the Panthers hit the ice for the start of Return to Play Training Camp, Brian Boyle is looking healthy, and Noel Acciari now has dad strength.

      CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. - It's amazing how quickly things can fall back into place.

      Despite not sharing the ice together in any official capacity over the last four months, the Florida Panthers appeared to pick up right where they left off when Phase 3 of the NHL's Return to Play Plan kicked off with the opening of the team's training camp at the Panthers IceDen on Monday.

      Following the session, Aleksander Barkov said the four months suddenly felt like just four days.

      "Actually, it didn't feel like it was our first practice," the Panthers superstar captain said, flashing a smile over a social-distanced Zoom interview. "It felt like we just came back after a little break, like after a little all-star break or something together and started practicing. The pace was really high. Everybody battled hard. Everybody was excited to see each other and be with each other."

      Before today, the Panthers hadn't hit the ice as a full team since their 2-1 win in St. Louis all the way back on March 9. Just three days later on March 12, as the team prepared for a matchup in Dallas, the NHL paused its season as concerns over the coronavirus pandemic began to mount.

      From there, players endured roughly a three-month lockdown before finally being able to return to the ice for small-group workouts as Phase 2 of the NHL's Return to Play Plan began in June.

      Joel Quenneville, who along with his fellow coaches wasn't allowed to hang around the training facility during Phase 2, said he it was clear that players had put in the work over the last month.

      "I was shocked how well it went," Quenneville said. "I was surprised that the guys had that much pace to their game and that much energy. If I had to predict going into it what kind of practice we would've had, I was hoping it'd be OK. But it was probably as good as any practice as we've had all year. I was enthused with the way they practiced and competed. We certainly had a lot of guys that were pushing the pace to a different level. It was fun knowing that these guys came prepared and motivated to get off to a positive start here. … Very, very positive opening day."

      With 30 players at his disposal, Quenneville didn't make many adjustments on the first day of camp. After all, given how the team looked going into the pause, there's certainly good reason to believe that they'd found something special with the personnel that they were running out.

      Some of the notable lines that were mentioned throughout the team's post-practice interviews included a top line featuring Barkov, Evgenii Dadonov and Frank Vatrano, and a fourth line that consisted of Noel Acciari, Colton Sceviour and the hybrid, Mark Pysyk, who remains at forward.

      From linemates to drills, Acciari said the team benefited from a lot of familiarity on Day 1.

      "Let's get back to where we left off before the whole stoppage," Acciari said. "We were playing a good team game. Let's kind of shake the cobwebs off this first practice. We didn't do anything that we wouldn't have done before the stoppage, so that was good. We kind of mentally knew the drill, which made that easier. It was a good first practice. I think we all kind of felt good out there. I think everyone has been doing things during the quarantine, and it showed on the ice today."

      Looking ahead, the Panthers will have a little over two weeks of practice in South Florida before boarding a flight to Toronto - the hub city for the Eastern Conference. Upon arriving, they'll have a few more days of practice and one exhibition game before embarking on their postseason run.

      Sitting at 35-26-8 at the time of the pause, the Panthers will enter the NHL's unprecedented 24-team postseason tournament as the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference. In a rematch from the 2016 playoffs, they will battle the seventh-seeded New York Islanders Qualifying Round.

      Unlike the later rounds, the Qualifying Round will be a best-of-five series.

      "Everybody's ready to go and wants to win," Barkov said. "That's all we need. All we can do is care about each other and care about our own game. It's going to be a good matchup, for sure."

      For the full training camp roster, click HERE.

      SCRIMMAGE ON TUESDAY

      The first day of training camp featured two separate groups.

      The first of those group consisted of 25 skaters and all of the regulars that you'd expect. The second group, on the other hand, had just five players, all of them being rookies. This group included forward Owen Tippett, defenseman Chase Priskie and goaltender Sam Montembeault.

      Tippett is certainly a name that most fans are already familiar with. The 10th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, the 21-year-old is coming off his best pro season to date, racking up 40 points (19 goals, 21 assists) in 46 games in the AHL before a wrist injury forced him out of the lineup.

      Now healthy, Tippett is one of several up-and-coming players fighting for roster spots in camp.

      "We're not going to rule anything out because you have seen guys jump in during the playoffs and all of a sudden have a different role," Quenneville said when asked about the possibility of a rookie cracking the lineup. "Guys can take advantage of a situation and show they belong.

      On Tuesday, Quenneville said that Groups 1 and 2 will merge for an instrasquad scrimmage.

      BOYLE'S BACK

      Like Tippett, Brian Boyle also used the NHL's elongated hiatus to get healthy.

      Heading into the pause, the 35-year-old veteran forward had been sidelined for more than a month while recovering from an upper-body injury. On Monday, however, he looked no worse for wear on the ice, finding twine during drills and battling with Barkov along the end boards.

      During practice, Boyle was seen centering a line alongside Lucas Wallmark and Brett Connolly.

      "Boy, he makes a presence on your team and you notice him on the ice," Quenneville said of Boyle. "I thought he skated extremely well. He looked very good. He looked excited to be on the ice. A big body and an experienced guy, a tremendous leader."

      After signing a one-year deal with Florida on Oct. 20, Boyle, who stands an imposing 6-foot-6 and 245-pounds, provided the team with both production and a veteran presence. In 39 games, he tallied 15 points, 34 blocked shots and 65 hits, while also winning 52.4 percent of his draws.

      A veteran of 114 playoff games, Boyle competed in the Stanley Cup Final in 2014 and 2015.

      "He adds a lot to our team," Quenneville said. "Looking forward to having him in our lineup."

      ACCIARI'S GOT DAD STRENGTH

      Acciari has had quite the week.

      Just a few days before training camp opened up, the hard-nosed forward and his wife, Kate, welcomed their first child into the world, an adorable baby boy named Greyson Drew Acciari.

      "It's been an unbelievable experience," Acciari said. "My wife and I, just bringing in this new little guy has been wonderful. My wife did an unbelievable job. Just knowing that you're in charge of this child, it's so special. We're both a bit tired, but it's definitely worth it."

      An integral part of Florida's lineup, Acciari, who led the team in hits (121) and blocked shots (103) while also scoring a career-high 20 goals, is now one of several players on the roster that will be leaving at least one child behind when the team heads to the hub city in a few weeks.

      That being said, Acciari hopes he'll be able to bring back a big shiny gift for his newborn son.

      "The ultimate goal is to win the Stanley Cup," Acciari said. "To have the opportunity to play for it is something special. You don't always get that opportunity. It's going to tough to leave Greyson for potentially the first two months of his life, but hopefully it'll all be worth it."

      -- Attention: Due to COVID-19, convalescent plasma donations are needed urgently in South Florida.

      At Baptist Health, convalescent plasma (plasma collected from people who have recovered from coronavirus) is being used to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients not responding to other therapies.

      To schedule a donation time or to learn more, click HERE.