NOTEBOOK: Special Teams Work, Connolly Chasing a 2nd Cup & More!

In today's Baptist Health Practice Notebook, the Panthers start to work on special teams, Brett Connolly wants to share the wealth, and Riley Stillman is feeling good after Week 1 of camp.

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. - As the postseason approaches, the list of things to do expands.

After spending the first few days of training camp 2.0 shaking off the rust in scrimmages and running through drills, the Florida Panthers closed out their successful back-to-work week by turning their attention to special teams for the first time on Saturday at the Panthers IceDen.

"A real good day in a lot of ways," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said excitedly following the team's lively practice session. "I thought [the players] had a lot of jump, a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of excitement. We worked a little on our special teams today. I thought the guys did good."

Just as it was during the regular season, the team's top power-play unit of Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Evgenii Dadonov, Mike Hoffman and Keith Yandle was once again back together and kicked off the special teams portion of practice with some nifty puck movement.

Thanks in large part to the production of those five players, Florida entered the pause with the 10th-ranked power play in the league (21.3 percent). On the man advantage, Huberdeau led the team with 29 points, while Dadonov and Hoffman were tied for the lead in goals with 11 each.

When it comes to production on offense, Quenneville expects those players to lead the charge.

"They really sparked us in a lot of ways, whether they're scoring or not," Quenneville said of the unit, which first came together during the 2018-19 season. "Most of the year, these guys were generating offense, the production was high-end. When we do that, it's an effective power play."

As for the makeup of the second power-play unit, the team is currently deploying Aaron Ekblad along with four forwards: Brian Boyle, Frank Vatrano, Brett Connolly and newcomer Erik Haula.

And while the power play has been a big part of tipping the scales between winning and losing, the Panthers know they'll have to make the most out of their opportunities when they kick off their best-of-five series against the New York Islanders in the Stanley Cup Qualifier on Aug. 1.

During the regular season, New York ranked 15th in the league on the penalty kill (80.7 percent).

"We've had four really good practice and good scrimmages," Connolly said. "I think guys realize that [the postseason is] pretty wide open this year and it's a new thing with everything going on."

As for the penalty kill, Quenneville said he expects a lot of different players to get a good look.

From familiar faces like Noel Acciari and Colton Sceviour to relative newcomers like Haula and Lucas Wallmark -- who both only suited up in a few games after coming over from the Carolina Hurricanes at the trade deadline in February -- roughly a dozen guys saw time on the kill today.

When asked what he's looking for, Quenneville said he expects all of the team's penalty killers to learn how to be "aggressive at the right times and also be patient at the right times as well."

During the regular season, the Panthers ranked 20th in the league on the penalty kill (78.5 percent). In their final 14 games before the pause, however, they were 15th (81.3 percent).

"There's an area where we want to make sure that we're tight," Quenneville said.

CHASING ANOTHER CUP

Connolly wants to share the wealth.

The only player in the locker room with a Stanley Cup ring on his finger, the 28-year-old forward admits his biggest motivator heading into the postseason isn't to add another championship to his mantle, but to rather help his teammates and the Panthers capture the Cup for the first time.

"I want to see other guys win," said Connolly, who helped the Washington Capitals win their first Stanley Cup in the not-too-distant past of 2018. "I think, unselfishly, I'd love to be a part of that, to see my teammates win for the first time. And just see other guys do well in the playoffs.

"I'm going to do my part and I'm going to have to be at my best here to help out the team. If we're going to do that, everyone's going to have to play their best. For me, I'm ready to do that. … That's a big reason they brought me in here. I know what's coming. I'm prepared for it."

Joining the Panthers on a four-year contract this past summer, Connolly appeared in all 24 games with the Capitals during their run to the Cup, scoring six goals to go along with three assists. Prior to moving to Florida, he appeared in the playoffs three straight seasons in D.C.

"As you go through the process of trying to win a Cup, guys that have been around know what to say and know what to expect," Quenneville said of the team's veterans such as Connolly. "Sometimes that can be shared… Let's hope that these guys can share those memories and experiences and help one another."

In 69 games with the Panthers this season, Connolly tallied 33 points (19 goals, 14 assists).

STILLMAN FEELS SHARP

After heading into the break banged up, Riley Stillman said he feels great coming out of it.

Quickly carving out a spot for himself on Florida's blue line this season, the 22-year-old rookie defenseman suffered an upper-body injury a win over the Montreal Canadiens on March 7, the team's penultimate game before the NHL hit the pause button due to COVID-19 on March 12.

"It gave me time to recover," Stillman said of the multi-month lockdown. "Moving forward here, to be back paired with [Anton Stralman], with an older guy going into the playoffs with a bunch of experience, I'm really excited to keep it going and make it an impact."

In 34 games this season, Stillman, who played mostly alongside Stralman, a 13-year NHL veteran, both at 5-on-5 and on the penalty kill, registered five assists, 59 hits and 57 blocks.

"Stiller had an interesting year," Quenneville said. "I thought he came on, and right off the bat I thought he instilled a real presence on our back end. He brought some physicality. I thought he had some real good puck movement and simplicity to his game. I think as he's progressed, he had a nice stretch at the end prior to getting hurt."

During the first week of training camp, Stillman has been paired with Stralman once again.

"Watching him through this camp, I think he's gotten better the last day or so," Quenneville said. "That's all part of it, coming back from what he missed, a long time there. We'll get him going up to speed here and hopefully he'll progress the way he did the last day or so next week."

The son of former Panthers forward Cory Stillman, Riley said his father has given him some good advice as he prepares to embark upon the first postseason run of his budding career. Just take things day by day.

"You can't look to far ahead; you can't look behind you," Riley said. "What's in the past is in the past and what's in the future is in the future. You can only control what you do each day, whether that's practice, a pre-game skate or a game. The ultimate goal is there, but you've just got to focus on the present and get through that day, make sure you do what you can to get ready for the next day."

Some sound fatherly advice from a two-time Stanley Cup winner.

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