Panthers 'Get Back into Swing of Things' in Game 1 of Prospect Showcase

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. - Even in defeat, the smiles abounded.
Getting their first taste of competitive action since the pandemic-shortened season, Panthers prospects shook of some rust and happily took their first steps towards normalcy during a 3-1 loss to Hurricanes prospects in Game 1 of the Prospect Showcase Tournament on Saturday.

"It felt really good," said defenseman Robert Calisti, who scored the lone goal for the Panthers. "A lot of us really haven't been playing a lot of 5-on-5 hockey lately due to the circumstances last year. It was good to get out there and play as a team. All in all, it was good to be back."
With fans from both teams filling the stands at AdventHealth Center Ice, the Hurricanes opened the scoring at 11:20 of the second period when Nick Suzuki took a pass from Jesper Sellgren and ripped a shot from the right circle past goaltender Spencer Knight on the man advantage.
At 17:41, Justin Robidas then doubled the lead for Carolina when he collected a pass from Jamieson Rees and went top-shelf on a shot in transition from the left circle to make it 2-0.
"It was a fun game," said Knight, a first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. "It was everyone's first game in probably at least a couple months. A lot of guys haven't played in a while. I think it was good for everyone to get on the ice and just play a real game. After a while, practice is the same thing. It's not real hockey all the time. It's good to make reads, be in a game and just have fun."
After turning aside all eight shots he faced in the opening period, Knight was pelted with pucks throughout the second. Of the 39 saves he made during the game, a whopping 18 came in the middle frame, including a sprawling highlight-reel stop to deny a 2-on-1 rush for the Hurricanes.

Looking to build off his very strong debut with the Panthers last season, Knight, who went 4-0-0 during the regular season before starting a pair of playoff games against the Lightning, said this morning's game provided him a nice starting point as he starts to really get back into his routine.
That being said, his lateral movement and puck tracking already appeared to sharp.
"I don't really have a checklist," Knight said of his process. "It's more about reacting. Whatever happens in the game, I don't dictate anything in the game. Well, I dictate how I do, but I don't dictate what comes at me all the time. A lot of it is just reacting and then just making reads."
Sent to their fourth power play of the game early in the third period, Stelio Mattheos managed to light the lamp when he deflected in a shot from Jack Drury to put the Hurricanes up 3-0 at 2:36.
After throwing everything but the kitchen sink at goaltender Eetu Makiniemi, the Panthers finally broke through late in the third period when, after Knight skated to the bench in favor of getting an extra attacker on the ice, Logan Hutsko sent a tape-to-tape pass from behind Carolina's net to Calisti, who then buried a shot through traffic to make it 3-1 with 56 seconds left in regulation.
Helping out on the play, Serron Noel used his 6-foot-5 frame to provide a sizeable screen.
"I kind of just crept in at the top of the circle there," Calisti, an undrafted invitee to camp, said of his goal. "[Hutsko] just kind of found a seam, and I just shot it and it went in. Happy about that."

Although that was the only goal to speak of for the Panthers, several other players came close. Anton Lundell, a first-round pick in 2020, lifted a few nifty shots on net that nearly slipped past Makiniemi, while Karch Bachman and Justin Sourdif each almost scored on cuts to the crease.
On the physical side of things, Grigori Denisenko, John Ludvig and Noel all had some big hits.
"A lot of these kids haven't played a lot of hockey," said coach Geordie Kinnear, who serves as the head coach for Florida's AHL affiliate in Charlotte. "Last year was obviously a unique year. I thought that as the game wore on we got a little more organized. I think it's going to take some time, but I thought the compete level from start to finish from the group was very good today."
Following 60 minutes of regulation, the two teams participated in a shootout.
While Knight went a perfect 5-on-5 against Carolina's shooters, Sourdif and Noel both beat Makiniemi, who made 32 saves in regulation, to give the Panthers a 2-0 win in the skills competition.
"It felt really good," said Sourdif, a third-round pick in 2020. "It was a fast-paced game. It was something I have to get used to, but my teammates were there for me, giving me pointers on the bench. That was super helpful. I feel like I got my legs underneath me after the first period."

Unprompted, Sourdif also singled out Knight as the team's MVP of the game.
"He kept us in the game," he said. "I kind of wanted to let everyone know that."
From facing down opposing power plays to shining in the shootout, Knight hopes to work through as many different situations as possible before the points start to count next month.
"That's kind of something that I wanted to do for myself, to do uncomfortable scenarios like a shootout," he said. "You can't back down from that. At the end of the day, anyone can make those normal saves and those routine saves. I want to go a little bit extra and be put in those hard scenarios. In the end, that's what great goaltenders do."

NOTES

-- All seven of Florida's defensemen at this year's camp have at least one thing in common - they all shoot left-handed. This morning, it was Matt Kiersted, Max Gildon and Braden Hache that moved to the right, while Ludvig, Frederic Brunet and Calisti stuck to their natural side.
"To be a defenseman, it's great to play both sides," Kinnear said. "If you have an opportunity to play in the NHL and you're a lefty but they need a right spot, I'm definitely going to say I'm ready for it. It's great [for these guys] to be able to play both sides because that's the game today."
-- The Panthers had three players sporting "A's" on their red sweaters this morning as Max Gildon, John Ludvig and Grigori Denisenko were selected as the team's alternate captains.
"They've been around," Kinnear said. "I think you see the way [Ludvig] plays. He's a presence out there. He takes command of the locker room. He can lead by example, and he definitely does that."
-- It's not every day that you drop the puck at 10 a.m. for a game. But after missing out on so much hockey this past season, Florida's prospects would've played even earlier if they had to.
"I come to rink the rink and just play. It doesn't matter if it's 10 a.m. or 7 p.m., NHL or AHL, college, rookie tournament, it's all the same to me," Knight said. "I just like to come to the rink."
Added Sourdif: "It's a little different playing at 10 a.m. when you're used to playing at 7 p.m., but it's still fast-paced hockey. Everybody has energy at any time of the day. I think the guys are going to have a lot of jump for the next game."

PANTHERS LINES

Forwards
Grigori Denisenko - Anton Lundell - Logan Hutsko
Henry Bowlby - Justin Sourdif - Serron Noel
Karch Bachman - Trevor Wong - Eric Alarie
Justin Nachbaur - Connor Trenholm - Simon Pinard
Defensemen
John Ludvig - Matt Kiersted
Frederic Brunet - Max Gildon
Robert Calisti - Braden Hache
Goaltenders
Spencer Knight
Tye Austin

REMAINING TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

-- Sunday, Sept. 19: Panthers vs. Predators at 10 a.m. ET
-- Monday, Sept. 20: Practice
-- Tuesday, Sept. 21: Panthers vs. Lightning at 1 p.m. ET
Fans can stream both games at FloridaPanthers.com.