Q&A: Lundell Talks Comeback Cats, Rookie Season & More!

SUNRISE, Fla. -Anton Lundell is only 20 years old.
I feel like that's something that I often have to remind myself whenever the gifted rookie center does something spectacular for the Panthers - which is a lot. Even though he's just barely out of his teens, he seems to have the mind of a veteran, and has also been playing like one too.

Shining bright on both sides of the puck, Lundell, the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, has recorded nine points (five goals, four assists) through his first 19 games with the Panthers, while also leading the team's forwards with an average of 2:56 of shorthanded ice time per tilt.
On Thursday, he scored a pair of goals -- including what would go on to hold up as the game-winner -- to help the Panthers come from behind to defeat the Sabres 7-4 at FLA Live Arena.
With that win, the "Comeback Cats" improved their record to an outstanding 16-4-3.

"For me, the team is always first," Lundell said afterwards. "But of course I want to score goals and help the team win by scoring goals and making some plays. In the last games, we've had some great chances, but had a little bit of bad luck, a lot of posts, and it hasn't gone our way."
Off to a great start but still only just getting his feet wet in the NHL, Lundell and I chatted for a bit following Friday's practice about completing that comeback, his progress this season and more.
OLIVE: Well, it was another big comeback for you guys against the Sabres last night. As you continue to pile up wins, how does it feel to know you guys are never out of a game?
LUNDELL: It was really good. Of course it was a big win. Every game is big here. We didn't play how we wanted at the start, but we felt we could change it. We just started to play our best game. That's something we need to take with us. We need that right away in the next game, then keep it from the first shift until the last shift. It was a good feeling, for sure. A lot of goals, great fans and a good night at home.
OLIVE: Who's the loudest guy in the locker room after a win like that?
LUNDELL:It's to hard say, but [MacKenzie] Weegar is one guy that likes to yell.
OLIVE: In addition scoring what held up as the game-winning goal against the Sabres, you also added an empty-net goal late in regulation to earn the first multi-goal game of your career. Nice to check off another milestone like that so early on in your career?
LUNDELL:Yeah, really fun. I've had some bad luck with scoring chances. We've had a lot of good chances, but the puck hasn't gone our way. It was really fun to get a couple nice ones.
OLIVE: Your game-winning goal in the third period came moments after Eetu Luostarinen made an incredible play with his stick to keep the Sabres off the board. After you scored, how quickly did your thoughts turn to whether or not the goal was going to count?
LUNDELL:Right away [smiles]. Right after my celly I was like, "Let's hope that it wasn't a goal." It looked from the bench like it was over the line, but we were lucky that Luosty made that save.

OLIVE: That's now two straight games in which you guys have clawed your way back from a 4-1 deficit to win. Against the Sabres, how much did you guys feel it when things started to turn in you favor? Can you actually feel a momentum swing on the ice?
LUNDELL: We felt it, for sure. When we scored the first goal, with the energy we got from that and hearing the fans, it just felt like we were alive again. But we can't play like that anymore. We can't let the other team take over at the start. That's something we have to concentrate on now.
OLIVE: Looking beyond your two goals against Buffalo, you also had two blocks, two takeaways and led all Panthers forwards with 3:39 of shorthanded ice time. When you first arrived, did you expect to become one of the team's top penalty killers so soon?
LUNDELL:When I came here I was willing to do anything to make the team. If playing on the PK was going to help the team win, I was going to do that, for sure. I wasn't expecting to be on the PK this much because I was more of a power play guy before. Playing on the PK is a new thing, but I'm ready to play in every situation. It's been fun. We have so many good players.
OLIVE: There have been times where you guys have honestly made the penalty kill look like a power play with the looks you get. In your opinion, why have you and your fellow penalty killers been able to generate so many good scoring chances while shorthanded?
LUNDELL:Usually teams play with one D on the power play, so it's a good chance for us to make some offense if they lose the puck or if the puck bounces. We find those chances, but you have to be careful and can't overdo the offense. I think nowadays if you look around the league, many teams score a lot of shorthanded goals. That's a weapon we have as a team.
OLIVE: Even though you're only 19 games into your career, what kind of strides do you think you've already made since you made your NHL debut back in October?
LUNDELL:At the start, I didn't really know what to expect. I didn't know how the games would be here or how anything works. It's been a learning process. I just try to learn something new every day and try to do everything in a way that helps me improve my game. I want to be a better player. I think it's a process that you go through. Every game helps me. I know that I'm a lot more ready right now than I was in my first game.

OLIVE: That day-to-day approach to improving your game sounds a lot like something Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov would say if I asked him the same question. From on ice to off the ice, how much has he helped you throughout your transition to the NHL?
LUNDELL:It's been a huge help to have someone from the same country that can speak Finnish. He's helped me a lot. He's become a good friend. We have such good guys on this team. You get help from everybody if you want it. For sure, he's helped me a lot. He pushes me forward, and I try to also push him forward. It's a good thing that we have a good atmosphere.
OLIVE: Early on in the season you and Barkov were roommates as well as teammates. Was there anything you picked up while living with him that has really stuck with you?
LUNDELL: It's hard to say. It's a lot of small things. But he's one of the best in the league. He wants to improve himself all the time. That's one thing. He doesn't settle down. He doesn't get comfortable. He wants to be better every day. He has a good mindset. He showed me that you can still improve your game even when you're really, really good.
OLIVE: After closing out your homestand against the Blues on Saturday, you'll play five of your next seven games on the road. Coming over from Finland, how much do you enjoy exploring North America and visiting all these new cities for the first time?
LUNDELL: It's pretty cool, for sure. I think it was my first or second road trip we went to New York. It was pretty cool to see Manhattan and play there in the Big Apple. It's always been the big world on the other side of the big sea, so it was really fun to go there. It's going to be really fun to keep seeing new places that I've never been.
OLIVE: One place you're starting to get pretty familiar with is South Florida. Now that you've been with the Panthers for a few months, how are you settling into the area?
LUNDELL:I moved into a new place a little while ago. It's been really great. I love it so much. This is a great place with great people. I'm enjoying it. It's been really fun. To be able to play hockey here is unbelievable.