FORT LAUDERDALE – The new lines have been clicking for the Florida Panthers.
In four games since shifting around some of their pieces up front, the Panthers have registered a flawless 4-0-0 record while outscoring the opposition by a staggering 22-4 margin.
At 5-on-5, they’ve also controlled 56.22% of expected goals.
With every single skater on the ice moving in the same direction and perfectly executing the team’s forecheck first, ask questions later strategy, 17 different Panthers have registered at least one point over the last four games with not a single player owning a negative plus/minus rating.
On Saturday, they cruised to a 9-2 win over the cross-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning.
“Right now, it’s just building the game for playoffs,” said forward Matthew Tkachuk, who was named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week on Monday. “Not many times you’re going to be scoring nine goals in a playoff game, but the way we played [at Tampa Bay] to get those chances is a recipe to be successful. Might not score nine, but that’s the way to play.”
While all four lines have been firing on all cylinders, one new line in particular has caught the attention of head coach Paul Maurice over the last four games for its effectiveness.
Moving down from the first line, it appears that Evan Rodrigues is the perfect fit to play alongside the Finnish duo of Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen on the third line.
Over the last four games, the Panthers have led 55-33 in shot attempts, 29-14 in shots on goal and 2-0 in goals when that trio has been deployed at 5-on-5, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
In that same span, the opposition has been held to a meager 0.88 expected goals.
“Something’s happening with Rodrigues going there,” Maurice said. “You can see it even in practice. They make plays very, very quickly. They can make plays with speed. We like that line.”
Asked about their success, Rodrigues said it starts with a passion for hunting down pucks.
“I think a big key for us is just winning those battles in the O-zone," said Rodrigues, who’s who ranks fifth on the Panthers with 33 points (eight goals, 25 assists). “I’ve been talking to them just about focusing on holding onto pucks, dumping pucks and getting those retrievals back. It’s a lot nicer to skate five feet to win a puck battle than to chase a guy 200 feet back to your own end. Focus your energy on winning those retrievals is big for us and I think we’ve done a great job of that since being put together.”
Sitting in first place in the Atlantic Division at 36-15-4, the Panthers, who’ve won nine of their last 10 games, will look to keep on rolling when they host the Ottawa Senators at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.
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HUNDY FOR LUNDY
Still just 22, Lundell has already hit triple digits.
During the lopsided win over the Lightning, the former first-round pick registered the 100th point of his career with an assist on a power-play goal for Sam Bennett in the third period.
