Unpacking "Panthers Uncaged": What We Learned from Episode 3

Welcome to another installment of "Unpacking Panthers Uncaged" where we take a closer look into this week's "Panthers Uncaged," presented by Lexus. Let this serve as your spoiler warning, Cats fans - if you haven't watched episode three, check it out below.

Things We Learned

1.Some players trained in Canada in quarantine.

With the lockdown lasting longer than anyone could have anticipated, several Florida Panthers players found themselves at home in Canada while waiting for directions on NHL's Return to Play.

North of the border, guys had been prepping hard to go back to South Florida while maintaining the safety guidelines set in place by health officials.

"I've actually just been going to my buddy's house [where] I quarantined at when I first came home. He has a pretty good little garage gym set up," defenseman Josh Brown explained. "I took a picture of what he had and sent it to Mike Donoghue our strength and conditioning coach and also my strength coach back here."

"They both gave me some workouts I could do and they've been great," Brown smiled "Once the skates opened up here, I [jumped] back on the ice."

Josh Brown isn't the only Cats D-man who's ecstatic to be on the ice again.

"There's a rink that's been open since the beginning of June," defenseman Mackenzie Weegar said. "We've been able to skate all month."

What kinds of high caliber exercises do hockey players do to stay in NHL shape, you may ask? Well, the workouts are not for the faint of heart.

"We did a lot of sled pulls and pushes," forward Mike Hoffman noted. "It's great for your legs, as opposed to squatting [which] can be tough on your back. We try to stick to the sleds as much as possible. We're just trying to get bigger and stronger [with] a lot of weight training."

2.Wallmark has returned to South Florida.

While some Canadian players got to start training at home, European Cats had to come back to Florida in accordance with the NHL's quarantine mandates.

Forward Lucas Wallmark, a Sweden native, made his way back to the Sunshine State after spending some time overseas. Sweden was one of just a handful of countries that made world news for its management of the Coronavirus.

"They didn't shut down the country," Wallmark said. "Everything was kind of normal, except for no big events [or things] like that."

Upon returning to the United States, Wallmark had to follow the NHL's protocols on quarantining before going back to the Florida Panthers IceDen.

"I had to quarantine," he explained.

The young forward also had to take part daily in the saliva-based COVID-19 test regularly like his teammates. Once he was officially cleared, Wallmark resumed training at the Panthers IceDen.

3.Bobrovsky's workout routine is unbelievable.

In Video: Panthers Uncaged: Episode 3, we saw how hard captain Aleksander Barkov works on and off the ice. Now in Episode 3, we got a peek at Cats netminder Sergei Bobrovsky's training routine.

"His routine is pretty intense," fellow Cats goaltender Chris Driedger said of Bobrovsky's workout. "It's the most in-depth routine I've ever witnessed."

"I came this year thinking I've got a pretty good routine. It's pretty extensive, and then I look at [Bobrovsky] and I'm doing, like, a quarter of what he's doing," Driedger laughed.

Driedger - Video: Panthers Uncaged: Episode 3 - knows you don't get to be a two-time Vezina Trophy winning goalie without hard workouts and lots of sweat.

"When I watch Bob, I see his work ethic off the ice and his determination in everyday practices," he said. "I've noticed that and I've taken some of that and put it in to my routine."

BEST MOMENT

No one keeps the score quite as well as Yands.

GIF OF THE EPISODE

Numbers 14, 63, 71, 77……all number 1 in our hearts.

NEXT TIME ON "PANTHERS UNCAGED"

On the next episode of "Panthers Uncaged," the Cats forge ahead on the path to the Stanley Cup Qualifiers against the New York Islanders. Get an inside look on how the team prepares to make a run in the 2020 postseason.

Episode four of "Panthers Uncaged" is coming soon. Binge watch the first three episodes Video: Panthers Uncaged: Episode 3.

To keep up with all things Florida Panthers, check out FloridaPanthers.com.