Panthers' defensemen look to continue contributing against Oilers in Cup Final

EDMONTON -- Nate Schmidt set the offensive tone for the Florida Panthers' defensemen by scoring three goals, including two game-winners, in their first two games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

It has carried throughout their run to a third consecutive Stanley Cup Final.

Getting offense from their defense has been one of the keys for the Panthers in their repeat bid and will need to continue in order to finish the job against the Edmonton Oilers. Game 1 of the Cup Final will be held at Rogers Place on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, MAX).

"The (defense) corps, we always say we try to get one every game," Schmidt said. "That's your defensive mindset. If we get one, then our forwards will take care of the rest."

Florida leads the NHL with 15 goals and 39 points from its defensemen in 17 playoff games. By comparison, the Panthers got 12 goals and 42 points from their defensemen in the playoffs when they won the Stanley Cup for the first time by defeating the Oilers in seven games in the Cup Final last season.

Each of the seven defensemen that have played in these playoffs for Florida has scored at least one goal, matching the most ever in a playoff year. Seth Jones, Aaron Ekblad, Niko Mikkola and Schmidt each have three goals. It is only the fifth time in NHL history a team had as many defensemen score three or more goals in the postseason and the first since the Detroit Red Wings in 2009.

Ekblad leads Panthers defensemen with 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 13 games. Jones and Schmidt have seven points apiece in 17 games.

"Our (defensemen) are definitely aggressive defensively and that's the first thing I believe is on all of our defensemen's minds," Jones said. "But when we can chip in offensively, it helps the forwards out, it takes pressure off them to score. You see a lot of offense now is coming from the second wave, so to speak, or the fourth guy in the rush.

"We have a lot of great skating defensemen and we're putting the puck in the net right now."

The Panthers' average of .88 goals from defensemen per game in the playoffs is nearly double their average of .45 per game during the regular season when they were 13th in the NHL with 37 goals from defensemen. Their average of 2.29 points per game from defensemen in the playoffs represents a 23.8 percent increase from the regular season, when they averaged 1.85 points per game and were 22nd in the NHL with 152 points from defensemen.

What has caused this increase?

"I don't know is the answer," Florida coach Paul Maurice said. "We haven't changed anything. We try to get them up the ice. You want to be careful when you get into the playoffs. You're seeing a deeper level of offensive talent on the other team, so you've got to be a little bit more mindful of how you join the rush."

That will be particularly important against the Oilers and their high-powered offense headed by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. But in addition to limiting opponents to an NHL-low 2.29 goals per game this postseason, the Panthers have demonstrated that they can score with the best teams in the League too.

Florida leads the playoffs with 66 goals in 17 games and is third in averaging 3.88 goals per game, behind only Edmonton (4.06) and the Los Angeles Kings (4.00).

Like the Oilers, the Panthers have had 19 different players score in the playoffs, and getting those contributions from defensemen has been an important part of that scoring depth, taking some of the pressure off their forwards.

"Our game is also based on that," Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. "You play as much as possible in the offensive zone and you use your defensemen to try for them to get the shots through to the net and you get the rebounds and that kind of stuff. But it helps a lot when you know you can give it to the defensemen, and they can also put the puck in the net.

"It's been crucial for us this playoffs."

Edmonton, which has scored 65 goals in 16 playoff games, also relies on offense from its defensemen. Five different defensemen have scored for the Oilers, producing 11 goals. However, Evan Bouchard (six goals) is the only player with more than two.

The Panthers' production has been more spread out. Schmidt hasn't scored since his second game-winner in as many games in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but joked, "I had to pass the baton."

Others have picked it up. Jones, Mikkola, Dmitry Kulikov and Gustav Forsling each has scored game-winning goals since then, giving the Panthers five defensemen with at least one this postseason.

"Each guy has had a moment," Schmidt said. "Every guy has. That's kind of the idea, the definition of what it is to have depth scoring. That's why we have to continue."