5 Takeaways: Panthers' Sticks Silenced in Loss to Hurricanes

For maybe the first time this season, Joel Quenneville didn't like much of what he saw.
Struggling to execute how they'd like at either end of the ice, the Panthers were shut out for just the third time this season during a 3-0 loss to the Hurricanes at PNC Arena on Thursday night.

"We didn't generate much," the Panthers head coach said. "I look over the course of the season, and at Game 41 I think maybe we've had, you could argue, maybe one other game in this category, or maybe this was our first in this category. We tried, but we weren't very good."
Falling behind early, the Panthers faced an uphill climb from the get-go.
On their second power play of the first period, the Hurricanes managed to draw first blood when Sebastian Aho took a pass from Vincent Trocheck and blasted a heavy one-timer from the right circle past Chris Driedger for his team-leading 16th goal of the campaign to make it 1-0 at 14:31.
Matching Aho with his own 16th goal of the season, Trocheck then doubled Carolina's lead to 2-0 at 6:35 of the second period thanks to some otherworldly puck luck. After sending a shot on net, the puck went straight up in the air, came back down and bounced right off Driedger and in.
In six games against the Panthers this season, Trocheck has lit the lamp in each of them.
"Very ordinary for us," Quenneville said of Florida's performance. "I thought it was one of those games where you get behind and you're going to be in trouble. They were happy to check and frustrate ya and didn't give up much. They didn't generate much, but it was that type of game."
With neither team generating a ton of looks throughout the game (they combined for just 46 shots on goal), the scoring dried up from that point on until Martin Necas put the game away with an empty-net goal to put the Hurricanes up 3-0 with 52 seconds remaining in regulation.
In net, Driedger made 19 saves, while Alex Nedeljkovic stopped all 24 shots he faced.
Following the loss, the Panthers (26-11-4) now trail the Hurricanes (27-9-3) by one point for first place in the Central Division. With the Lightning (27-11-2) also right in the mix, the battle for the top spot in the division is expected to come down to the wire as all three clubs fight for position.
"This was one game where even though you think you're close, I wouldn't call this one close like the other ones," Quenneville said of the season series with Carolina. "They're a good hockey team. They don't give you much room, and you've got to be ready to play that type of game."
Here are five takeaways from Thursday's loss in Raleigh…

1. THE NUMBERS GAME

Despite the final score, the game was played pretty tight at even-strength.
When it was all said and done, the Panthers led 17-15 in shots on goal and 11-9 in high danger shot attempts, while the Hurricanes held a slim 30-29 advantage in total shot attempts at 5-on-5. The two teams also finished tied in scoring chances with 16 apiece, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
So, once again, the game came down to special teams.
Finding the back of the net on the man advantage in both halves of their two-game set with the Panthers, the Hurricanes, who rank first in the league on the power play, went 1-for-4 tonight.
"Their power play has been lethal against us," Quenneville said. "It starts getting them excited in the game. At 5-on-5, I thought we played them decently. Whether that's the difference or not, special teams are something we've got to make sure we're better at."

2. NEEDING POWER

While the Hurricanes are clicking on the power play, the Panthers are in search of a spark.
Since losing Aaron Ekblad -- who had been serving as one of the team's primary trigger man on the man advantage -- to a season-ending injury on March 28 in Dallas, the Panthers have had a hard time finding goals in his absence, going 1-for-19 with the extra attacker in six games since.
"There are moving pieces," Panthers forward Frank Vatrano said. "Obviously, Ek was a big part of that power play. Whoever is in that spot, we know we need to be better on the power play. That's where we're going to score goals. We have a job to do when we're out there. Everyone that's out there takes pride in it. Right now, we're not clicking, but it's going to come."
Over their four chances on the power play tonight, the Panthers mustered just two shots on goal. Asked about Carolina's success on the penalty kill, Patric Hornqvist noted their skaters do a great job of using their speed to almost change the complexion of how things look on the ice.
"They leave the net-front guy alone, so they almost play 4-on-4 on the outside," the Panthers forward said. "We have to make sure our guys are open for the guy with the puck. Like I said, almost play with a 5-on-5 mentality. Cycle in the corner to get them to back off a little bit. Get shots off, too. After that, things can open up."

3. KEEPER SLOTS BACK IN

Brady Keeper was back on the blue line for the Panthers tonight.
Recalled from the Taxi Squad earlier this afternoon, the 24-year-old defenseman had spent nine games in the minors season, posting two goals and one assists for AHL Syracuse. In his return to the NHL, he recorded one hit while skating 9:28 in Dallas, including 2:16 on the power play.
"Whatever position I'm put in, I'm ready to take that task," Keeper said.
His third-career game in the NHL, Keeper made his debut with the Panthers during the 2018-19 season after joining the team as a free agent following two successful seasons at the University of Maine. Last season, he took the ice for one matchup during the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers.

4. WALLMARK RETURNS

Lucas Wallmark is probably feeling a little déjà vu.
Dealt to the Panthers for the second straight season, Wallmark and Lucas Carlsson are heading to South Florida after being acquired from the Blackhawks in exchange for Brett Connolly, Riley Stillman, Henrik Borgstrom and a seventh-round selection in the 2021 NHL Draft earlier today.
Wallmark, who suited up in seven games with the Panthers last season after being acquired from Carolina at the deadline, has posted three assists in 16 games with Chicago this season, while Carlsson has appeared in 12 games in the NHL and seven games in the AHL in 2020-21.
"It gives us some depth in the middle, gives us a penalty killer," Quenneville said of adding Wallmark to the roster. "I think he's a smart player. Purpose-wise, he can give us some options with combos. I think you can never have enough guys in the middle of the ice."

5. MOVING ON

Following up their six-game winning streak with two straight losses, the Panthers will look to get back on track when they continue their road trip with games in Dallas on Saturday and Tuesday.
Owning a 4-1-0 record in the season series, the Panthers swept a two-game set against the Stars last month -- winning 4-3 in overtime on March 27, then winning again 4-1 the next day.
Showing off their ability to bounce back, the Cats are 10-5-0 following losses this season.
"I think that's been [part of] our success all year, just looking forward to that next game if we weren't happy with our previous performance," Vatrano said. "It's another divisional game [in Dallas] like it has been all year. It's important."