After Change in Approach, Panthers Reaching New Heights on Penalty Kill

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. - The Florida Panthers penalty kill was at its best on Thursday night, killing off four power plays -- including three within a span of 7:40 in the third period alone - to hold on long enough to force overtime in an eventual 3-2 shootout win over the Calgary Flames at BB&T Center.

"For our PK to get the job done and get some momentum it definitely helps," said Panthers center Riley Sheahan, who saw 1:56 of shorthanded ice time against the Flames. "I think the guys in the PK unit look forward to going out there with a chance to build some momentum and help our team win. It was fun."
That performance against Calgary was simply the latest in a long line of outstanding games on the kill for the Cats, who haven't surrendered a power-play goal in 16 of their last 19 contests. Since Jan. 1, Florida has killed 38 of 42 power plays (90.5 percent), owning the second-best PK unit in the NHL in that span.
"I like when we trigger; I like when we go hard," said Panthers rookie defenseman Josh Brown, who has become an integral part of the penalty kill in recent weeks. "I like that we go hard, that one-go-we-all-go kind of mentality. I like penalty kills that are like that, versus the passive, sitting back ones."
Panthers head coach Bob Boughner said it was "sitting back" that kept the PK from taking off earlier.
On Nov. 1, the Panthers ranked 27th in the NHL in penalty killing, owning a 71-percent success rate when down a skater. Since then, however, that number has climbed more than 10 percentage points to 81.5, which places them 13th in the league and just 3.3 percent behind the Arizona Coyotes for first overall.
Boughner credits that vast improvement on the PK to embracing a complete change in its approach.
"I think we just changed out mindset," Boughner said. "We sat back too much originally at the beginning of the year. I think we're a more aggressive penalty kill now. I think probably the biggest difference is the mentality when we're out there is more straight lines, it's winning more battles."
With that added aggression, especially in the neutral zone, Florida has become one of the league's best teams when it comes to suppressing shots on the PK. According to the NaturalStatTrick.com, their PK is now allowing the fourth-fewest shots (44.6) and seventh-fewest shot attempts (88.83) per 60 minutes.
"I think that's the biggest difference that we've made," said Panthers defenseman Mike Matheson. "It makes it so much harder on the power plays when you are aggressive. There are such good players in this league, and if you give them time they're going to seam you, they're going to make passes and make plays because that's what they're good at. You can see it when our power play is doing that, too."
An unsung hero on the PK, Matheson, a former first-round pick known mainly for his incredible skating and skills in the offensive zone, has become Florida's primary weapon when down a man, leading the team with 123:45 of shorthanded ice time, which has already almost eclipsed last year's total of 145:09.
Matheson also leads the Panthers with 84 blocked shots, including a team-high 22 while shorthanded.
"A lot of pride," Matheson said of his approach to the PK. "It's probably the thing that I try to focus on the most. It gives me a lot of confidence, going out there and being relied upon for that. I think it's helped me gain a lot of confidence through the rest of my game, too."
Given that he's not currently being utilized regularly on the team's third-ranked power play, Boughner said he believes that Matheson has taken it upon himself to make the top PK unit "his baby" this season.
"He takes pride in it," Boughner said of Matheson, who is also on pace to set new offensive career highs with five goals and 20 points through 54 games. "We've talked with him a lot about having the mentality of being a shutdown defenseman in this league.
"He has offense to his game, let's not kid ourselves. But defensively, I think he's paying more attention to details. I think he's digging in hard defensively, taking more pride in it. You can see that on the penalty kill. I think it's a pretty good example of that."
The Panthers own a 17-11-6 record this season when they don't allow a power play goal.

BARKY'S DAY OFF

It's not every day that you see Barkov not on the ice for practice.
The NHL's leader in average ice time among forwards this season, Barkov, who skates 22:52 per game and leads the team with 53 points, took a rare maintenance day on Friday, giving the 23-year-old center two well-deserved days off before Florida hosts the Montreal Canadiens at BB&T Center on Sunday.
"He's still on the trainer's table in handcuffs," Boughner said with a laugh.
With Barkov resting up, Jamie McGinn joined Jonathan Huberdeau and Frank Vatrano on the top line.

FRIDAY'S PRACTICE LINES

Forwards
Jamie McGinn - Jonathan Huberdeau - Frank Vatrano
Mike Hoffman - Vincent Trocheck - Evgenii Dadonov
Derick Brassard - Henrik Borgstrom - Denis Malgin
Jayce Hawryluk / Micheal Haley - Riley Sheahan - Troy Brouwer
Defense
Mike Matheson - Aaron Ekblad
Keith Yandle - Mark Pysyk
Ian McCoshen / Bogdan Kiselevich - Josh Brown
Extra: MacKenzie Weegar (no-contact jersey)
Goalies
Roberto Luongo
James Reimer