In today's Baptist Health Practice Notebook, the Panthers are eager to start their postseason run, Joel Quenneville talks about getting back to work, and Frank Vatrano is ready to shine.
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -"Shaking off the rust" is a term I'm sure you've heard a lot by now.
Looking at what the Florida Panthers are coming back from, however, that's understandable.
After spending more than three months on lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, players have been working tirelessly to get back into shape ever since Phase 2 of the NHL's return to play plan opened up with small-group workouts at the team's practice facility back in early June.
Early on their bodies might not have felt too great, somewhat like that scene in The Matrix when Neo tells Morpheus that his eyes hurt - "It's because you've never used them before." But with a week of training camp already behind them, players feel like they're almost back up to speed.
In fact, Keith Yandle said despite the unusual circumstances it "doesn't feel like July" anymore.
"You just come to the rink thinking that it's training camp and get ready to go," the Panthers defenseman said via Zoom following Monday's practice. "We've been doing a good job so far."
With less than a week until they head to Toronto, the Panthers appear to already have a lot of things figured out. The lines haven't been adjusted since camp started, and Sergei Bobrovsky has earned rave reviews from teammates and coaches for his focus and skill during practices.
Heading into the pause on the heels of three exceptional games - including a 2-1 win over the defending Stanley Cup-champion St. Louis Blues on March 9 - the team has clearly benefited from entering the abbreviated postseason camp with that blueprint for success already in hand.
And even though the puck isn't set to drop in their best-of-five series against the New York until Aug. 1, the Cats are confident that if the Stanley Cup Qualifiers began tomorrow, they'd be ready.
"I think the guys are ready to play games right now," forward Frank Vatrano said with a smile. "Obviously you practice to get back into game-mode and to get back game-like situations. The guys feel great. Obviously there's a little more work to do here, but I think everyone's feeling the excitement knowing how close we are. We can't wait to get to Toronto and play those games."
While players have clearly already fallen back into their old routines, there's a question that's been on my mind ever since Joel Quenneville returned to work at the start of camp (coaches were not allowed to enter the facility during Phase 2) and began working the whiteboard again.
Is there an equivalent to "shaking off the rust" in the coaching world?
"You've got to blow that whistle to get it working it again right off that bat," Quenneville chuckled. "Tried to get that going off the bat and it seemed to be OK. You've got meetings. You've got your voice. The first couple days your not used to using it as much and at a screaming level."
Although he's still "a little raspy," Quenneville feels that camp has gone great thus far.
"Try to keep it simple is our theme a lot," Quenneville said of the theme of camp. "That's what we're trying to do right now in this game. We're more focused on our situation and how we want to play. We've been having a simple approach and going about it in a business-like way."
When the Panthers do begin their postseason run against the Islanders, it will mark the 19th time that Quenneville -- who led the Chicago Blackhawks to championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015 -- has been behind the bench beyond the regular season during his 21 seasons as a head coach.
But even with that mountain of experience, the next few weeks will be uncharted waters for the future Hall of Famer, who admits that although it "feels like a playoff situation" little is familiar.
"It's a whole different way," said Quenneville, who needs just five more playoff wins to tie the legendary Al Arbour (123) for the second-most in NHL History. "It's all on the road. You're practicing at a different facility. Everybody's going to have a different room on a regular basis. It's a tournament-type of feel, but we're looking forward to it. It's a different approach."
That being said, although the coronavirus has greatly altered where, when and how these games will be played, Quenneville believes the action on the ice will be as special as ever.
"It's going to represent what a playoff series feels like immediately," Quenneville said.
VATRANO ADDING RESPONSIBILITY
Few players were likely as pleased with their positioning at the start of camp as Vatrano.
Lining up alongside Aleksander Barkov and Evgenii Dadonov on what appears to be Florida's top line heading into the postseason, Vatrano will have a golden opportunity to make his mark early on against the Islanders -- a role he is already been relishing through just a few practices.
"For me, it's about keeping my job simple," Vatrano said when asked to describe how he fits in on his new line. "Get them the puck as best as possible, drive the net, be hard on the forecheck, and be hard to play against. That's kind of my job on that line, just to create space for them."
Vatrano has been an effective goal-scorer for the Panthers ever since the team snagged him from the Boston Bruins in exchange for a third-round pick at the trade deadline in 2018 - a move that looks better and better every time the 5-foot-11, 197-pound speedster finds the back of the net.
After racking up a career-high 24 goals during a breakout 2018-19 campaign - the fifth-most on the team season - he registered 16 goals in 69 games as a follow-up performance this season.
Yandle said Vatrano, who also ranks second among Florida's forwards in hits (102) and third in blocked shots (43), "plays the game hard" and stands out as one of the team's best skaters.
"He flies up and down the wing," Yandle said. "He creates space for himself and his linemates. He's definitely not afraid to get his nose in there. He's going to be a vital part to our team, playing with Barky and Daddy, giving those guys a little bit of room. He's a good Massachusetts boy, where he's a little hard-nosed. We're going to need that going into the Islanders series."
While Barkov and Dadonov have been staples of the top line for quite some time, the addition of Vatrano paid off for the Panthers down the stretch. Together for 28:52 at 5-on-5 over the final three games before the pause, Florida outshot the opposition 23-12 when they were on the ice.
"They're all capable guys," Quenneville said when asked about the line last week. "They're dangerous off the rush. They have a speed element to their game. They can make some plays. They've got some quickness. They can shoot the puck. Defensively, they're reliable."
Vatrano's chemistry with Barkov also extends to special teams, but not where you might expect.
While both players have shown they can light the lamp with ease, it's the penalty kill -- not the power play -- where they've found success together in the past. Over the 45:52 they spent on the kill together this year, the Panthers were absolutely rock solid, surrendering just three goals.
Skating a career-high 86:36 on the kill, Vatrano also led the team with two shorthanded goals.
"I love it," Vatrano said of killing penalties. "I think the biggest thing we talked about on the PK is making sure that I'm using my speed. That's going to be my biggest factor. On the PK, it's just killing plays and creating offense when you can. I had a tandem there with Barky… We created off one another. [The PK] gets yourself more ice, more opportunity to keep yourself the game."
Expected to play on both the penalty kill and power play in the postseason, Vatrano's versatility could potentially make him one of the Cats' biggest X-factors in their series against New York.
"It keeps me up playing up and down the lineup," Vatrano said of his various roles.
MONDAY'S PRACTICE LINES (GROUP 1)
Forwards
Frank Vatrano - Aleksander Barkov - Evgenii Dadonov
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