FORT LAUDERDALE – The Florida Panthers don’t mind waiting.
After needing just five games to eliminate the cross-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference First Round, the Panthers are enjoying a few days to recharge before facing either the Toronto Maple Leafs or Boston Bruins in Round 2.
Leading 3-2 in the series, the Bruins will visit the Maple Leafs for Game 6 on Thursday.
“It’s good to get some rest,” head coach Paul Maurice said after Wednesday’s practice at Baptist Health IcePlex. “Not so much fatigue, but just from bruises. The standard, minor injuries that players get in every game. You’ve got lots of guys blocking shots and things like that. They get a little rest. They get cleaned up and you get ahead of it. That’s the great part.”
No matter which team they draw, the Panthers are confident they can come out on top.
During their run to last year’s Stanley Cup Final, they came back from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Bruins in Round 1 and then needed only five games to dispatch the Maple Leafs in Round 2 to advance to the Eastern Conference Final.
And with their opponent still undecided, the Panthers are watching tape on both teams.
“It helps them, too,” Maurice said of the familiarity between the three Atlantic Division squads. “They know us, we know them. In a 13-month period, those are probably the two teams we know best. Whatever advantage you might have, the other team has the same.”
In addition to the film room, the Panthers are also doing a lot of scouting from the couch.
Like most of us, playoff hockey is dominating the TV for them right now.
“I think every game in the playoffs is something that you pay attention to,” forward Sam Reinhart said with a big smile. “It’s the best time of the year as a player and as a fan.”
But with a date with either the Bruins or Maple Leafs on the horizon, the Panthers aren’t watching just for fun. While there’s certainly still going to be some “oohs” and “ahhs” during each and every contest, they’re also paying close attention to the X’s and O’s on the ice.
“I’m kind of a fan of learning how teams play structurally and what they do as a team,” Reinhart said. “Obviously, there’s a few players you key on a little bit more. You see the structure more in the playoffs and how teams are. That's kind of how I watch a game.”
When it’s time to go from watching to playing, they know they’ll be ready.
“We’re excited about the next challenge ahead,” Reinhart said.
After two days off the ice, the Panthers are expected to hold a regular practice on Thursday.
BENNETT UPDATE
Sam Bennett is ready to take the next step in his recovery.
Out since April 21 after getting hit in the hand/wrist area by a friendly slap shot in Game 2 against the Lightning, the grizzled center is expected to return to the ice on Thursday and skate before practice.
Could we see him back in the lineup at some point in Round 2?
“It’s a very real possibility,” Maurice said.
An “identity player” for the Panthers and a key piece of the team’s cultural turnaround, Bennett looked strong in Game 2, recording a goal and an assist prior to being injured.
The next update on his status should come in the next few days.
“I’ll give you an update before the next series starts,” Maurice said.
LUNDELL STEPS UP
In Bennett’s absence, Anton Lundell has been playing his best hockey to date.
Stepping into some very big shoes on the second line, the Finnish center recorded four assists, 13 hits, five takeaways and won 50.7% of his faceoffs in five games in Round 1.
Not flying under the radar, his teammates took notice.
“He really elevated his game this round,” Reinhart said. “I think you saw it before Benny went out, but certainly when he did go out. He elevated. He was producing. He was hard on pucks. I think it was pretty easy to see. Nothing but positive things to say about him.”
Still only 22 years old, Lundell, who was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, has been baptized by playoff hockey in his first three NHL seasons. Since joining the Panthers, he’s already played in 35 career playoffs games with many more to come.
Looking back, his growth from that first playoff game to now has been impressive.
“It feels like forever ago,” Lundell said. “I thought I was ready in my first playoffs, but now I know [I wasn’t]. I didn’t have the experience I have right now. I didn’t really know what to expect. It was way easier to go into this playoff while having the experience. I kind of know what you have to do to win games and what you have to do to go from round to round.”
Like the rest of the Panthers, Lundell seems to keep getting better with every playoff game.
SIXTY FOR SAM
Reinhart has spent much more time counting wins than goals this season.
But surely after becoming the first player in franchise history to score 60 combined goals in season, the 28-year-old stopped for a brief moment to reflect on that achievement, right?
Wrong.
“I haven’t thought about it once this year,” Reinhart laughed.
After scoring a career-high 57 goals during the regular season, Reinhart, whose previous career-high total was just 33, added three more in Round 1 against the Lightning to break Pavel Bure’s longstanding franchise record for combined goals scored in a single season.
In 2000-01, Bure netted 59 regular-season goals, but didn’t get a shot at the playoffs.
For Reinhart, he’d likely trade all 60 goals for a chance to fight for the Stanley Cup.
“There’s so much on the line more than individual stats,” Reinhart said.
ROUND 2 TICKETS
After three straight sellouts in Round 1, don’t miss your chance to score seats for Round 2!
Click here to browse tickets for all playoff games at Amerant Bank Arena.
