It doesn't matter if it's pretty, it just needs to result in two points.
As the Florida Panthers prepare to kick off a crucial five-game road trip against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Monday afternoon, head coach Joel Quenneville said he wants to see his players simplify their game as they work to close the gap in the Atlantic Division playoff race.
Panthers Kick Off Crucial Road Trip with Afternoon Tilt in San Jose
"We're looking for some balance in our lines right now," Quenneville said following Florida's practice in San Jose on Sunday. "We're a little inconsistent in trying to manufacture offense. More directness would be kind of what we're trying to get to. It doesn't have to be fancy."
After winning six straight games heading into the All-Star break, the Panthers have struggled to regain their footing since coming out of it. With a 4-1 loss to Edmonton at home on Saturday, they fell to 2-6-1 since the break, but still find themselves in a prime position to make a move.
As it stands now, Florida (30-22-6) sits only four points behind Toronto (31-21-8) for third place in the Atlantic Division. Working the Panthers favor is the fact that they also still have two games in hand on the Maple Leafs with a pair of head-to-head matchups remaining between the clubs.
With 24 games left in the season, the battle for that spot is really starting to heat up.
"We lost all our gravy going into the break, and now we're chasing it," Quenneville said after the loss to the Flyers. "But there's still an opportunity -- a really good one -- in front of us."
Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov have combined for three goals over the last two games, which is a good sign as Florida's potent top line looks to get back on track and lead the charge on offense throughout the remainder of the team's second-half playoff push this season.
Huberdeau paces the team in scoring with 70 points (21 goals, 49 assists), while Barkov ranks second with 56 (17 goals, 39 assists). A 2020 NHL All-Star, Huberdeau is just the second player in franchise history to reach 70 points in 58 games or fewer, joining Pavel Bure back in 1999-00.
"We need that line to be very influential during the course of the game," Quenneville said of the line, which also typically includes Evgenii Dadonov. "We need that line to be establishing zone time, puck time; generating chances and being productive on the power play and at 5-on-5."
After backing up rookie Sam Montembeault against the Oilers while dealing with an illness, Sergei Bobrovsky could be back between the pipes this afternoon in San Jose. Over his last 11 starts, the 31-year-old veteran goaltender owns a 5-5-1 record with a .901 save percentage.
In 16 career appearances against the Sharks, Bobrovsky is 9-5-2 with a .936 save percentage.
Regardless of who is in net, however, the Panthers will be facing a depleted team in San Jose, which is expected to be without Erik Karlsson, Tomas Hertl and Evander Kane in the matchup.
Karlsson, a two-time Norris Trophy winner who leads the team in scoring with 40 points (six goals, 34 assists), will miss the rest of the season after suffering a broken thumb, while Hertl, who's posted 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists), is also out for the year with a torn ACL and MCL.
As for Kane, who leads the team with 21 goals, he's currently serving a three-game suspension.
All that being said, the Sharks have actually been playing some of their best hockey as of late.
"We know that they're going to be ready," Quenneville said.
After losing five of six games, they've won four of their last five, including back-to-back wins at Winnipeg and Minnesota on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Against the Wild, Dylan Gambrell and Melker Karlsson both scored, while Martin Jones stopped all 39 shots he faced.
"I think we just keep doing what we're doing," Gambrell told reporters after the win. "Guys are really coming together in the locker room. Really supporting each other on the ice. Just working for each other."
With three of their top-five scorers out of the lineup, defenseman Brent Burns stands as San Jose's active leading scorer with 39 points (12 goals, 27 assists). Entering tonight's tilt on a five-game point streak, the former Norris Trophy winner has two goals and four assists in that span.
In net, it's unclear if Jones will return to the crease against Florida this afternoon, as Aaron Dell has been getting the majority of the starts for the Sharks as of late. So far this season, Dell has gone 12-11-2 with a .911 save percentage, while Jones is 14-17-2 with a .894 save percentage.
The Panthers won each of their last three games against the Sharks.
PANTHERS NOTES
-- Aleksander Barkov ranks second on the Panthers in scoring with 56 points (17 goals, 39 assists). By recording one more assist, the 24-year-old center will earn the 250th helper of his career, thus breaking a tie with Stephen Weiss (249) for the second-most in franchise history.
-- A 2020 NHL All-Star, Jonathan Huberdeau leads Florida and ranks 11th the league with 70 points (21 goals, 49 assists). The 26-year-old winger also ranks first on the team in assists (49), points, even-strength points (44), power-play points (26) and multi-point performances (20).
-- Evgenii Dadonov leads Florida in goals (23) and power-play goals (10).
-- Mike Hoffman ranks tied for second on the Panthers in goals (21), third in points (46) and first in shots (167). Since Jan. 1, the 30-year-old winger leads the team in scoring with 19 points.
-- Noel Acciari ranks tied for third on Florida with a career-high 19 goals. In addition to his offensive numbers, he also stands first among the league's forwards in blocked shots (84).
-- Keith Yandle ranks first among Panthers defensemen with 41 points (five goals, 36 assists), marking the seventh straight season he's hit the 40-point plateau. The NHL's active "Iron Man," the 33-year-old is expected to suit up in his 856th consecutive regular-season game tonight.
-- Vincent Trocheck leads Florida in takeaways (46) and sits third on the team in hits (79).
-- Mike Matheson has tallied six points (one goal, five assists) over his last seven games.
PROJECTED LINEUP (NO MORNING SKATE)
Forwards
Jonathan Huberdeau - Aleksander Barkov - Evgenii Dadonov
Mike Hoffman - Vincent Trocheck - Brett Connolly
Frank Vatrano - Dominic Toninato - Colton Sceviour
Mike Matheson - Noel Acciari - Mark Pysyk
Defensemen
MacKenzie Weegar - Aaron Ekblad
Riley Stillman - Anton Stralman
Keith Yandle - Josh Brown
Goalies
Sergei Bobrovsky
Sam Montembeault
Scratches: Denis Malgin, Brian Boyle (upper-body)
Injured Reserve: Chris Driedger (lower-body)
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Jan. 30: G Sam Montembeault and D Riley Stillman were recalled from AHL Springfield.
- Jan. 22: G Sam Montembeault and D Riley Stillman were loaned to AHL Springfield.
HOW TO WATCH / LISTEN
When: Monday, Feb. 17, 4:00 p.m. ET
Where:SAP Center - San Jose, CA
TV: FSF
Stream: Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); SiriusXM Streaming 932
Territory on Tap Locations:
HERE
Official Watch Party: Bokamper's Bar & Grill in Miramar
