FORT LAUDERDALE – Enough apples to bake a pie.
Safe to say, Evan Rodrigues might have to open a bakery soon.
Since missing Game 5 and 6 of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the Toronto Maple Leafs after a hit from Oliver Ekman-Larsson in Game 4, Rodrigues has been on a tear of generosity.
In the four games since his return, the speedy forward has notched seven assists.
“It's never fun having to sit out and not play, so it was a little bit of a reset for me,” said Rodrigues. “You get back for Game 7 [against Toronto], and you're itching to get back, and you want it so bad. I thought I played well in Game 7, and it has just kind of been rolling since then.”
With two assists in Saturday night’s 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final -- his third straight multi-assist game -- Rodrigues became only the sixth player in NHL history to record multiple assists in each of the first three games of the Conference Finals.
The other names on that list are Flash Hollett (1943), Toe Blake (1946), Elmer Lach (1946), Wayne Gretzky (1983), and Al MacInnis (1986).
Not bad company to be in.
Although Rodrigues has yet to score a goal in these playoffs, he’s a big reason why the Panthers have had an NHL-leading 18 different goal scorers.
“I’m just saving them,” Rodrigues said with a smile after the Game 3 win.
Leading the team in scoring during last year’s Stanley Cup Final, Rodrigues already ranks tied for first on the Panthers with 10 assists this postseason.
Providing immense value on both sides of the puck, No. 17 has also shown his two-way ability for the second straight playoffs.
“Evan Rodrigues, from an analytical view, is one of our best forwards in kill plays,” head coach Paul Maurice said of Rodrigues’ play. “In the Final last year, he was the best forward in kill plays.”
Without both Sam Reinhart and Eetu Luostarinen, the 31-year-old stepped up on the penalty kill during a five-minute power play for Carolina in Game 3 to keep an early 1-0 lead for Florida intact.
A pivotal moment in the win, the Panthers now lead the series 1-0.
Just one more win to get back to the big dance.
“To have those guys out, you have (Jesper) Boqvist come in, Rodrigues come in and (Tomas) Nosek takes more minutes and that is kind of where you get to in the playoffs,” said Maurice. ”Somebody else has to block the shots, somebody else has got to do it. Then when you are on the bench and they do it, you get this bounce from it. We had some action on the kill at the start of the second [period]. It might have been our best chances of the game at some point. Those guys, those are really important minutes for them and also confidence in your depth."
With the culture of the Panthers, that comfortability in big moments is no surprise.
“It’s a tight knit group. When guys come in, when they step into the lineup, they feel confident,” Rodrigues said of the power of the team’s locker room. “They’re not worried about making a mistake or letting anybody down…when you have a team that does that and pulls one another, wants success for one another, it just makes every guy’s job easier."
To be there when the Panthers try to finish the job in Game 4, find tickets HERE.
