By Greg Fuchs
It’s a great time to be a Florida Panthers fan as not only are they fresh off their best regular season in franchise history, but they are in the playoffs for the 1st time since 2016. And they didn’t do it with mirrors as they have a talent laden roster that is much more than just their two superstar players, Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau.
Forwards Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett, Anthony Duclair, Frank Vatrano and Patric Hornqvist along with defensemen MacKenzie Weegar and Gustav Forsling provide excellent skill and depth that previous Panthers teams have lacked. The team also possesses a physical and mental toughness not seen in S. Florida since the 1996 team made their surprise run to the Stanley Cup finals.
Other than the 1996 team, the Panthers have been in the playoffs only 4 times in their history and all 4 appearances resulted in a 1st round loss. This team could be poised for a long run in the playoffs this year, but they will face a stern test in the 1st round vs. their in-state rival the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Forget the final 2 games of the regular season where the Panthers beat the Lightning in both games by a combined score of 9-1. Not only were both teams missing several key players, but playoff intensity is vastly different vs. the regular season.
Even more importantly, the Lightning are an experienced playoff team and are the defending Stanley Cup Champions. They will not go quietly!
The 2 keys to the upcoming series are:
- The health of Lightning forwards Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov. They are 2 of the premier forwards in the NHL. Stamkos has been out for the past month while Kucherov has missed the entire season. But both practiced this week and could be in the lineup for game 1. How healthy they really are and how much rust they will need to shake off may determine who wins this series.
- The Panthers goaltending. Florida signed Sergei Bobrovsky 2 years ago to a 7 year $70M contract just for a series like this, but he has been inconsistent in his 1st 2 years with the Cats. In fact, backup goalie Chris Driedger has outplayed him this season. I would expect Bobrovsky to start game 1, but if he doesn’t play well don’t be surprised to see a lot of Driedger. Stellar play in the net is a requirement to win in the playoffs.
The Panthers finished with the 3rd most points in the NHL this season and they scored the 2nd most goals in the league. They are a very talented team led by a veteran coach in Joel Quennville, who has won 3 Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Tampa finished tied for the 7th most points in the league despite the extended absences for Stamkos and Kucherov. If the 2 of them are truly healthy, the experienced Lightning team will be tough to beat. Expect a close 7 game series with a few overtime games likely.
As much as I love all sports, there is nothing like NHL playoff hockey, so do yourself a favor and block out some time on your schedule to watch this series, as it should be a classic. The exact dates and times for the games still need to be announced by the NHL.
Go Panthers!
