FORT LAUDERDALE – We’ve officially reached double digits.
With the season now in full swing, the Florida Panthers currently sit at 5-5-0 through 10 games.
Even through they’ve had to make some big adjustments with key players like Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Tomas Nosek and Dmitry Kulikov sideline by injuries, the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions still enter Monday’s slate of games holding a playoff spot.
The building blocks might be different, but the foundation remains the same.
“It’s a brand-new team,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “Significant pieces are out, so you have to find groups that can fit together, the chemistry, then chart a direction with a style of game. There has been a shift [this season]. … I think it’s style of game. It’s not the core foundation of what we believe or how we want to play, but we are going to look different.”
On Saturday, everything looked right.
Keeping one of the top offenses in the NHL in check, the Panthers executed their gameplan to perfection in a 3-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, who had yet to lose in regulation.
Brad Marchand, A.J. Greer and Cole Schwindt found the back of the net in the win, while Sergei Bobrovsky stopped all 17 shots he faced to earn the 50th shutout his incredible career.
At 5-on-5, the Panthers dominated with a 38-18 edge scoring chances.
“I think we competed real well,” defenseman Gustav Forsling said of the win. “We knew they’re a real good team and had a real good start. We were really pumped for that game.”
Looking at the numbers, there’s a lot to be pumped out.
Even though they’re down a few stars, the Panthers have deserved better results.
Per NaturalStatTrick.com, they rank eighth in the NHL with an expected goals percentage of 54.05%, a sign that hopefully the bounces start going their way more often moving forward.
Overall, the Panthers feel they’re heading in the right direction with a whopping 72 games left.
It's a marathon, not a sprint.
“We’ve got things to improve and build on, but every team is giving their best against us,” defenseman Niko Mikkola said. “There’s no free points in this league. We need to battle for every point. That’s the main thing.”
With a chance to get back over .500, the Panthers will host the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.
For tickets, click HERE.
MARCHAND & GADJOVICH UPDATES
The Panthers will take the ice without their leading scorer on Tuesday.
Dealing with a personal matter, Marchand won’t be available against the Ducks.
“He’s had a passing in his family circle back home,” Maurice said.
Getting off to a hot start in his first full season in South Florida, Marchand, who inked a six-year extension in the offseason, has posted a team-leading 11 points (5G, 6A) in 10 games.
Consistently creating chaos, he’s made a dent on the scoresheet in eight games so far.
In addition to Marchand, Jonah Gadjovich is also sidelined.
Expected to miss about a week with an upper-body injury, Gadjovich leads Florida with 30 hits, and has also chipped in three assists while compiling a +2 plus-minus rating.
With those two forwards out, Luke Kunin and Noah Gregor will slot in against Anaheim.
For Gregor, who turned a PTO into a one-year, two-way contract, it’ll be his season debut.
“I’ve got a pretty good handle on his game just through practices,” Maurice said of Gregor.
SEBRANGO ARRIVES
Nearly two weeks after being claimed off waivers, Donovan Sebrango has arrived.
Picked up off the waiver wire from the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 15, the 23-year-old defenseman is expected to join the Panthers at some point on Monday, per Maurice.
Up until this point, paperwork had been holding him up.
Originally a third-round pick (63rd overall) by the Detroit Red Wings in 2020, Sebrango has appeared in four career NHL games, all of them coming with the Senators.
On Oct. 11, he saw 16:09 of ice time in a loss to the Panthers in Sunrise.
With Sebrango now available, Tobias Bjornfot has been reassigned back to the AHL.
MONDAY’S PRACTICE LINES
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Evan Rodrigues – Sam Reinhart
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Mackie Samoskevich
A.J. Greer – Sam Bennett – Jesper Boqvist
Noah Gregor – Cole Schwindt – Luke Kunin
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Daniil Tarasov
