George Richards, FHN Publisher
Within the span of 24 hours, Keith Yandle went from having his NHL-leading consecutive games streak on the verge of coming to an end to being back in the Florida Panthers lineup.
On Sunday morning, Yandle was back on the ice with the Panthers participating with the game group for the first time in a few weeks.
Following the morning skate at BB&T Center, coach Joel Quenneville confirmed that Yandle would indeed be playing later that night against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks.
The Panthers open their 2021 season Sunday at 7 p.m. (FSN, 560-AM).
“Yeah, he is playing,” Quenneville said.
By playing on Sunday, Yandle will run his ‘IronMan’ streak to 867 games, the longest active run of consecutive regular season games in the NHL and fourth all-time.
As late as Saturday morning, it appeared Yandle would be scratched Sunday and the streak would come to a close.
Only Quenneville had not been happy with the way Florida’s power play had been working in the days leading up to the opener.
Yandle, one of the top power play quarterbacks in the league, was just sitting there.
Although Yandle and the team had a meeting with the Panthers letting him know he is not in their future plans, he is still a part of the team.
One source said the Panthers felt they were being stubborn to their own detriment when it came to sitting Yandle when they knew deep down he could help the power play.
So, Yandle plays.
“It’s a little combination of the power play looked that good (with Yandle) and didn’t look that good before,” Quenneville said.
“It is an opportunity for him to play and he didn’t get much of a chance before that. It was a pretty affective power play (the past two years) and we want to make sure it gets off to a positive start.
“Hopefully, right from the beginning here, we can see a little consistency from it. We know the importance of the power play structure, it creates a lot of offense and really helps your team game as well.”
Could the streak come to an end down the road — or even later this week?
Yeah.
But if Yandle plays well, it will be hard to take a veteran out of the lineup, especially one who is the third-highest paid player on the team.
Yandle, who is expected to speak following the game, told FHN last week that his teammates helped him through what had been a rough time.
Being told by your team that you’re not needed is not an easy thing to go through yet Yandle said players such as Sasha Barkov and Aaron Ekblad helped him through it.
“I commend everyone in the situation. It was a tough situation when you look at not getting an opportunity and we have to make tough decisions along the way,” Quenneville said.
“Whether it’s teammates or himself, he handled it, he controlled what he could control and that was making himself as ready as possible. We know his composure and playmaking ability at the top of a power play would not be compromised, perhaps it would even be enhanced.”
With Yandle in, Riley Stillman will be scratched. Vinnie Hinostroza will also not play tonight.