‘Forgotten Man’ of Florida Panthers Now a Not-So-Secret Weapon

FORT LAUDERDALE — Eetu Luostarinen is such a quiet guy that it’s almost hard to believe that he has spent five seasons with the Florida Panthers already.

You may remember — or, not — that Luostarinen was an afterthought back in 2020 when the Panthers traded Vincent Trocheck to Carolina in a blockbuster deadline move.

The name players in that trade were NHL forwards Erik Haula and Lucas Wallmark, not to mention South Florida’s Chase Priskie.

But the fourth player, the one the Panthers sent right to the AHL, turned out to be the biggest piece of the deal.

Luostarinen — sometimes quietly, sometimes not — has now played in 374 NHL games. The 26-year-old is now ranked 10th in franchise history with 55 playoff games played.

The hockey world took notice of Luostarinen last week when he had a goal and three assists in Florida’s 6-3 win over the Lightning in Game 5 to close that series out.

“I never had a night like that in the NHL,’’ said Luostarinen, the first Florida player to record a four-point night in a road playoff game.

“All good, to get on the scoresheet and help the team that way.”

Luostarinen and his longtime linemate, fellow Finn Anton Lundell, have been a third line fixture for coach Paul Maurice.

Maurice enjoys mixing his lines, but he likes to keep two players — pods, if you will — together.

Luostarinen and Lundell are all but inseparable.

This past season, the two have had multiple teammates play on the right wing from Jesper Boqvist, Evan Rodrigues, and Mackie Samoskevich — to Brad Marchand.

Marchand’s aggressive physical style and unique personality could not help but bring attention to the line.

Against the Lightning, both Luostarinen and Lundell scored off nifty passes from Marchand.

“He brings a lot of experience,’’ Luostarinen said of Marchand. “We had a similar guy last year on our line for a little bit [Vladimir Tarasenko] and we really loved it.  Marchy likes to talk a lot. It obviously helps us.”

Said Maurice: “Brad’s personality is really an important part of that. Eetu and Anton are very quiet guys. Serious, great competitors. But Brad brings something else out of them.”

Lundell and Luostarinen turned out to be an excellent penalty killing combination.

The two led all forwards in short-handed time on ice per game during the regular season and collectively managed three shorthanded goals.

Both represented Finland during the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off as well.

“I really like [playing with Lundell]. He’s a smart guy for his age,’’ Luostarinen said. “He works hard both ways, so it makes my job a little bit easier. So far it’s been good.”

Facing Toronto and their high-powered offense with guys like Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and John Tavares will be a challenge.

Toronto’s power play ran at 35.5 percent in their series with Ottawa and 24.8 percent in the regular season.

“Another good power play against us,’’ Luostarinen said. “We have to really dial in there, too. They have a similar style. We have to keep up.”

2025 NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: GAME 1

FLORIDA PANTHERS @ TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

Best-of-7 Series

• When: Monday, 8 p.m.
• Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto
• National TV/Streaming: ESPN
• Radio: WQAM 560-AM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Series Schedule — Game 1: Monday @Toronto, 8 (ESPN); Game 2: Wednesday @Toronto, 7 (ESPN); Game 3: Friday @Florida, 7 (TNT/truTV); Game 4: Sunday @Florida, 7:30 (TBS/truTV); Game 5*: Wednesday May 14 @Toronto TBA (ESPN); Game 6*: Friday May 16 @Florida TBA (TNT/truTV); Game 7*: Sunday May 18 @Toronto TBA (TNT/truTV).
• How They Got Here: Toronto d. Ottawa 4-2; Florida d. Tampa Bay 4-1
• This Season (Panthers Won 3-1) — At Florida: Panthers 5, Leafs 1 (Nov.27); Panthers 3, Leafs 1 (Ap. 8). At Toronto: Panthers 3, Maple Leafs 2 (March 14); Maple Leafs 3, Panthers 2 (April 2).
• Last Regular Season: Tied 2-2
• All-time Regular Season Series: Toronto leads 51-40-7, 7 ties
• All-time Postseason: Panthers d. Toronto 4-1 (2023 ECS)