George Richards, FHN Publisher
SUNRISE — The Florida Panthers may have lost the first two games of their playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
They cannot get them both back in Game 3.
To get back in this series, one the Lightning are now in complete control of as it heads to Tampa, the Panthers can only worry about the game in front of them.
”Just win one,” coach Andrew Brunette said. “That’s the mindset. All you can worry about is one game. It’s a great opportunity to go on the road, maybe relax a little bit and play hockey.”
One thing the Panthers have to do is put the gut-wrenching Game 2 loss in their rearview.
As Sergei Bobrovsky said not long after the Lightning won in the final seconds on Thursday was that his team “can make a difference in the future, not in the past.”
What is done is done. Can’t be fixed.
The Panthers have done a lot right in this series but, obviously, a lot wrong as well.
A short memory will be key moving forward.
“It is what it is right now,” Bobrovsky said. “We have to reset, refocus, regroup and get ready for the next game. We have to stay together, stay composed. Get ready for the next game. …
“This is a good challenge for us. The whole year we have been fighting. We have found a way to come back in games, from adversities. This is another test for us.”
That is easier said than done.
For the Panthers to get back into this thing, a win Sunday afternoon on enemy ice is paramount.
A loss means a 3-0 hole and the likelihood of an offseason filled with regret — and the potential for a lot of change.
But the Panthers can change the story starting Sunday.
Here’s how:
Panthers’ best need to play like it
Carter Verhaeghe was the hero of the opening-round series win against the Capitals but Florida got production from all over the place.
That certainly has not happened in the first two games of this round.
Florida has scored a total of two goals against Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Lightning: Anthony Duclair in the opener and Eetu Luostarinen on Thursday.
Captain Sasha Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau — who ended the season tied for second in the league in scoring — have one point between them in this series.
Against Washington, Barkov had two goals and six points; Huberdeau had a quiet series against the Capitals with a goal and three points and has one assist against the Lightning.
Brunette says he is not concerned his two biggest offensive players have not caught fire in this series yet and thinks the problems on the power play — more on that below — may be negatively affecting their overall play.
The Panthers have a lot of players who have not been scoring in this series (add everyone on this list save for Duclair and Luostarinen) and that simply has to change.
And soon.
”I am not overly concerned,” Brunette said. “The frustration level is effecting them a little bit and that is a little concerning. A lot of that stems from the power play and we haven’t been able to find their groove and that has leaked into their 5-on-5 game. Sometimes it just takes one.
“The work ethic and the want is there. Wanting it too badly sometimes leads to a little frustration. They are still doing a lot of good things, but if you are off a little from frustration, it leaks into your overall performance.”
The Power Play needs to produce
Much has been made of the Panthers’ inability to score with the man advantage in the postseason and it is certainly getting to the point of ridiculousness now.
The Panthers had four power play chances in Game 2 — including two kicks at it in the third period tied at 1 — and failed to score on any of them.
As it stands, the Panthers are 0-for-25 on the power play in this postseason. They survived Washington at 0-18 but will not be able to come back and beat the Lightning without it.
”We have thrown everything we have, at least discussion-wise, on what we can do,’’ said Brunette, who is in charge of the power play and certainly heard the boos rain down from the home crowd Thursday night.
”We are trusting our best players. Hindsight will be 20-20 and I will be kicking myself all summer or they find it and we get moving. There are some tweaks we can do. … Everything is on the table, we’ll try to get it figured out. It just takes one.”
What, exactly, is going on?
It’s obvious the Panthers have the talent to get this thing going — Florida ranked fifth in the power play during the regular season — and are doing plenty of things right.
On Thursday, Florida had possession for the first 90 seconds in the Tampa Bay zone and failed to score. They are getting speed through the zone when the puck is cleared or lost in a faceoff and are also getting plenty of zone time.
Give a lot of credit to the goalies and penalty kill in front of them, but the Panthers have fallen victim to overpassing and being a second off on rebounds.
Florida has also had a number of empty nets that it simply misfired on.
When the Panthers get back on the ice Saturday, don’t be surprised to see some changes to the power play units. Florida had success with the five-forward group in the regular season and went back to it on Thursday.
Get in front of Vasilevskiy
The Panthers have spent a lot of time talking about going into the tough areas and getting the golden ‘greasy goal,’ but have not done much of that since the Washington series.
Andrei Vasilevskiy is as good a goalie as there is in the league and few are better than he is in the postseason.
He is not going to give up much of anything.
The Panthers are simply going to have to force the issue.
Patric Hornqvist, certainly, has been trying to get low and poke one in but it has to be a more concerted effort all around — especially on the power play.
There are rebounds out there; as good as Tampa has been at clearing space out in front of its goalie, the Panthers have to bring up some size and work things out.
”They have excellent at keeping us to the outside,’’ Brunette said. “Their shot blocking has been outstanding so it’s tough to get pucks through and then you have to get it past Vasilevskiy. We have had trouble getting inside but I have liked our looks.”
Lineup change coming?
The Panthers have prided themselves on their depth — and it was a big reason for the team’s success in the regular season.
That said, there have not been a lot of change in the lineup through the first eight games of the playoffs.
In Game 2 against Washington, Ryan Lomberg came out for Noel Acciari; he returned and replaced Duclair in Game 6 of that series.
On Friday, Brunette said Mason Marchment will not play in the two games at Tampa, so he will not be returning.
Joe Thornton is obviously an option and would be a net-front presence the Panthers could use. Maxim Mamin is another player who seems to have plenty of jump after not being in the lineup for a couple of games.