Colby Guy
Despite being part of one of the most unconventional seasons a team has had in recent memory, the Florida Panthers became the first team to reach the 40-point mark to start the 2021-22 NHL season.
Florida, the top team in the league, hit 40 points after beating the host Arizona Coyotes 3-1 on Friday night.
Washington and Toronto met the Panthers there on Saturday night.
Only the Capitals and Maple Leafs have not have the adversity or make the adjustments Florida has.
The Panthers were undefeated through their first seven games of the season when coach Joel Quenneville abruptly resigned due to his involvement in the Chicago Blackhawks mishandling of Kyle Beach’s sexual assault.
In an event that could have shaken the entire team, the Panthers has survived since naming Andrew Brunette their interim coach.
The Panthers simply kept on rolling.
”It has been a crazy few days with all the information and all that has happened,” Aaron Ekblad said following Qunneville’s departure.
“We’re a team that’s a bit raw right now but we have to come together. It’s tough to see it all. We understand the decision … Ultimately that interview gave me a tremendous amount of respect for Kyle Beach and what he went through. I’m not sure about my feelings right now. I’m trying to gather them.”
Come together they did.
Rallying around each other and Brunette, Florida went 11-4-4 which was the seventh-best points percentage during that span.
Injuries made the battle even more difficult for the Panthers.
Captain Sasha Barkov went down with a lower-body injury on Nov. 16 and missed 10 of the team’s last 11 games since
Florida’s depth stepped up, with the team going 8-2-0 in games played without their superstar.
“Well, I’m extremely lucky to have a group like this,” Brunette said. “They’re fun to be around; they’re fun to watch, night-in and night-out. We’re blessed with them. Every guy every night’s stepping up. And that’s fun to be a part of.”
Barkov was far from the only player to miss games this season.
Over the course of the 2021-22 season, the Panthers lost 126 man games due to injury.
Of those games, six were lost from first-line winger Anthony Duclair, three were missed by budding offensive defenseman Gus Forsling, and four were missed by second-line center Sam Bennett.
“You look at our depth right from all our defensemen, our goalies, and then all four lines,” Bennett said.
“Every night, everyone’s contributing something. Sometimes, lines are gonna have off nights, but we have other lines that are gonna step up and carry the load, so I think that’s been the biggest part of our success.”
Everyone on the Panthers has contributed something.
Of the skaters currently on Florida’s roster, only Olli Juolevi (who made his Panthers debut in Friday’s win over Arizona) hasn’t registered a point this season.
Florida’s forward core features a group that contributes to all facets of the game.
The penalty kill features three members of the team’s usual bottom six, rookie standout Anton Lundell and fourth-liners Eetu Luostarinen and Ryan Lomberg.
With their defensive prowess, the Panthers currently are tied for 14th in the NHL in penalty kill percentage with an 81.7 percent efficiency.
While it’s middle of the pack, the slack picked up from missing Barkov’s defensive play — and it actually had a better efficiency with the group that’s out there.
Since Nov. 16, when Barkov left the game with his lower-body injury, the Panthers rank tied for 11th in the NHL at 82.8 percent, a slight boost from before.
Lundell’s hockey sense on the defensive end of the ice played a huge role in keeping the team afloat in that department.
The 20-year-old currently leads all rookies in shorthanded time-on-ice with 65:11 through his first 22 career games.
“That kid is special, obviously,’’ Barkov said of Lundell. “Seeing him playing in [the World Juniors] last year and the Finnish league, you see that the way he leads his team, he was 19 at the time, and he was leading his team from one victory to another, he was incredible.
“He’s doing the same thing here. He’s taking all the chances he’s getting. He’s a crucial player for us. He does all the important faceoffs, he kills penalties, he scores goals. That’s pretty special.”
On defense, Florida boasts a group that has helped mightily on the offensive end of the ice.
With blueliners active in the offense on a team that leads the league with 212 total slapshots, the Panthers have four defensemen with at least 10 points on the season.
Ekblad leads the pack as a likely Norris Trophy candidate.
Among NHL defensemen, Ekblad is tied for fifth in points (24) and third in goals. However, he’s more focused on helping the Panthers on the defensive end.
“Getting points is not what it’s all about,” Ekblad said. “The points are nice, playing on the power play is nice, but at the end of the day, it’s about winning hockey games and playing good defense for me.”
The one constant throughout Florida’s 2021-22 season has been Sergei Bobrovsky’s spectacular play.
Despite struggling last season, going 19-8-2 with a .906/2.92, Bobrovsky returned to his Vezina-winning form this season.
Through 17 starts, the 33-year-old has a 12-1-2 record with a .922/2.32, boasting the least amount of regulation losses out of any goaltender with at least 10 starts.
“I can say this about him every night, he’s lights out,” Bennett said. “He gives us confidence, he gives us energy, and he’s playing unbelievable right now.”
Bobrovsky is having his best season since he won the Vezina Trophy in 2016-17 with a 41-17-5 record and a .931/2.06 and he’s well on his way to competing to be awarded the trophy for the third time in his career.
“Bob’s been top 1, 2, 3 in the league this year,” Ekblad said. “He’s been unbelievable, really happy for him, he deserves it. He’s one of the hardest working guys, he prepares the best out of anybody on this team.”
FLORIDA PANTHERS ON DECK
FLORIDA PANTHERS AT COLORADO AVALANCHE
- WHEN: Sunday, 8 p.m.
- WHERE: Ball Arena, Denver
- TV/STREAMING: Bally Sports Florida
- RADIO: WQAM 560
- Last season: Did not play
- This season: @Florida 4, Colorado 1 (Oct. 21)