Florida Panthers Trying to Score Goals Any Way They Can

FORT LAUDERDALE — With a couple of days of good practice time, Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice has addressed his team’s offense.

Or lack thereof.

The Panthers went 5-5-1 in the first month of the season which, as of Thursday, was outside of a playoff spot.

Scoring has been one of Florida’s biggest concerns thus far.

Florida is ranked 29th in the NHL by averaging 2.45 goals per game.

Yet, per NaturalStatTrick.com, the Panthers are third in the NHL in expected goals for at 39.43 which averages out to about 3.6 goals a night.

So, the Panthers are getting chances when they have the puck.

“We think there will be a revision to the mean there,” Maurice said of the difference in what the Panthers are creating and what they’re actually scoring. “But, instead of sitting here waiting for it to come or for guys to score … it’s a work in progress.”

One of the stalwarts of the Panthers’ gameplan is their ferocious forecheck, the team bodying the opposition in their offensive zone to create turnovers and basically keep puck possession — usually leading to goals.

But, aside from a couple of games in the opening 11, Florida’s forecheck has just not been there.

Maurice and his coaching staff have apparently noticed.

This week, the Panthers geared their practice drills to going north-and-south with the puck, coming through the zone with speed and trying to get pucks through to the goalie.

The Panthers have been to the Stanley Cup Final three straight times and are the NHL’s two-time defending champion.

“We have been working on a few new things,’’ Mackie Samoskevich said.

They are missing two of their top offensive players in Sasha Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk.

They also are missing the drive to make their forecheck work on a nightly basis.

It just takes too much of a toll.

During the playoffs, the forecheck simply does not stop, wearing opponents down as games roll on.

But on a Tuesday night against Anaheim? Not happening.

The Panthers appear to be addressing this, and trying to get through and create some more offense as they go.

“We want to add something to our game,” Maurice said. “I will fight the urge to say we’re trying to change some things. There are some things we can’t do; fine. So, we have to find other ways to play the game, other ways to win games and to score. We’re a little challenged in that right now.”

ON DECK: GAME 12

DALLAS STARS at FLORIDA PANTHERS

• When: Saturday, 6
• Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
• Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FTL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (Naples/FTM)
• Streaming: Panthers+, ESPN+
• Radio: WQAM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Last Season: Florida won 2-0
• This Season — At Florida: Saturday. At Dallas: Dec. 13.
• All-time Regular Season Series: Florida leads 28-21-2, 3 ties
• Up Next for the Panthers: Tuesday at Anaheim Ducks, 10 p.m.