George Richards, FHN Publisher
SUNRISE — The good news for the Florida Panthers is that they are off to a respectable 4-1-1 start to their season and are doing so without much production from their power play and from two of their top two scorers.
Sasha Barkov and Sam Reinhart were Florida’s top two goal scorers last season, Barkov getting 39 and Reinhart 33.
Neither have scored in the first six games this season.
Anthony Duclair, who was third on the team last year with 30 goals, is on long-term injured reserve after sustaining an Achilles injury during the summer and Jonathan Huberdeau (30) was traded to Calgary.
How much should the Panthers be concerned with the lack of goals from their top two returning scorers?
Considering both have gotten off to slow starts in the past only to mash on the gas as the season went along, no one seems too worried.
“Knowing the team is doing well, helps mentally,” Barkov said Monday morning. “Of course, my game is not just scoring goals although that is a big part of it.
“I am playing with some really good players in Swaggy and Reino and we want to score goals. But the most important thing is getting the two points like we did (Sunday) night.”
This is not the first slow start to a season for either Barkov or Reinhart.
Last season, in fact, Reinhart only had two goals in the first month of the season. Barkov had two in his first six games in 2021 but has had longer droughts in the past.
In 2019, Barkov went without a goal in Florida’s first 12 games of the season. He ended that Covid-shortened campaign with 20 — which ranked fourth on the team.
“We can’t get frustrated,” said Barkov, who leads the team in faceoff percentage at 53.4 percent and whose line leads the team in defensive zone starts. He also leads all forwards in overall ice time and is second only to Anton Lundell when it comes to shorthanded time on ice.
”Just work and it will come. Don’t change your game. We are around the net, we’re getting chances. We’re playing good defense. Hopefully it comes soon and it comes in bunches. But we’re not thinking ahead, just playing the next shift and play as good as possible.”
Reinhart has had numerous scoring chances in his first six games and is third on the team with 18 shots on goal.
Sunday night, one could see his exasperation when he saw his empty net scoring chance in the final seconds of Florida’s 3-2 win over the Islanders get blocked by Mathew Barzal.
It has been one of those starts to a season.
”There are things we look to build on and one of them is on offense,” said Reinhart, whose 33 goals and 82 points last season were a career-high by a large margin.
”We have been getting a lot of looks, especially our line. But things haven’t been clicking. The thing is to not get frustrated, especially early on when you don’t have the numbers. There’s a lot of season to get the confidence built. At the start of the season, you almost force plays to help each other get out of a slump instead of making simple plays to benefit everyone. You need to make the easy play instead of the tough one, get everyone a touch.”
As for making a change to Florida’s top line, coach Paul Maurice said he is hesitant to do so.
That does not mean he is not thinking about it.
Last season, Barkov opened up with Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe only to see then-coach Joel Quenneville change things up in the second game and the trio were rarely seen together again.
Maurice said that while he needs to see this line start putting the puck in the net — Verhaeghe is tied for second on the team with two goals, both coming in the home opener against the Flyers — he does not anticipate a change at this time.
Florida’s other three lines are rolling so nicely there really is no reason to muck things up right now.
The line of Barkov, Verhaeghe and Reinhart may have just the two goals, but it still ranks just behind Sam Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk and Rudolfs Balcers (six combined goals) when it comes to scoring chances, possession, shots on goals and expected goals scored.
Basically, they are doing everything right but actually putting the puck in the back of the net.
And that is the name of the game, after all.
“I don’t think I’ll throw a concern on it. We’re patiently waiting,” Maurice said. “Looking at analytics, they were almost plus-7 in o-zone time, they were plus-6 on chances and we were tight on chances. Those are freakish numbers. But the puck is not going into the back of the net. As long as it doesn’t change their game too much and it stays right on the cusp of their game changing into overpassing to a fault because they have to be allowed to make plays. They can’t shoot everything. They are too skilled. But there is a fine line there.”
As for changing the line?
”I would still come back to it, wouldn’t dismiss it as a line that can’t play together,” Maurice continued. “I watch how the overall team trumps that. That’s why I haven’t made a change because I like what’s going on with the other lines. I could flip things, there are some things we could do if it stays as it is because we do need production from them.
“But it might be a line you revisit later in the year when everyone has that confidence working. They are so close. Sometimes you consider breaking up a line not because it’s not working, but because they need a break from it. Then you go back to it.”
Florida’s lack of success on the power play so far this season is raising some concerns although the team’s dominance in possession, shots and scoring chances while with the man advantage has the team preaching patience.
Although there is no guarantee the goals will start coming, it is hard to fathom how they could not if Florida continues at this pace.
According to NaturalStatTrick.com, the Panthers’ power play has generated a whopping 97 scoring chances — yet has only scored two goals.
Florida has an expected goal rate just under eight.
Reinhart said the frustration of not scoring on the power play has not bled into his team’s 5-on-5 play — and they do not plan on that happening.
Today is a brand new day.
Reinhart, Barkov and the Panthers would certainly love to see their scoring droughts end in Chicago.
”It’s human nature to get down when you’re brought in and paid to produce,” Reinhart said. “That’s our job and it is frustrating. But the looks are there and the defensive game is there. We just have to stick with it. And it’s nothing new, I have been through spurts like this before. And this is probably the most opportunities I have had when it’s not going right. Our team game is still there. But the power play and other areas we can tighten up. As far as the start for our team goes, it’s a positive we can all build on.”
Added Barkov: “Maybe we’ll go out and get a burger. Change things up a bit.”