George Richards, FHN Publisher
When the Florida Panthers have needed a big shot this season, Mike Hoffman has answered the call. It should be no surprise then that he has done so in this series against the Islanders.
Hoffman goes into Friday’s Game 4 against the Islanders as Florida’s team leader with two goals and four points.
His goals have given the Panthers some life when it has been needed.
In Game 2, his big shot from the left circle at 11:16 of the first period gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead — their first of the series.
On Wednesday, Hoffman gave Florida its second and ultimately final lead of that game when he used his booming slap shot to launch one from his favorite spot — the right circle — 41 seconds into the third.
He also had a hand in the Panthers’ opening goal of the game as his power play shot bounced off the pad of Semyon Varlamov. Evgenii Dadonov pulled it in and send a nice feed to Erik Haula who buried it to make it 1-0.
“Special teams are so important in the playoffs and they can win games,” Hoffman said Wednesday following Game 3.
“We were on top of our game and got the outcome we were looking for.”
It has been that kind of a season for Hoffman, a pending free agent come October who is playing some of the best hockey of his career.
When the Panthers fell flat coming out of their All-Star break in February, Hoffman was one of the team’s few bright spots.
Although the Panthers were struggling as a team, Hoffman was noticeable just about every time he stepped onto the ice — whether he scored or not.
Scoring, we know, Hoffman can do. In February, however, when talk was swirling about potential trades, Hoffman played like a guy who knew those conversations were going on.
He wanted to make it tough on the Panthers to trade him. And they did not.
From Florida’s first game back on Feb. 1 until the end of their rough patch on March 1, the Panthers scored 41 goals in 17 games.
Hoffman had nine of them — just under 22 percent of the team’s total goals with a pair of game-winners.
“This is an important time of year and I am trying everything I can to try and help this team win,” Hoffman said a few days before the trade deadline.
“I like it here, the two years I have been here have been great. I have built some strong friendships and I want to stay, want to make that happen. At the end of the day, all you can do is produce. Work on your on-ice habits and usually the other stuff follows.”
With that booming shot on the power play, Hoffman gives the Panthers a dynamic presence.
By working on his all-around game, he made himself even more valuable and, perhaps, a little less one-dimensional.
Coach Joel Quenneville took notice.
“Hoff has had more speed and when he has that, he finds the puck more and he has done some good things defensively,” Quenneville said after Hoffman scored in a February win at San Jose.
“Offensively, he is good as there is and he had some real dangerous looks up the gut. He is a threat on power play, when he has the puck in the offensive zone anywhere.
“I like his attitude, like his game.”
When the season was over, Hoffman ended up with a team-leading 29 goals.
In his two seasons with the Panthers, he has led the team in goals both times.
Last year, he scored a career-high 36. He was on pace to come close to that this year had the final 13 games not gone by the wayside.
Hoffman came into camp in good shape and ready to play.
During training camp he again pushed thoughts of free agency to the side saying his only concern this season was preparing for a return with the Panthers.
Quenneville is a guy who doesn’t like to look too far past what is directly in front of him, so he has to like hearing stuff like that come from one of this top offensive weapons.
“Hoff is a unique player with lot of ability and some tremendous assets. He can shoot it as good as anyone in the league,” Quenneville said Thursday afternoon.
“I think he has some good play recognition offensively and defensively, has the commitment to play equally as hard on both sides of the puck. That’s something he can work on because when that commitment is there, he’s a complete player and the complete package.
“He’s one heck of a hockey player. He does a lot of good things for us. He has speed, wants the puck, wants to score, wants to make plays. I think how he has progressed defensively really adds to his offensive game.”