Jonah Gadjovich: Big Impact for Florida Panthers in Playoff Debut

SUNRISE — Jonah Gadjovich has been a big part of the Florida Panthers the past two seasons, only when he skated onto the ice Friday night, it was the first time he had played in a postseason game.

Ever.

Gadjovich was part of coach Paul Maurice’s big lineup change before Game 3.

Maurice said he had been impressed with how the Panthers’ fourth line had played late in the regular season — with Nico Sturm, Jesper Boqvist, and Mackie Samoskevich playing elsewhere in the lineup — so he wanted to bring those other three in to see what they could do Friday night.

Sturm, Boqvist, and Samoskevich had made up Florida’s fourth line the past few games, but Friday, Maurice replaced them with Gadjovich, Tomas Nosek, and A.J. Greer. 

The trio made a big impact, and, most likely will be back tonight for Game 4.

“They were good,’’ Maurice said. “In the last month of the season, we had so many guys banged up and out of the lineup, that that line played. There was one night in an analytics for-and-against game where they were plus-11. We hadn’t had a number that high all year. They work so hard every single day.

“It felt like we needed a style change, they play a different style, but they’ve been good … exceptionally well. I thought if, Tomas was coming in, or A.J. was coming in, well, all three needed to come in. There’s something there with that line.”

With the score tied at 3 in the second period, Nosek flew into the offensive zone and whipped a shot from 50 feet out.

The puck clipped Gadjovich as he was charging the net, so, he was credited with the game-tying goal.

Eventually, anyway.

The goal had been Nosek’s until NHL officials changed it before overtime.

Gadjovich didn’t care all that much.

He was just happy to be a part of a win. A playoff win.

“I was staying ready,” said Gadjovich, who was told by Maurice on the flight home to Florida on Thursday that he would be playing the following day.

“The coaches are so great so great with us, the guys who aren’t playing. We push it in the gym, push it on the ice, so if we get called, we’ll be ready. That’s what happened.”

On last year’s run to the playoffs, the Panthers had a similar fourth line rotation with six players — Kevin Stenlund, Ryan Lomberg, Steven Lorentz, Kyle Okposo, Nick Cousins, and Gadjovich vying for time.

No one ever complained when they did not play, and celebrated the team’s success whether they were in the lineup or not.

Maurice said that made part of last year so special, the unselfishness of it all.

“Scratches, unfortunately, happen in the playoffs,” Maurice said. “We had the history of it last year. There were some pretty key guys who didn’t get to play in Game 7, and they handled it exceptionally well.

“I think the reason is, the Barkovs of the world, the leadership group, are very inviting and very inclusive. Whether you’re the 15th forward or the top forward, or wherever you fall, you’re not made to feel that you’re not an important part of it.”

Said Carter Verhaeghe: “Those guys are awesome, and they have been grinding hard for the past couple of weeks and a couple of them haven’t played much. They just work so hard out there, and they turned the tide for our team [Friday]. … We are such a deep team, and are fortunate to have those kind of guys come in and make such a big impact in a playoff game.’’

Gadjovich, of all the players the Panthers had last season, did not make it into a playoff game.

Of the six players who were in that fourth line rotation, well, it was only five since Stenlund was not coming out.

Gadjovich tried to treat Friday like any other game, but it was not.

“It was funny, I was going for my pregame nap and I could feel my heart racing,” he said. “I told myself I had to chill out, so, I took a couple of deep breaths, calmed down and was able to get some rest. I woke up feeling great and was excited. I was around last year, didn’t get in any games; have been around this year, so I was itching to get in. It was a lot of fun.”

2025 NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: GAME 4

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS @ FLORIDA PANTHERS 

Toronto leads best-of-7 series 2-1

• When: Sunday, 7:30 p.m.
• Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
• National TV: TNT/truTV
• National Streaming: MAX
• Radio: WQAM 560-AM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Series Schedule — Game 1: @Toronto 5, Florida 4; Game 2: @Toronto 4, Panthers 3; Game 3: @Florida 5, Toronto 4 (OT); Game 4: Sunday @Florida, 7:30 (TBS/truTV); Game 5: Wednesday @Toronto, 7 (ESPN); Game 6*: Friday @Florida TBA (TNT/truTV); Game 7*: Sunday May 18 @Toronto TBA (TNT/truTV).
• How They Got Here: Toronto d. Ottawa 4-2; Florida d. Tampa Bay 4-1
• This Regular Season: Panthers Won 3-1; Last Regular Season: Tied 2-2
• All-time Regular Season Series: Toronto leads 51-40-7, 7 ties
• All-time Postseason: Panthers d. Toronto 4-1 (2023 ECS)