The Panthers are using a line with 4 defensemen. Here’s why Joel Quenneville likes it.
Keith Yandle has dubbed it the “helicopter” line and it, at least briefly, pried the Florida Panthers out of their post-All-Star break slump Tuesday.
There were no true wingers on the Panthers’ fourth line — hence the name “helicopter” — and Joel Quenneville instead flanked Noel Acciari with defensemen Mike Matheson and Mark Pysyk.
Somehow, it was exactly the solution Florida needed. The trio combined to score three goals in their first seven shifts against the New Jersey Devils to power the Panthers to a desperately needed 5-3 win in New Jersey.
Matheson was the first star, scoring a goal and dishing out two assists. Pysyk was the second star, posting an identical stat line, and Acciari was the third with the same one-goal, two-assist line.
The only blemish was a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty Florida committed as the fourth line shifted in and even then it was a novelty: The Panthers had five defensemen sharing the ice at once in Newark.
“Someone said, ‘You had four D on the ice the other day,’ but we had five. We had too many men on the ice,” Quenneville said. “We had five defensemen on the ice all at once, so that was something I don’t know if we’ve ever seen that one before.”
The Panthers (30-20-6) will try to replicate their success Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers at 7 p.m. in Sunrise. Acciari, Pysyk and Matheson once again will make up Florida’s fourth line against the Flyers (31-19-7) at the BB&T Center.
On Tuesday, those three spent between 11-14 minutes on the ice and were all plus-3 in their limited ice time. They brought the grinders’ mentality coaches look for out of their fourth line and they used it to create offense without sacrificing any defense.
Most importantly, they play to the Panthers’ strengths. Acciari and Pysyk were both on the ice for 15 shot attempts, and Matheson was in for 14. Florida controlled the puck when the fourth line was in the game, which is what Quenneville hoped they would do.
“They check well and they keep the puck,” the coach said. “When we’re playing well, we have the puck way more than the other team, which is important.
“They try to keep themselves above the puck, they’re in the play, they’re effective of the reliability in your own end, they get in the shooting lanes, they’ve got good sticks, they win good puck battles because they’re constantly in that position. ... As a team we can be better in that area up front and those guys they seem to get it done.”
Acciari, who plays center on the line, enjoyed being a part of the overachieving group Tuesday against the Devils and was excited to play with the two defensemen moving forward.
“Those guys work their butts off and it’s exciting to see them get rewarded,” Acciari said. “I was glad to be a part of it.”
Driedger progressing, Boyle still ailing
Brian Boyle missed both games of the Panthers’ two-game road trip through Philadelphia and New Jersey, and Quenneville said the forward will be out for at least a few more weeks.
He doesn’t, however, expect Boyle’s season to be over. There’s optimism Boyle will be back before the end of the regular season.
“He’s probably going to be out for at least weeks now,” Quenneville said. “We expect him back before the end of the year, but he’s going to be out for a while.
Boyle, who can play both center and left wing, has been sidelined with an upper-body injury for the last four games. He last played in an overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Feb. 4.
Chris Driedger, however, might be back sooner than originally anticipated. The goaltender got some on-ice work at Florida’s morning skate ahead of the Flyers game and Quenneville said he’s “ahead of schedule.” The Panthers originally expected Driedger to be out until March, The Athletic reported.
“He’s really progressed. I think he’s ahead of schedule here. He’s making some real good progress here and getting in our group. Hopefully it’s going to be sooner than later.”
This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 4:06 PM.
