Panthers adjust to fanless atmosphere. And even more good news on NHL’s COVID-19 testing
There’s a distinct sound to hockey being played in an empty ice rink, and the Florida Panthers were reminded of it Saturday. The scraping of skates on ice echoes a little more. The banging against the board is a bit pronounced. Coaches’ shouts can blend together with referees’ whistles and players’ on-ice chatter.
One of the strangest things, Joel Quenneville has noticed, is what happens — or, more accurately, doesn’t happen —when someone scores.
“Sometimes the puck goes in the net and if you didn’t see it you’re not sure it went in the net,” the Panthers coach said.
Game 1 of the qualifying round inside an empty Scotiabank Arena in Toronto was an adjustment for the Panthers, just like it was for the opposing New York Islanders and every other team in the expanded postseason.
The NHL has done its best to account for the unusual silence. Teams can play the music they are used to hearing during their own home games, and video boards display fans chanting and cheering for the “home” team. It took a few shifts for the Panthers to adjust, but Quenneville said it felt like a normal game quickly enough.
“I think they’ve done a great job of setting up a great setup here and the format, and the whole environment at the game center and bubble,” Quenneville said. “When the game starts, you feel like it’s an important game and a huge game, and the guys are playing it accordingly, so you’ve got to commend the players adapting to their environment.”
NHL COVID-19 testing update
Another week, another round of no positive COVID-19 tests for the NHL.
The league’s 24 remaining teams have now been in Canada for more than a week, living in the “secure zones” of the NHL’s two hub cities and, so far, it has gone off without a hitch on the coronavirus front. In the first week inside the bubble, the NHL conducted more than 7,000 tests without a single positive result.
“The NHL completed the first week of its Phase 4 Return to Play with no positive test results for COVID-19 among the 7,013 tests administered,” the league said in a statement. “Testing was administered on a daily basis to all members of the Clubs’ 52-member travelling parties, including Players, during the period from July 27 through August 1.”
This is the second consecutive week the NHL conducted a round of testing without any positive results. Last Monday after teams arrived in the “secure zones,” the NHL announced it had no positive results throughout the final week of Phase 3. In Phase 3, players and staff were tested every other day while they participated in postseason training camp in their home cities.
“It’s obviously a credit to the NHL and both hotels for doing a great job keeping us all safe here, and obviously a credit to the players for doing whatever they can to stay healthy and stay safe during this time,” defenseman MacKenzie Weegar said. “It keeps everybody feeling good around the hotels, and it’s obviously great news for the league and for the players.”
Bubbles have been a major success across the American sports landscape this summer. The NBA and Women’s National Basketball Association haven’t had any positive tests inside their Florida bubbles, and Major League Soccer and the National Women’s Soccer League have gone through testing cleanly since disqualifying a handful of teams because of outbreaks caught either before they entered the bubble or upon entry.
Meanwhile, MLB has constantly had to adjust its schedule since it resumed play last month because of outbreaks within the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals.
Lucas Wallmark returns to practice
The Panthers were back at full strength for practice Monday at the Ford Performance Centre in Toronto, Quenneville said.
Florida practiced for about 30 minutes Monday after taking a day to work out off the ice Sunday. Center Lucas Wallmark was back on the ice after missing Game 1 for undisclosed reasons and winger Colton Sceviour also participated after he played just one shift in the third period of the Panthers’ 2-1 loss to the Islanders in Toronto
If Wallmark returns for Game 2 on Tuesday at noon, Florida could tinker with its lineup again.
“Everybody participated. Everybody was out there today,” Quenneville said. “Sceves is fine. We’re always looking at discussing lineups and lineup changes is something you’re looking at. We’ll see what happens.”
