Florida Panthers’ top line steps up again to close back-to-back vs Predators with win
To put it simply, the Florida Panthers were not pleased with how their performance on Thursday. A two goal lead vanished in the final two minutes of regulation and what looked like a surefire win over the Nashville Predators went by the wayside in overtime.
“We weren’t happy with how things unraveled at the end of the game,” coach Joel Quenneville reflected a day later.
His message to the team as they prepared for the second night of a back-to-back: “Let’s move past that. Let’s get incentivized by it. Let’s go out and have our best game.”
The Panthers’ responded. The offense was aggressive. The defense had high energy (fueled by some chippiness that was mixed in). Goaltending was stellar.
The final score at the BB&T Center on Friday: Panthers 2, Nashville 1.
Florida (6-0-2) remains the only team in the NHL without a regulation loss this season. The Predators are now 5-6-0.
“I think we’re working hard. It’s nice to get rewarded,” said forward Carter Verhaeghe, who scored the game-winner late in the second period. “It was a mental battle last night. We blew that one.”
They didn’t blow it tonight.
The Panthers rebounded from an early one-goal deficit by scoring twice in the second period and holding Nashville scoreless for the final 55:56.
Chris Driedger stopped 24 of 25 shots that came his way to improve to 3-0-1 in four starts. The only goal he gave up came 4:04 into the game, when the puck bounced off Colton Sissons’ skate after Dreidger blocked Sissons’ shot attempt and trickled into the net.
Even with that one goal he allowed, Driedger has a .942 save percentage through four starts, giving up just seven goals in 120 shots against.
“I feel good. I’m just trying to approach every game the same way,” Driedger said. “I’ve kind of gotten my routine down. Just making sure I’m keeping the same mindset. ... I’m just going to continue to do that and keep myself mentally focused.”
Driedger held Nashville in check the rest of the night and gave his offense time to crack open the scoreboard.
And it was only a matter of time before the Panthers found the back of the net on Friday night. They were firing shots early and often at Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne to no avail.
Finally, over 10 minutes in the second period, the floodgates temporarily opened.
It started with Aleksander Barkov just under six minutes into the second period. The Panthers’ captain took a feed from Verhaeghe that went past two Predators defenders and quickly let off a wrist shot from the left side of the net to tie the game.
About 10 minutes later, with 4:29 left in the period, Verhaeghe gave the Panthers their first lead of the game with a snap shot after getting a return feed from Barkov. Defenseman MacKenzie Weegar started the play with a turnover in the neutral zone. Verhaeghe leads the Panthers with six goals through eight games. All six of his goals have come at even strength.
Barkov and Verhaeghe, two-thirds of Florida’s top forward line that also features Anthony Duclair, have scored 10 of the Panthers’ 28 goals through the first eight games of the season.
“Barky’s line,” Quenneville said, “has been standing out night in and night out.”
Roster moves
Prior to Friday’s game, the Panthers loaned forward Aleksi Heponiemi to the Syracuse Crunch, their joint AHL affiliate with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and called up rookie Owen Tippett from the taxi squad.
Heponiemi played on the Panthers’ fourth line the last three games and scored the game-winning overtime goal against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday for his first career NHL goal.
“There’s always a surprise or two in camp, and he’s clearly the guy that surprised us all with a great improvement in his overall game,” Quenneville said pregame. “We got him in a game, and he did so well he got a couple extra games out of it. It’s a good story. We want him playing. We feel he’s got the right instincts and can get a little stronger in some areas here. He’s got a real head for the game and good patience with the puck as well.”
Lineup changes
Tippett, who has been moved back and forth between the active roster and the taxi squad over the past week, returned to his normal third line right wing spot.
By midway through the first period, he and Frank Vatrano had a new center to work with.
Quenneville moved Eetu Luostarinen up to the second line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Patric Hornqvist and slid Alex Wennberg to the line with Vatrano and Tippett.
Other lineup changes:
▪ Vinnie Hinostroza, a scratch on Thursday, returned to the fourth line with center Juho Lammikko and winger Noel Acciari.
▪ Defenseman Noah Juulsen made his Panthers debut. Quenneville mixed and matched the quartet of Juulsen, Anton Stralman, Radko Gudas and Keith Yandle throughout the game. Aaron Ekblad and MacKenzie Weegar remained the top defense pairing.
▪ Forward Brett Connolly and defenseman Markus Nutivaara were the team’s scratches.
This story was originally published February 5, 2021 at 9:38 PM.
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