Panthers’ Wennberg knew he had to step up his game. Reflection has turned into results
It was a moment of relief and a moment for reflection.
Early in the third period on Sunday against the Detroit Red Wings, Alex Wennberg found himself just to the right of the opposing net as defenseman Anton Stralman wound up to shoot from the point. With Patric Hornqvist jockeying for position in front of the Detroit’s net with Red Wings defenseman Christian Djoos, Wennberg deflected Stralman’s long shot through traffic and past goaltender Thomas Greiss for Florida’s lone goal of the eventual 4-1 loss.
Eight games, two periods and two minutes into the season, and the Panthers center had just scored his first goal of the season.
The coaching staff to that point had praised Wennberg’s all-around game and intricacies that normally fly under the radar. He has been gritty on the board, shown a knack for puck possession and been solid in the defensive zone.
But internally, Wennberg felt that he hadn’t been doing enough. He needed to make more plays. As a top-six forward regularly playing with the likes of Jonathan Huberdeau and Hornqvist on the wings, he knew his contributions needed to be greater, especially on the offensive end.
“I feel like I can play a lot better,” Wennberg said after that Sunday game. “I scored a goal, which is nice for the confidence, but I feel like I’ve got to step up my game a little bit. When you’ve got an opportunity to play with great players, you’ve got to step up and do it. I feel like I have to look myself in the mirror and see where I can improve.”
Reflection has turned into results.
He scored goals in each of the following two games and is now riding a three-game goal streak for the first time in his seven-year NHL career as the Panthers (8-1-2) face the Tampa Bay Lightning (9-2-1) on Saturday night, the second of three matchups between the Central Division’s top two teams in a five-day span and the final game of Florida’s six-game homestand at the BB&T Center.
“He gives us predictability in the middle,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “We have a lot more possession time with Wenny having it. He’s made good progress. I think he’s a lot more comfortable.”
It’s showing.
Wennberg gave the Panthers an equalizer late in the first period against Detroit on Tuesday with a one-timer on a feed from Huberdeau. The Panthers won that game 2-1.
Wennberg added a goal and an assist in Thursday’s 5-2 win over the Lightning. He gave Florida a 2-0 lead when he buried Huberdeau’s cross-net feed past Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy just over eight-and-a-half minutes into the second period. That was the first of a three-goal flurry for the Panthers in the second period, with Wennberg having the primary assist on the Carter Verhaeghe’s goal with about five minutes left in the frame to give the Panthers a 4-1 advantage going into the third period.
“It’s good to keep this going,” Wennberg said.
The scoring is a nice touch to what Wennberg has already been bringing to the Panthers. He’s been one of the team’s primary forwards on the penalty kill along with Noel Acciari and has an overall plus-2 rating on the ice. He’s been on the ice for 10 even-strength goals, third on the team behind only Carter Verhaeghe and Radko Gudas (12 each).
“Even when he wasn’t scoring,” forward Frank Vatrano said, “he was still doing the little things right. He’s very reliable defensively and it’s great to see that all the work he’s put in is paying off.”
His time with two veteran wingers is paying off now, too. The Panthers’ second-line trio of Wennberg, Huberdeau and Hornqvist has scored six five-on-five goals over the first five games of the homestand after having just one goal at full-strength in the first six games of the season.
“I don’t know if it’s anything different,” Wennberg said. “I feel like at the beginning of the season, maybe we didn’t get the goals. We had some opportunities, but the last couple of games, we felt like we’ve got the scoring going. Right now, I feel like we’re feeding off each other and the chemistry is going.”
Sometimes all it takes is seeing one puck go into the back of the net.
“When you get a goal, you create confidence and you’re a little more poised with the puck and you make more right decisions out there,” Hornqvist said. “Wennberg is a really good player and he was good the first games, too, even when he didn’t score. Now, he has the confidence to make those plays under pressure and you can really tell what kind of player he is. Now, he’s going to get going.”
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