Panthers lose special-teams battle — and first place — to Canes, but help could be coming
The Florida Panthers’ season series against the Carolina Hurricanes is starting to feel a bit like deja vu.
The Panthers always can hang with the Hurricanes when the two are at even strength, but, over and over, special teams are costing Florida and they did again Thursday in the Panthers’ latest 3-0 loss to their division rival.
“We tried,” coach Joel Quenneville said, “but we weren’t very good.”
Carolina, which boasts the best power-play percentage in the NHL, scored on a power play in the first period and never trailed. The Panthers went 0 for 4 with the extra man. The Hurricanes have now won 5 of 6 against Florida this year, and vaulted past the Panthers and into first place in the Central Division by finishing off a two-game sweep in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Florida is 1 of 20 on the power play since Aaron Ekblad went down a likely season-ending leg fracture last month. The defenseman still has the second most power-play goals on the team.
“There are moving pieces. Obviously, Ek’s a big part of that power play,” winger Frank Vatrano said. “We know we need to be better on the power play. That’s where we’re going to score goals. We have a job to do when we’re out there on the power play and everyone that’s out there takes pride in it, just right now we’re not clicking, but it’s going to come. We’ll work on it.”
The Panthers, who have a winning record against every team but the Hurricanes this year, slip into a tie for second place in the Central with their second straight loss. Carolina sits atop the division, one point ahead of both Florida and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Panthers’ power-play issues began in the opening minutes at PNC Arena. Florida went on the power play for the first time just 4:05 in and entirely wasted its opportunity. The Panthers didn’t put a single shot on goal and the Hurricanes kept the game scoreless.
With 5:36 left in the first period, Carolina went on the power play for the second time and needed just seven seconds to score. Hurricanes center Jordan Staal won the opening faceoff, Vincent Trocheck fired a pass across the ice and star center Sebastian Aho buried a goal with 5:29 left to give Carolina a 1-0 lead.
“It was one of those games—if you get behind, you’re going to be in trouble,” Quenneville said. “They were happy to check and frustrate you, and they didn’t give up much. They didn’t generate much, but it was that type of game.”
Trocheck later scored a goal on a fluky bounce in the second period, giving the Hurricanes center six goals in six games against his former team this season.
Florida finished with only 24 shots and just two on four power plays. The power play is now the most glaring weakness for the Stanley Cup-contending Panthers.
The defense hasn’t been an issue since Ekblad’s injury — Florida has given up 13 goals in six games after allowing 2.8 per game prior to the injury — but the Panthers have plummeted out of the top 10 in power play percentage, now at just 22.0 percent after converting 24.8 percent of the time with Ekblad.
A Panthers trade on horizon?
Florida has spent the last two weeks angling to make a move before the Monday trade deadline, though, and cleared more cap space with a five-player trade Thursday.
The Panthers dealt winger Brett Connolly, center Henrik Borgstrom, defenseman Riley Stillman and a seventh-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks, in exchange for center Lucas Wallmark and defenseman Lucas Carlsson.
It was a move made with contracts in mind. Connolly carries a $3.5 million cap hit and moving him gives Florida more than $4 million in projected cap space to work withe.
In the thick of a division and Presidents’ Trophy race, the Panthers are in position to make a splash.
“Whatever ends up happening, we’re going to lose some guys, some friends that we’ve gotten close with, but again everyone in the locker room knows it’s a business and it could happen to anyone,” forward Noel Acciari said. “But it’s exciting that we’re making that push and whoever leaves we’re going to miss them, and whoever we bring in we’re going to welcome and hope they help the team out.”
This story was originally published April 8, 2021 at 12:52 PM.
