Panthers’ Joel Quenneville defends decision to wait on using Spencer Knight vs. Lightning
Spencer Knight saved the Florida Panthers’ season with his 36-save gem in Game 5 of the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs Monday, but Joel Queneville doesn’t regret not turning to the 20-year-old goaltender earlier.
“We were very comfortable with the decision at the time,” the coach said, “and that was part of the deal.”
The Panthers started Sergei Bobrovsky for Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, then turned to Chris Driedger for the next two games before going back to Bobrovsky in Game 4 after they benched Driedger after two periods in Game 3. After benching Bobrovsky midway through the second period in Game 4, Florida finally turned to Knight as it faced elimination in Game 5.
Knight became the youngest goaltender to make his postseason debut in an elimination game and held the Lightning to one goal to help the Panthers cut Tampa Bay’s series lead to 3-2.
Knight, as expected, got the starting nod once again for Florida’s must-win Game 6 against the Lightning in Tampa.
Quenneville had good reasons to trust his other two goaltenders for the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Bobrovsky is a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, led the Panthers in starts in the regular season and is in the second year of a seven-year, $70-million contract for a reason — he’s one of the most-accomplished goalies in the NHL.
Driedger finished the regular season tied for fourth in save percentage and ranked fifth in goals against average — he started fewer games than Bobrovsky, but was statistically Florida’s best goalie.
Knight was just playing for the Boston College Eagles in March, only played in four games in the regular season and became the youngest goalie to start a playoff game since 1992 when the Panthers turned to him for Game 5. The original plan was for him to only start one game in the regular season, so postseason starts were never a thought until the other two faltered.
The way the first-round series has played out further exacerbates a looming quandary the Panthers face. Driedger will be a free agent and will likely head elsewhere for a chance to be a starter, but Bobrovsky will still have five years left on his deal as the highest-paid goalie in hockey, so he and Knight will likely share goaltending duties next season.
Knight’s rapid ascent, though, has him looking like a player who can be a full-time starter sooner rather than later. If he keeps playing at this level, Knight will force the Panthers’ hand at some point and leave them to make tough decisions about their goaltending situation.
Keith Yandle returns to bench
Markus Nutivaara returned to the lineup Wednesday, which meant fellow defenseman Keith Yandle was scratched for the third time in four games.
After returning to the lineup for Game 5, Yandle skated with the taxi squad ahead of Game 6 at Amalie Arena, instead of participating in the main morning skate. Nutivaara was back in his place, paired with fellow defenseman Brandon Montour for the morning session.
Defenseman Radko Gudas was also “good to go” for Game 6 despite not participating in the morning skate, Quenneville said.
Yandle hadn’t missed a game since 2009 before Quenneville decided to scratch him for Games 3 and 4 last week. Yandle has the longest active regular-season games streak at 922 and is just 42 games away from tying the NHL record. Postseason games don’t count toward his chase, so the record remains intact heading into next year.
Panthers break ground on facility
Florida will be moving practices to Fort Lauderdale next year, and the Panthers officially broke ground on their new facility Tuesday.
Florida held a ceremonial groundbreaking at War Memorial Auditorium as the organization begins a $65 million renovation of the facility. The Panthers will transform the 71-year-old structure with two rinks, a training center and a ballroom-style theater.
The project is scheduled to be complete in June of 2022, meaning Florida will likely return to practicing at the Florida Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs next season before moving to the new facility — called the Baptist Health IcePlex — the following year.
Florida views the project as an extension of its military ties. Owner Vincent Viola and president Matt Caldwell both graduated from the United States Military Academy in New York, so the club jumped at the opportunity to revitalize the War Memorial when the city presented the opportunity.
The original plan was just to help freshen up the historic site. Eventually, it transformed into a chance for the Panthers to add a state-of-the-art practice facility, too.
“The mayor of Fort Lauderdale thought of us because he knows that we love vets,” Caldwell said Tuesday at the groundbreaking. “This is a facility that’s been a little rundown through the years and hadn’t had a lot of investment. It started as a veteran tribute and somehow turned into much more than that.”
This story was originally published May 26, 2021 at 1:24 PM.
