NHL veteran Joe Thornton sees ‘bright futures’ in Panthers’ two up-and-coming centers
It didn’t take long for Joe Thornton to realize rookie Anton Lundell’s potential. It didn’t take long either for him to be intrigued by Eetu Luostarinen’s grit and playmaking potential as a bottom-six forward.
Thornton has been playing in the National Hockey League longer than either of those up-and-coming centers has been alive. Lundell just turned 20 in October and Luostarinen turned 23 in September.
But Thornton, 42 years old and in the 24th season of his eventual Hall of Fame career, has been impressed by two of his youngest Florida Panthers teammates.
“They compete hard every night,” Thornton said Friday ahead of the team’s game against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday at FLA Live Arena. “They’re great young players, and they’re gonna continue to get better. Whatever they need, I’m here to listen and hopefully, you know, share some advice if I can. Two bright futures.”
The production has been there for both youngsters.
Lundell, the Panthers’ first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, has three goals and four assists through his first 13 NHL games. The rookie has been a mainstay on the Panthers’ penalty kill units and has been elevated to Florida’s second line following Aleksander Barkov’s apparent left knee injury that has him sidelined for the forseeable future.
Luostarinen, meanwhile, has already scored a career-high six goals — tied with Jonathan Huberdeau for third on the team — through 13 games. He tallied just three goals in 44 games last season. He has stabilized Florida’s fourth line that primarily features Ryan Lomberg and Patric Hornqvist on the wings.
“They just continue to get better,” Thornton said. “That’s a good sign.”
Thornton’s advice to them as the season continues?
“They’re growing,” Thornton said. “They’re gonna probably hit a little bit of a rut sometime. It’s a long season. Off ice, get what you need. Get your sleep, and stay healthy.”
As for Thornton himself, he returned to the lineup Thursday after missing eight games. He played 17 shifts in Florida’s 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils, logging a season 12:50 ice time with one shot on goal (and two other shot attempts that were blocked), a hit and winning three of six faceoff attempts.
“I thought Jumbo was good, really good,” interim coach Andrew Brunette said. “I mean, he’s played so many games, if he’s out for two years, he could come in and still play and give you minutes and play that way. I really liked his pace. I thought his last week of practice, you could see he felt much better and he skated much better. Just a smart, smart hockey player.”
Thornton said it was tough not playing for that nearly three-week stretch, especially since his time sidelined coincided with the Panthers’ 0-2-2 road trip, but Florida was being cautious with the veteran in an attempt to avoid a potential setback.
“Hopefully,” Thornton said, “I’ll be back for a while now.”
This and that
▪ The Panthers on Thursday became the fifth team in NHL history to score four-plus goals (including shootout-deciding goals) in each of their first nine or more home games of a season. The others: The 1992-93 Philadelphia Flyers (11 consecutive games), 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers (nine consecutive games), 1987-88 Chicago Blackhaws (nine consecutive games) and 1983-84 Boston Bruins (nine consecutive games). Florida entered Friday with an NHL-leading 66 goals scored, 43 of which have been scored in their nine games at FLA Live Arena.
▪ Spencer Knight’s 45 saves Thursday were a franchise record for most in a single contest by a rookie goaltender. Jacob Markstrom had the previous record of 44, done on March 21, 2013, against the New York Rangers.
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