Panthers’ Ryan Lomberg and Co. are providing the ‘infectious’ spark only a fourth line can
A Ryan Lomberg goal isn’t quite like any other for the Florida Panthers and everyone inside FLA Live Arena could feel it Tuesday.
Andrew Brunette said last month, “It kind of makes my day” when he watches his fourth-line left wing score. Bill Zito clearly values this contribution, too — it’s part of why the general manager gave him a two-year contract extension Friday. More than anyone else, the crowd loves it — and him — and signaled the start of the Panthers’ comeback early in the third period Tuesday by roaring in the way they only do when Lomberg scores.
The forward scored a little more than three minutes into the period. Eetu Luostarinen, the fourth-line center, scored short-handed a few minutes later. Florida erased a three-goal deficit in the final 17 minutes to beat the Washington Capitals, 5-4, and it began with the type of spark only a fourth line can provide.
“Right from the start of the game, they were buzzing,” Brunette said. “They buzzed the whole night. It was nice to see them get rewarded.”
In a still-small sample size, no line has been as consistent for the Panthers (15-4-3) as their fourth.
On the right wing, there’s Patric Hornqvist, a 34-year-old Swede with 13 seasons of NHL experience, a pair of Stanley Cups and a responsibility to be a confident veteran leader on a still-young team.
At center, there’s Luostarinen, a 23-year-old Finn, who was a second-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft because of his two-way ability reminiscent of countryman Aleksander Barkov.
On the left wing, there’s Lomberg, a 26-year-old Canadian, a fan favorite because of his propensity to get into fights and his uncanny knack for scoring timely goals, and a recent recipient of a two-year contract extension.
They are, to put it lightly, a motley crew. Right now, they’re also the unlikely glue for Florida as it deals with a rash of injuries up front. The Panthers will have to lean on them again Thursday when they host the Buffalo Sabres (8-11-3) at 7 p.m. in Sunrise with Barkov still out and winger Anthony Duclair questionable.
“It’s huge for a team and for a coach that you have a fourth line that you can trust against anybody at any different time,” Brunette said Tuesday. “I rely on them a lot at big moments, at big times.”
There are more dangerous groupings for Florida and more productive goal-scoring trios. There is not, however, any line better at controlling possession than Lomberg-Luostarinen-Hornqvsit.
Corsi and Fenwick are two basic advanced statistics used to measure how active a team is in the offensive zone. Corsi tracks all shot attempts, regardless of whether they require a save, and Fenwick tracks all shot attempts not blocked by a defender, and Corsi percentage and Fenwick percentage measure the differential in these statistics when an individual or group of individuals are on the ice.
Of the Panthers’ four most frequently used lines, no grouping has a better Corsi and Fenwick percentage than the Lomberg-Luostarinen-Hornqvist line. When those three are on the ice together, Florida spends about 60 percent of the time on offense, according to those stats.
“We’re playing great hockey,” Lomberg said Tuesday. “I sound like a bit of a broken record when I say it, but we just work hard and we’re predictable for one another. We don’t try to make crazy plays when it’s not there. We play in straight lines and we’re able to read off of one another.”
The even-strength goal Tuesday — a one-timer from Hornqvist to Lomberg after Hornqvist pulled a puck out of a scrum on the right doorstep — was the line’s fourth in a little more than 60 minutes of time on ice. In 63:07 together this year, Lomberg-Luostarinen-Hornqvist has a 76-48 advantage in shot attempts, a 43-29 edge in shots on goal and a 34-28 edge in scoring chances with a plus-minus of plus-2.
While the short-handed goal Tuesday didn’t technically come from this line, Lomberg and Luostarinen were both on the penalty kill, and Luostarinen finished a breakaway after Lomberg lobbed a pass out of the defensive zone into open ice.
Lomberg said this was when he knew the Panthers were going to storm all the way back. A fourth line has a certain reputation and expectation in the NHL: It’s supposed to be the physical group, the group a coach throws on the ice to agitate and frustrate. Brunette actually started it Tuesday, wanting to set the tone and counter the Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin-led top line.
A fourth-line is supposed to be defensive-minded and Florida’s is, so there’s a reason Brunette laughed last month when he talked about how much he loves watching Lomberg score: It’s a treat Florida doesn’t get too frequently, so it’s a jolt any time it happens.
Lately, it’s happening more often.
“We’ve got a lot of speed that guys play and it’s infectious throughout the lineup,” forward Sam Reinhart said Tuesday. “We’ve got guys that are ready to step up when they’re counted on.”
This story was originally published December 1, 2021 at 11:01 AM.
