Panthers’ forward depth getting tested again as another player lands in COVID-19 protocols
The Panthers will be without another of their top forwards on Saturday.
The team announced Saturday that winger Patric Hornqivst has entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols and will not play against the Carolina Hurricanes. Aleksi Heponiemi is slated to take Hornqvist’s spot as the right wing of Florida’s fourth line that includes Ryan Lomberg at left wing and Eetu Luostarinen at center.
It’s the latest hit for the Panthers.
Hornqvist, who has three goals and four points over the last two games, joins fellow forwards Sam Reinhart and Mason Marchment (as well as goaltender Spencer Knight and assistant coaches Derek MacKenzie and Tuomo Ruutu) in COVID-19 protocols.
Add in Sam Bennett serving the third and final game of his suspension for a high hit on the Montreal Canadiens’ Cedric Paquette on Jan. 1, and the Panthers are without four of their regular forwards.
Those four account for 29 of Florida’s 132 goals heading into Saturday’s game against Carolina.
But to the Panthers’ credit, they have noticeable depth at the forward position. Players have shifted up and down the lineup and taken on new roles to fill in for teammates who are unavailable.
And it’s a reminder that when his team is at full strength, interim coach Andrew Brunette has tough decisions to make when figuring out which 12 forwards to use on any given night.
Anton Lundell has moved up to the second line in Bennett’s absence to center Jonathan Huberdeau and Anthony Duclair. Veteran Joe Thornton, who played in his 1,700th NHL game on Thursday, is set for his third consecutive game at Florida’s third-line center after being a healthy scratch for three consecutive games before that.
And now, Heponiemi will get his latest chance. The 22 year old has played in two games for the Panthers this season — Dec. 14 against the Ottawa Senators and Dec. 16 against the Los Angeles Kings when Florida’s roster was thinned due to players entering COVID-19 protocols. He has 11 career NHL games under his belt, with one goal and one assist to his name.
“We’re very fortunate that we have a lot of depth,” Brunette said earlier this week.
Thornton talks latest milestone
When he skated to center ice on Thursday for the opening puck drop of the Panthers’ eventual shootout loss to the Dallas Stars, Thornton officially hit another major milestone in his Hall-of-Fame-worthy career.
It was regular-season game No. 1,700 for the 42-year-old veteran, making him just the sixth player in NHL history to appear in that many regular-season games.
The other five: Patrick Marleau (1,779), Gordie Howe (1,767), Mark Messier (1,756), Jaromir Jagr (1,733) and Ron Francis (1,731).
Of those games, 532 came with the Boston Bruins, 1,104 with the San Jose Sharks, 44 with the Toronto Maple Leafs and 20 with the Panthers.
“I’ve met so many great people and so many people have helped me get here — trainers, great teammates, great coaches,” Thornton said. “It’s a community that allows you to get this far. I thank them all.”
Game No. 1,701 will be Saturday.
This and that
▪ Defenseman Lucas Carlsson will return to the lineup Saturday after sitting on Thursday in favor of Olli Juolevi.
▪ The Panthers are the only team this season to have multiple players score a power-play goal and a short-handed goal in the same game. Jonathan Huberdeau did it on Oct. 23 against the Philadelphia Flyers. Aleksander Barkov did it Thursday against the Stars.
Only four other players have accomplished the feat so far this season: The Washington Capital’s Alex Ovechkin (Oct. 13 against the New York Rangers), the Edmonton Oilers’ Zach Hyman (Oct. 21 at the Arizona Coyotes), the Hurricanes’ Teuvo Teravainen (Dec. 30 against the Canadiens) and the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Ilya Mikheyev (Jan. 1 against the Senators).
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