Carlsson’s goal, the power play and a Lindbohm update as Panthers prepare for long road stretch
Lucas Carlsson skated the length of the ice midway through the second period Saturday, weaving past a pair of Detroit Red Wings skaters along the way, before slowing down as he approached the left faceoff circle. The Florida Panthers defenseman unleashed a wrist shot at the net.
Goal.
He’s quickly embraced by captain Aleksander Barkov. And then Carter Verhaeghe. Mason Marchment joins in shortly afterward.
“They were giving me some space when I got the puck in the neutral zone and the defense backed up a little bit,” Carlsson said, “so I got some space and I shot it.”
It was Carlsson’s third goal of the season and the Panthers’ fifth of the night in an eventual 6-2 rout of the Red Wings at FLA Live Arena.
It was also Carlsson’s latest reminder that he has value to this team as he enters his latest round of internal competition.
For most of the season, Carlsson has been one of several rotating players to serve as Brandon Montour’s partner on Florida’s third defensive pairing.
Recently, Carlsson has been competing with Olli Juolevi for ice time. Now, it will be Petteri Lindbohm who he’ll be going against for a spot in the lineup.
The Panthers on Saturday put Juolevi on waivers to make room for Lindbohm, who the team signed to a one-year, one-way deal on Tuesday but had to wait until Sunday to add him to the roster while he cleared immigration hurdles.
Lindbohm, who has played in 40 career NHL games, was part of Finland’s gold medal team at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. He recorded two assists over Finland’s six games.
“Competition is good. It keeps you sharp,” Carlsson said. “It has been fun and I just hope I can still be in the lineup.”
Juolevi, acquired before the season in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks, played in 10 games for the Panthers this season. Detroit claimed him off waivers.
Carlsson, meanwhile, hopes to show why he can stay a regular part of the lineup. The 24-year-old has nine points in 32 games this season.
“It’s been a great year. They give me the confidence every day to play on this team,” Carlsson said. “It’s inspiring.”
Power play help
The Panthers’ power play is starting to thrive again.
Florida has scored six goals on the man advantage over the past three games and is getting help outside of the usual cast of characters.
The Panthers’ second power play unit — a group consisting of Sam Bennett, Anton Lundell, Patric Hornqvist, Marchment and Montour — has scored three goals over the last two games despite usually getting little time to make an impact.
Because Florida’s top power play grouping of Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Anthony Duclair, Sam Reinhart and Aaron Ekblad is loaded with top-notch scorers, the second group rarely gets steady time together in game settings. If they’re lucky, they’ll be on the ice for about 20 or 30 seconds of a two-minute power play.
“We just try to do our best every time we go,” Lundell said.
The payoff is showing. Marchment and Hornqvist scored power play goals in Thursday’s 3-0 win over the Ottawa Senators, with Marchment’s goal coming in the first period on a deflection after a barrage of shots at the net and Hornqvist’s coming on a rebound in the third period to give Florida a needed insurance goal. Lundell had a power-play tally of his own in the first period Saturday to put Florida up 3-1.
“I’m really enjoying the second unit — if you can call them that,” Brunette said. “I think they’ve been excellent. It took them a little while. It’s hard to find your cadence when you only get 20, 15, 30 seconds. I didn’t really like it all year until the last little while where I feel like they’re starting to mix. They have more of an identity. They’re starting to read off each other.”
On the road again
Starting with Monday against the Buffalo Sabres, the Panthers play nine of their next 10 games on the road. The only game at FLA Live Arena during that stretch is Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Florida is 12-7-5 on the road this season.
This story was originally published March 6, 2022 at 11:16 AM.
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