Who needs a comeback? Panthers win with defense in Nashville for seventh straight victory
The Florida Panthers, with their massive lead in the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division, know they won’t have many chances left to play in postseason-type atmospheres before the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs begin next month, but they got one Saturday and thrived in it.
After needing comebacks in each of their last four games, the Panthers never trailed the Nashville Predators and won 4-1 in Tennessee.
“We managed the game really well,” interim coach Andrew Brunette said. “I didn’t think our energy level was all that high, but we were intelligent enough to make sure that we stayed in layers, we stayed connected, we picked and chose our time to make sure we won certain battles around the boards, and blocked shots, so we did a lot of good things.”
Considering the opponent and the circumstances, the win was one of Florida’s most impressive in the last month. The Predators were only one of four teams with a winning record left on the Panthers’ schedule and Florida was playing its second game in as many nights after needing a come-from-behind win Friday against the Buffalo Sabres in Sunrise.
It was a quick turnaround for the Panthers (51-15-6) to head to Nashville for a one-game road trip and they never trailed. For the first time this month, Florida did not need a comeback, winning by holding the Predators to just 25 shots on goal and eight high-danger chances.
The eight high-danger chances were tied for the third fewest the Panthers have allowed in a game against an opponent with a winning record all year.
“We played a very good game structurally from start to finish,” goaltender Spencer Knight said.
Forward Carter Verhaeghe put Florida ahead 1-0 with a one-timer in the first four minutes and the Panthers regrouped even after Nashville (41-26-4) answered with its lone goal just 2:09 later. They went into the second period tied 1-1 and rookie center Anton Lundell finally put Florida ahead for good 2-1 with 4:44 left when he stuck a pinpoint shot beneath the crossbar from a sharp angle on the left side of the crease.
The Panthers finally sent the crowd of 17,465 at Bridgestone Arena to the exits with 1:07 left when All-Star left wing Jonathan Huberdeau pushed the lead to 3-1 with an empty-net goal.
Even on the second end of a back-to-back set, Florida got stronger as the game went on and outshot the Predators, 8-5, in the third period to control possession and keep Nashville at bay. The Predators had a 5-1 edge in 5-on-5 shots at the end of the first period and 11-8 advantage at the end of the second. It was an uncharacteristic defensive struggle for the Panthers and it made for an encouraging win.
When the Stanley Cup playoffs begin, scoring usually dips and Florida, which is on pace to be the first team to average at least four goals per game since the 1995-96 NHL, has too frequently won in spite of its defense lately.
In their first four games in April, the Panthers gave up an average of 4.5 goals, 29.3 shots and 10 high-danger chances per game. In their fifth, they held an opponent to one goal or fewer for only the second time in the last month.
“A little bit of our puck play I didn’t love,” Brunette said, “but in these back-to-back situations, in a playoff-type atmosphere, against a really good team — to do the right things over and over again throughout the game is a really good sign for us.”
Knight was a big reason why. The rookie had one of his best outings of the season, stopping 24 of 25 shots — his .960 save percentage was tied for his seventh best in a single start this year.
Florida has won seven in a row and 10 of 11, and now has an eight-point lead on the second-place Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference. For the moment, the Panthers also moved into a tie with the Colorado Avalanche in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy.
Plenty of those wins have been filled with drama and Brunette spent much of the last week expressing concern about his team’s penchant to fall behind.
On Saturday, he could finally watch a relatively stress-free win.
Said Brunette: “I was really proud of the way we played.”
This story was originally published April 9, 2022 at 8:43 PM.
