Minor-leaguers, major boost: Kiersted, Dalpe and Tierney all bring spark to Panthers
It doesn’t take a lot to get Matthew Tkachuk animated, and so it was no surprise to see him get excited to talk about the out-of-nowhere contributions from the three newest members of the Florida Panthers.
“Awesome,” the All-Star right wing interjected Thursday before all the names were even done being listed. “All three of them.”
Defenseman Matt Kiersted, and forwards Zac Dalpe and Christ Tierney have all been with the Panthers for less than a week — they joined the team from AHL Charlotte on Monday — and already, in only two games, have all found the back of the net.
Dalpe, in his Florida debut, scored a late goal in the Panthers’ loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, and then Tierney broke the ice with the opening goal in Florida’s 5-1 rout of the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday in Sunrise. Kiersted, who’s up in the NHL for the second time this year, added another in the second period to give all three call-ups a goal in less than five periods of action.
It’s a boost the injury-riddled Panthers needed this week and may need again Saturday when they head to Tampa to face the rival Tampa Bay Lightning at 4 p.m.
Center Anton Lundell missed his second straight game with an illness Tuesday, and defenseman Radko Gudas and right wing Patric Hornqvist are both dealing with concussions — and Hornqvist will be out through at least Christmas after going on long-term injured reserve Friday — which means Florida (13-10-4) could once again be in need of replacements against the Lightning (16-9-1) at Amalie Arena.
Of course, Tierny, Dalpe and Kiersted have looked like more than just fill-ins so far in their short time back in the NHL.
Dalpe, 33, and Tierney linked up for a perfectly executed 2-on-1 goal against the Jets — with Kiersted adding the secondary assist — and then Tierney, 28, scored his first as a Panther on a beautiful breakaway backhand in the first period against the Red Wings.
Even Kiersted’s goal came on a high-level play, with the 24-year-old American boxing out a defender along the crease, fielding the puck and then turning to finish off the second goal of his career.
In two games, the trio has combined for three goals, two assists, five shots and four blocked shots while each logging an average time on ice of only about 10 minutes per game.
“They’ve come in with good legs and confidence,” coach Paul Maurice said Thursday. “We need those legs. ... Those guys don’t have the miles on them that the rest of our group does.”
Dalpe and Tierney are two true newcomers — unlike Kiersted, they weren’t in the organization last year — and they’ve done enough in this small sample size to warrant an extended look.
In the 16-plus minutes they have played together so far, Florida is outshooting its opponents 9-2 with a 3-0 edge in high-danger chances and 2-0 advantage in goals. They built up chemistry together with the Charlotte Checkers and it carried over.
“We worked pretty good together tonight,” Tierney said Thursday. “I’m familiar with his game and after playing with a guy for a little while, you kind of get to know their tendencies, so it helps.”
Added Maurice: “They have a comfort level.”
No matter when Lundell and Gudas get back, all three will be able to keep getting chances for most of the rest of the month. After spending most of the season limited to the bare minimum of 20 active players because of cap constraints, the Panthers now have space to carry the maximum of 23 with Hornqvist’s salary temporarily freed up on long-term IR, so Kiersted, Tierney and Dalpe can all stick around, and slot into the lineup in any given game to give someone a day off.
Even if they can’t sustain this production, it’ll give Florida a new dimension: The Panthers can finally stay fresh, play more of a matchup game and ride the hot hands.
Right now, the newbies are some of the hottest hands on the team and earning their chances.
“Those two, three guys — they help us a lot,” star center Aleksander Barkov said Thursday. “It helps everyone a lot around here to have four solid lines, to play the same way, play the right way, and that’s what they’re doing and that’s what they’re bringing.”
