Back from injury, Duclair brings needed offensive firepower to short-handed Panthers
Moments of joy were fleeting for the Florida Panthers in their crippling loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Friday and they all seemed to feature Anthony Duclair.
It started with just seeing the right wing back on the ice for the first time since he tore his left Achilles tendon in the offseason. His return happened to coincide with Black History Night, which added another layer of emotion for Duclair, who is Black. Once the game began, there was only one real moment to celebrate and Duclair was again in the middle of it, making a pinpoint, cross-ice to Carter Verhaeghe for the Panthers’ only goal in Sunrise.
On an otherwise bleak day for Florida, the Panthers at least came away feeling like Duclair will help them in their push for the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, which continues Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena.
Coach Paul Maurice said Friday the winger “exceeded expectations.”
“I was just trying to find my legs and then the second I started feeling better, and then the third was more comfortable,” Duclair said Friday. “All in all after seven months coming back, I should be proud of myself.”
It’s a needed boost for Florida given where it stands right now: The Panthers began the week three points out of a playoff spot with only 21 games left in the regular season and need to jump at least two teams—in points percentage—to grab a wild card, and the task was made even tougher by injuries to centers Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett, who were both out again in Tampa.
Barkov, an All-Star for the second time this year, still entered Tuesday ranked third on the team with 50 points despite having missed 12 games and Bennett was sixth with 35 despite missing five. Florida badly needs an offensive boost while they’re out — and another line to step up — and Duclair can fill some of the void.
Last year, Duclair had perhaps the best season of his career, topping 30 goals and 50 points for the first time, while frequently playing on the top line, but also often anchoring the third. His speed and shooting ability — he shot 18.6 percent last year to lead Florida — are what the Panthers need to reconcile their wide gulf between shots and goals.
In just one game, he delivered on this promise.
In part due to its injuries, Florida immediately slotted Duclair into the top six, putting him and Verhaeghe on forward Eetu Luostarinen’s wings. It put together perhaps the Panthers’ two fastest skaters — Duclair and Verhaeghe — and the trio used its speed to create the goal, with Duclair and Luostarinen beating the defense up the left boards to clear space for Verhaeghe on the opposite side of the rink.
“It’s a lot of fun to play with those guys,” Luostarinen said Monday. “There’s a lot of speed and skill, so i just try to feed them and get to the net.”
Florida remains hopeful Barkov and Bennett will be back by the end of the week, and their returns would potentially force the Panthers to reshuffle their lineup again.
Wherever he plays, Duclair will be a big part of Florida’s final month-plus, though. The early impressions give the Panthers that confidence.
“He looked really good for a normal player,” Verhaeghe said Friday, “never mind being out for seven months.”
