Bennett, Tkachuk are leading Florida’s only reliable line. Panthers are trying to follow
The few, fleeting moments of joy for the Florida Panthers in their crippling 6-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Sunday in Sunrise came from the one reliable place they have found in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.
In the second period, Matthew Tkachuk pulled a puck off the back of the net, tapped it through his legs and then, with the stick still in between his legs, flipped it into the net. In the third period, Sam Bennett hovered around the crease until finally an outside shot created a long rebound and the center could beat Linus Ullmark.
Both goals cut the Bruins’ lead to one before Boston finally pulled away in the third to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Both should be an example of how the Panthers can actually start to crack the Bruins’ defense consistently when the series resumes Wednesday in Boston.
“We’re doing a good job of getting the pucks down low,” Bennett said. “The more traffic and pucks we can get to the net, the more opportunities we’re going to get.”
Through four games, Florida’s best moments have come when Bennett and Tkachuk have been on the ice together.
Once Bennett returned to the lineup for Game 2 on Wednesday after a 13-game absence, the Panthers reunited him with Tkachuk and their combination has been the core of everything Florida has managed to do well in Round 1.
Bennett has two goals, an assist and 15 shots in three games. Tkachuk has two goals, three assists and 15 shots in four. They’re two of only four Panthers with a positive plus-minus, and the only other forward with one — left wing Carter Verhaeghe — played with them for most of Games 2 and 3.
With more than half of the series done, Florida has outshot the Bruins, 27-20, with a 22-17 edge in scoring chances with Bennett on the ice for 5-on-5; no other center’s line has led the Panthers to positive 5-on-5 shot or scoring-chance differentials and All-Star center Aleksander Barkov’s has been outshot 33-20.
For Florida to regroup and make this series interesting, the Panthers need more lines to play like Bennett’s.
“We would very much like to get our entire team to play like Sam,” coach Paul Maurice said. “He’s got skill, he can shoot the puck, he can make plays, but he’s a hard man.”
The alchemy of the Bennett-Tkachuk combo is something Florida hasn’t been able to replicate anywhere else in the lineup all season, so it’s not surprising to see the duo thriving again in the Cup playoffs. There are lessons, though, for the Panthers’ other lines to take from what those two are doing.
Part of it is the activity around the net. Part is just activity, period, especially in the offensive zone and on the forecheck.
Bennett leads all Florida forwards with 16 hits and Tkachuk is third with 12. They’re starting their shifts together in the offensive zone nearly 75 percent of the time, so opponents are getting a ton of chances to shoot and score against them, but they also have nine long shits and two extra-long shifts since reuniting in Game 2 — only Verhaeghe, who has also often played with them, has more among Florida forwards.
“Really getting on the forecheck heavy, being physical on their D — it gives us more time and creates more turnovers when we’re being physical,” Bennett said, “so I think that’s helped us.”
Added Maurice: “The foundation of those games is they’re competitive, those two men, so we can move different people on the left wing and they, in turn — the players that go there — take on that style of play.”
This and that
▪ Anthony Duclair’s absence from Game 4 was because of injury, not performance, Maurice said. The Panthers scratched the right wing after felt some pain going through warm-ups at FLA Live Arena and determined he wouldn’t be able to play at close enough to 100 percent. Forward Zac Dalpe took Duclair’s spot on the third line, but the winger skated Monday and was getting evaluated further to figure out whether he’ll be available for Game 5 on Thursday. Florida is also scheduled to practice Tuesday, so they’ll have a better sense of Duclair’s status after then.
▪ Aaron Ekblad also skated Monday after missing Game 4 with an unspecified injury and “has made really good improvement,” Maurice said. The Panthers will also have a better idea about the star defenseman’s status after practice Tuesday. Ekblad hasn’t payed since the second period of Game 3 on Friday and fellow defenseman Casey Fitzgerald took his place in the lineup for Game 4.
▪ The NHL issued a $5,000 fine to Tkachuk for cross-checking Bruins right wing Garnet Hathaway in the ribs after the buzzer sounded at the end of the second period in Game 4. The superstar right wing was assessed a two-minute minor penalty for the cross-check and later got a misconduct penalty for nearly coming to blows with All-Star goaltender Linus Ullmark in the third period.
This story was originally published April 24, 2023 at 4:20 PM.
