Despite continued change, Panthers’ Lundell tries to ‘bring the best’ out of linemates
Anton Lundell understands change is inevitable. Injuries and performance result in players moving onto and off of his line as a season progresses.
But through the first two weeks of the season, the Florida Panthers’ third-line center has already seen his linemates change more than one might expect.
When the puck drops Tuesday as the Panthers host the San Jose Sharks at Amerant Bank Arena, Lundell will be playing with his fourth different combination of wingers through the first six games of the season.
This puts the onus on Lundell, 22 years old and in his third NHL season, to be the stabilizer as he works around a slew of change on what seems like a daily basis.
“My job is trying to get chemistry going with whoever I play with,” Lundell said. “I’m just trying to get our line to be the best line every game. Whoever I’m going to play with, my goal is just to try to bring the best out of me and try to bring the best out of the wingers as well.”
Now, that hasn’t always been easy. Entering Tuesday, the Panthers have yet to score a goal with Lundell on the ice at full strength and the center has yet to record a point.
He has taken on a more defensive and mentor-like responsibility to start the season although the Panthers would like him to find his scoring touch as well.
On Opening Night against the Minnesota Wild, Lundell and Sam Reinhart were on the line together with rookie Mackie Samoskevich. After one game with Reinhart and Nick Cousins flanking him against the Winnipeg Jets, Lundell then had Cousins and rookie Justin Sourdif on the wings over the past three games — wins over the New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs plus a loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
On Tuesday, it will once again be Cousins on Lundell’s left wing but William Lockwood getting a crack at playing on the right wing.
“That’s part of maturity,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “The center’s got to drive the line and sometimes when you’re 20 or 21, that’s a lot to ask. ... We need him to drive a line. I liked his last game. He’s building to that.”
And, potentially soon, there could be stability for Lundell’s line — after one more change.
Center Sam Bennett’s impending return on Saturday will most likely move Eetu Luostarinen from second-line center to on the wing with Lundell. That’s a combination that thrived last season, with the Panthers outscoring opponents 16-5 in the 2022-23 season when Lundell and Luostarinen were on the ice together in five-on-five situations. Florida was outscored by seven goals (30-23) when Lundell was on the ice without Luostarinent last season at full strength.
“Eventually we’ll get healthy here — we think — and we’ll be able to put him with maybe more veteran players,” Maurice said.
Lookwood talks Panthers debut
Lookwood’s time on the Panthers’ gameday roster very likely could be limited to just his one game on Tuesday if Bennett returns to the lineup on Saturday, but that doesn’t mean he’s any less excited about the opportunity.
Lookwood impressed during training camp and had two good games with the Charlotte Checkers (the Panthers’ American Hockey League affiliate) before being called up on Oct 17.
“The style of game fits my play pretty well,” Lockwood said. “It’s easy when you come into a system like that.”
Lockwood, 25, has played in 28 career NHL games and has one assist.
“He gets on the radar by his professionalism,” Maurice said. “You see the video of what’s going. He runs the routes and really just does exactly what you asked him to do and he does it with speed and a good stick. There weren’t a lot of numbers through camp to suggest that he gets into your top nine, certainly when he left camp here, he put himself in a position when the call goes down and it’s ‘Who’s the guy?’ and it’s him, the coaches say, ‘Sure bring him up. Let’s play him.’ We see it. We see what he has and we value it.”
This and that
▪ Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, who played with the Panthers from the 2009-2010 season to 2015-2016, on the crowds at Amerant Bank Arena the first two home games and how it compared to his first stint with the Panthers: “It’s a huge difference. We had nights where like 5,000 people showed up when I started playing here. To consistently have a full building is great to see.”
▪ The Panthers’ special teams are off to a sluggish start though the first five games. The penalty kill has been one of the worst in the NHL, giving up eight goals in 23 opportunities. The power play hasn’t been much better, with Florida scoring on just two of 20 opportunities with the man advantage.
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