Florida Panthers’ Paul Maurice explains how he decides when it’s time to change forward lines
The Florida Panthers were winning, so coach Paul Maurice was hesitant to mix things up.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?
While things certainly weren’t broken — going 15-3-2 over a 20-game stretch is anything but broken — but there was still something missing. The Panthers’ production during 5-on-5 play had dipped but was masked by stellar performances on the power play and stingy defense.
So finally, during the third period Thursday against the Washington Capitals, Maurice made the changes he was considering for a while with his forward lines.
Carter Verhaeghe moved up to the top line with Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart.
And Nick Cousins moved up to the second line with Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk.
And Evan Rodrigues dropped down to the third line with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen.
(Florida’s fourth line of Jonah Gadjovich, Kevin Stenlund and Ryan Lomberg remained unchanged.)
Those lines remained intact Saturday in Florida’s shutout win over the Colorado Avalanche and will stay the same again on Wednesday when the Panthers play the Pittsburgh Penguins to start a three-game road trip.
“Over 82 games, things get stale every once in a while,” Maurice said. “They just get into a game and it’s not there for them, so you try to give them a little bit of a feel.”
Maurice’s reasoning behind the decision is one that has considerable thinking behind it.
When he puts lines together, he generally starts with duos who work well together and then figures out which of his forwards who remain provide the biggest impact on the three lines.
When the team is fully healthy, the makeup starts with the duos he kept together on each of the top three lines: Barkov and Reinhart on the top line, Bennett and Tkachuk on the second line, and Lundell and Luostarinen on the third line.
Barkov and Reinhart have been the driving forces of Florida’s top line all season. Florida has allowed just 13 goals when the two are together at 5-on-5 regardless of who is on the left wing of the line.
Bennett and Tkachuk provide a gritty, forecheck-forward game in addition to scoring potential.
And Lundell and Luostarinen are both defensive-minded, with their game focused more on goal-prevention and timely scoring.
From there, Maurice is open and willing to rotate the other three forwards — Verhaeghe, Rodrigues and Cousins — if it can unlock untapped potential in any of the three.
Maurice said there isn’t a set amount of time or games played together for him to determine if a certain line will work long-term, but added that “you need to have seen enough combinations that when you get into a playoff series or you get into a stretch or you’re facing injury, you have another plan.”
“Over time,” Maruice continued, “I can say ‘I can put Verhaeghe there. Nick Cousins can play four, three and two and move over to the left side. Rodrigues and Lundell were good together. I’d like to see more of that so I understand when is it good? What lines do they play well against that they seem to have it going or what lines do I keep them away from?”
As for the players? They are on board with whatever changes Maurice wants to make.
“Sometimes it’s just a switch to get your legs underneath you or your brain thinking,” Rodrigues said. “Sometimes it’s those little things that make a difference, and it worked out for us. I think it’s a big piece of this group that every player can almost play every position and with different players.”
Added Reinhart: “We’re all trying to play the same way. We’re all trying to execute the same systems. That’s when we’re at our best. That’s when we’re tough to play against. It’s important to be able to mix like this and have the same result.”
This and that
▪ Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky on Monday was named the NHL’s second star of the week after posting a .966 save percentage and going 2-0-0 in wins over Washington and Colorado, including a 35-save shutout against the Avalanche.
“It’s definitely great,” Bobrovsky said. “I feel like when goalies are shining, it’s more about the team success. Guys played hard in front of me. I thank them.”
▪ Since Jan. 1, Tkachuk is tied for the NHL lead with 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) during Florida’s 16 games. Reinhart’s 16 goals are the most in the NHL in that span, while Tkachuk’s 12 goals are tied for fifth.
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