The Panthers’ Brandon Montour is heating up. His goal: Play his ‘best hockey’ in playoffs
The puck landed on Brandon Montour’s stick and before anyone could react, it was gone. The Florida Panthers defenseman fired a one-timer from the point on a five-on-three power-play in the third period against the Buffalo Sabres, falling to one knee as the puck made its way toward the net.
As the puck flew past Buffalo goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Montour raised his arms up high, wiggled his fingers, cocked his head to the side and gave the crowd a wink before his teammates surrounded him in celebration.
It was the final highlight of a big night for Montour, who contributed to all three of Florida’s goals in its 3-2 win over the Sabres, and the latest big moment for Montour over the past week-and-a-half.
Over Florida’s past five games entering Thursday’s contest against the Montreal Canadiens, Montour has logged 10 points (three goals and seven assists). That’s second among defensemen only to the Winnipeg Jets’ Josh Morrissey (11 points, all assists) in that stretch as the Panthers continue getting into playoff form.
“I think we’re moving the puck and getting the confidence a little bit more,” Montour said. “Any time you can contribute offensively, especially with my game, it’s nice. It’s nice to collect these wins and play these big games. Still working towards playing my best hockey come April.”
Montour, who had a career-high 73 points last season, is certainly trending in that direction. He had a slow start to his 2023-24 season, missing the first 16 games of the season while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and needing a couple months of game action before his offensive production began to pick up.
He has multiple points in four of his past five games after having just two multi-point outings in his first 38 games of the season. Half of his 10 points over that stretch have come on the power-play, on which he anchors the Panthers’ top unit that includes high-scoring forwards Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe and Aleksander Barkov.
“He is moving well. He’s up the ice. He is so fast that he can get back,” Tkachuk said. “He is a one-man breakout, almost, so it is very easy to transition from defense and offense. He is super gifted. He sees the net really well and he is able to find shot lanes and is really good at finding the open man and getting his shots off quick. A lot of the time when he gets a goal, he one-times it really quick and it’s in the back of the net.”
Added Barkov: “The points are coming for him, but he’s an overall player. He’s one of the best skaters that I’ve seen. It looks easy for him. He’s not burning any energy. He sees the ice so well. He makes great plays. He can pass the puck. He can shoot the puck. He joins the rushes. He’s a really good player.”
Montour also sees the bigger goal. The Panthers have another month and a half of the regular season before the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin. Florida is starting to peak as a team, entering Thursday having held opponents to two goals or fewer in 14 consecutive games.
His individual production will help, but only if it comes in the grand scheme of the team’s success.
“What we’re doing is working,” Montour said. “I think we can clean up a little bit, but especially with the last 20 or so games left, we’re going to get every team’s best. We have to be on top of that and be at our best as well.”
This and that
▪ Goaltender Anthony Stolarz is in net for the Panthers on Thursday against Montreal. It will be Stolarz’s 100th career NHL game.
▪ Forward Will Lockwood will draw into the Panthers’ lineup on Thursday for Jonah Gadjovich, who coach Paul Maurice said is dealing with a “minor injury.”
This story was originally published February 29, 2024 at 12:26 PM.
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