As Aleksander Barkov returns to lineup, a look at how Florida Panthers did in his absence
The Florida Panthers’ captain is back.
Top-line center Aleksander Barkov is drawing back into the lineup on Monday when the Panthers play the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center, coach Paul Maurice told reporters in Buffalo after the team’s morning skate.
Barkov had missed the previous eight games with a lower-body injury sustained when crashing into the boards trying to protect an empty net against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 10.
The Panthers more than held their own in Barkov’s absence. Florida went 5-2-1 in the eight games without Barkov, picking up 11 of a possible 16 points — a .688 points percentage in that span.
According to the advanced hockey statistics website Natural Stat Trick, the Panthers controlled 51.56 percent of shot attempts at 5-on-5 (11th in the NHL) in that eight-game stretch. Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell scored five goals apiece in those eight games to lead the offense, with the line of Eetu Luostarinen, Lundell and Reinhart being a particularly effective trio.
Based on the team’s morning skate rushes, Barkov is slated to center Evan Rodrigues and Reinhart on Monday. The second line of Carter Verhaeghe, Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk will remain intact. Jesper Boqvist will join Luostarinen and Lundell on the third line. The fourth line features Patrick Giles centering A.J. Greer and Mackie Samoskevich.
In addition to Barkov, the Panthers are expecting to get two other forwards — Jonah Gadjovich (back spasms) and Tomas Nosek (upper body) — back at the end of the week when the team travels to Tampere, Finland, for a pair of games against the Dallas Stars on Friday and Saturday. That will put the Panthers at full strength for the first time this season.
Samoskevich’s first goal
It took until the 17th game of his NHL career, but Samoskevich finally found the back of the net.
He scored on a wraparound attempt after getting past the Islanders’ defense and slipping the puck past goaltender Semyon Varlamov to tie the game at 3-3 with 1:46 left in the second period en route to Florida’s eventual 6-3 win.
It was merely a matter of time before Samoskevich finally scored. According to the advanced hockey statistics website Natural Stat Trick, Samoskevich is tied for fifth on the team with 16 scoring chances at 5-on-5 and tied for sixth with seven high-danger chances.
“It felt like a thousand pounds off my shoulders,” Samoskevich told reporters postgame. “I felt like I’d played good enough to score, but it just wasn’t going in. They were supporting me the whole way, telling me to keep going and that it was coming. It was a huge help.”
Samoskevich previously picked up his first career NHL point with the primary assist on a Boqvist goal on Oct. 17 against the Vancouver Canucks.
Visit to West Point
The Panthers on Friday, in between games against the Rangers and Islanders during this five-game road trip, brought the Stanley Cup to the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York.
The team has several West Point alumni in the organization, including owner Vincent Viola (Class of 1977), president and CEO Matt Caldwell (Class of 2002), chief operating officer Bryce Hollweg (Class of 2008) and vice president of programming and development Keith Fine (Class of 2008).
The team took a tour of the academy, with Viola leading the way. They were presented with a ceremonial sword by Lieutenant General Steven W. Gilland, West Point’s superintendent. The Panthers presented the academy with a team-signed framed jersey in exchange.
“Vinnie and I, we got here this morning, and we felt like cadets again,” Caldwell said. “This place is so special. Any time you come back, you have this nostalgic feeling. To have the Stanley Cup with us and the whole hockey team, the players are so excited. … I hope everyone feels the culture here, the soul of the place.”
Draft pick signs deal
The Panthers on Friday signed forward Hunter St. Martin to a three-year entry level contract.
St. Martin, 19, was the Panthers’ sixth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft in June.
“Hunter is a skilled skater who has shown a tremendous amount of maturity and adaptability at a young age,” Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito said in a press release. “We are excited for him to take the next step in his career with our organization.”
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