Panthers lineup set to get a boost with Aaron Ekblad returning from latest suspension
Aaron Ekblad is set to return to the Florida Panthers lineup ... again.
The top-pair defenseman will return to the ice on Wednesday for Game 2 of the Panthers’ best-of-7 second-round Stanley Cup playoffs series against the Toronto Maple Leafs after serving a two-game suspension for elbowing Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel in the first round of the playoffs. This suspension came two games after Ekblad had returned from a previous suspension, that one for 20 games for violating the terms of the NHL and NHLPA performance enhancing substances program.
Florida lost Game 1 to Toronto 5-4 on Monday.
“We’ve missed him for quite a while,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.
With Ekblad returning, Florida’s blue line will once again be at full strength and Maurice will be able to better structure his defense pairings. Ekblad will return to the top pair with Gustav Forsling. That allows Seth Jones to drop to the second pair with Niko Mikkola, while Nate Schmidt and Dmitry Kulikov will play as the third pair.
“Aaron is just such a stabilizing factor for our D and just for our team,” Schmidt said. “You know the style of play he has and he understands the system probably better than anybody from how long he’s been here. And I think anytime you can get a guy like that back in your lineup, it should provide a boost.”
Ekblad, in the final year of an eight-year, $60 million contract, is the longest-tenured defenseman in franchise history and holds team records for games played (732), goals (118), assists (262) and points (380) among Panthers blueliners.
He finished the regular season with 33 points (three goals, 30 assists) in 56 games played this season. He scored the game-winning goal in Game 4 against Tampa Bay, the second goal in an 11-second span late in the third period to give Florida a rare come-from-behind victory.
“His last game, was possibly the best game I’ve seen him play for us,” Maurice said. “He’s not just closing gaps, but up the ice on the rush and he puts the rest of our D core into a different structure.”
Notable stats from Game 1
▪ With Jones and Uvis Balinskis each scoring a goal on Monday, the Panthers have now had seven goals scored by defensemen in the playoffs. That’s the most of any team this postseason. Schmidt leads the way with three, followed by two from Schmidt and one apiece by Ekblad and Balinskis.
▪ The Panthers went 5 for 5 on the penalty kill against Toronto, holding the Maple Leafs to just seven shots on goal while playing with a man advantage. Florida went 16 for 18 on the penalty kill in its first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
▪ The Panthers’ third line of Anton Lundell centering Eetu Luostarinen and Brad Marchand continues to put up quality performances. On Monday, the Panthers outscored the Maple Leafs 2-1 when that line was on the ice while holding a 14-7 lead in shot attempts, 6-3 edge in scoring chances and 3-1 advantage in high-danger chances.
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