Despite not scoring, Evan Rodrigues still finding ways to set Panthers up for success
Evan Rodrigues is an anomaly on this Florida Panthers team this postseason.
On a team with 18 — yes, 18 — players who have scored at least one goal so far in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Rodrigues has yet to find the back of the net entering Game 4 of the Panthers’ Eastern Conference final against the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday.
He’s doesn’t seem too concerned about that, though.
“I’m just saving them,” Rodrigues said with a smile after the Panthers’ 6-2 win in Game 3 on Saturday that put them on the brink of advancing to the Stanley Cup Final for a third consecutive season.
After all, Rodrigues has more than done his part with setting up his teammates to score.
Rodrigues entered Monday with 10 assists, tied with Matthew Tkachuk for the team lead. He has set up goals for eight different teammates — Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett twice and once apiece for Aaron Ekblad, Jesper Boqvist, Tkachuk, Niko Mikkola, Sam Reinhart and Seth Jones.
His production has really picked up as of late. Since returning to the lineup in Game 7 of Florida’s second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs after being sidelined for two games with injury, Rodrigues has posted seven assists in four games. That includes two assists in each of the first three games of the Eastern Conference final, becoming just the sixth player in NHL history to record multiple assists in each of the first three games of a conference final series and first in nearly 40 years. The other names on that list: Al MacInnis (1986), Wayne Gretzky (1983), Elmer Lach (1946), Toe Blake (1946) and Flash Hollett (1943).
“It’s never fun having to sit out and not play, so it was a little bit of a reset for me,” said Rodrigues. “You get back for Game 7 [against Toronto], and you’re itching to get back, and you want it so bad. I thought I played well in Game 7, and it has just kind of been rolling since then.”
A heightened role has helped him on this run as well.
Rodrigues moving up and down the lineup due to his versatility and ability to adapt his game to best fit the style of his linemates. He started the playoffs on the fourth line with Nico Sturm and Jesper Boqvist before moving up to the second line with Sam Bennett and Tkachuk in Game 4 of Florida’s first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He moved up to the top line with center Aleksander Barkov and (when healthy) Sam Reinhart ahead of Game 3 against the Maple Leafs, a role that has stuck ever since.
“He’s a guy who is ready to step up with whatever the team needs,” Panthers center Anton Lundell said. “He has played on pretty much every line this year, and you know, he’s been playing well wherever he’s been, so he’s been a very big part of our team, very important player to step up whenever the team needs.”
Added Barkov: “He’s always been like that,” Barkov said. “He can do it all. You can put him in any situation, and he can adapt to it. Very smart player and just a lot of fun to play with. I know he helps me a lot, and I’ve had a lot of fun playing with him.”
What makes Rodrigues so easy to work with on the ice?
“We think about the game the same way,” Barkov said. “It’s the same as Reino as well. We’re defensive-minded first, but then obviously, when we have to and when we have the puck, we want to attack. We know what to expect from each other, so he can make plays like you’ve seen. He has all those assists, but he can score goals.”
If he doesn’t score, though, Rodrigues has a chance to make NHL history.
Only 12 other players in NHL history — and only five other forwards — have gone an entire Stanley Cup playoffs without a goal while also logging at least 10 assists.
The NHL record for most assists without a goal in one postseason is 15, first done by Philadelphia’s Mark Howe in 1989 and then matched by Detroit’s Niklas Kronwall in 2008.
“What he excels at is killing plays and creating forward motion, whether that’s in your own end of the ice or in the defensive zone,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “He can knock pucks down. His original position is so very good. He gets the defensive need that we have at this moment and he has hands that can create a response.”
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