‘He’s got the team on his back right now’: Marchand carrying Panthers early in season
The Florida Panthers are trying to keep their heads above water nearly one-third of the way through the season. They enter their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night tied with the Maple Leafs for last in the Eastern Conference with 25 points yet just six points out of a playoff spot.
But if it weren’t for Brad Marchand, the Panthers might be in an entirely different predicament.
The veteran forward, who the Panthers acquired at the NHL trade deadline in March and was integral in Florida repeating as Stanley Cup champions, has been one of the few consistent players in a lineup that has been decimated by injuries and seen constant shake-ups as Florida looks for any semblance of steady play.
Marchand’s 15 goals scored entering Tuesday are tied for eighth in the NHL. Sam Reinhart is second on the team with 13 goals. No other Panthers player has more than seven goals this season.
“He’s got the team on his back right now,” defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “He’s incredible. His ability to hold onto pucks and make plays but also play that simple game and be aggressive and get under a team’s skin is second to none. I witnessed it playing against him for a long time, and now we’re witnessing it up close. He’s a special player, and I’m so happy he’s on our team.”
While Marchand was appreciative of Ekblad’s praise, he stopped short of agreeing with his teammate that he solely is the reason the Panthers aren’t in a worse situation.
“Nobody wins in this league without a full group, and we have a lot of depth,” Marchand said Monday. “And I think you’re seeing that right now with the guys that are different guys stepping up.”
Florida has needed everyone to step up. They are down seven players — forwards Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Eetu Luostarinen, Tomas Nosek, Jonah Gadjovich and Cole Schwindt plus defenseman Dmitry Kulikov — and have seen lineup changes on a near nightly basis as they try to figure out the best way to field the team through the roster shuffling.
One thing they haven’t had to worry about, though, is Marchand producing. He has 27 points and has been held off the scoresheet just three times in 23 games played entering Tuesday.
“He’s been taking his game to another level — if he even has one,” said center Anton Lundell, who has played on the same line as Marchand for basically all of Marchand’s Florida tenure. “It’s fun to play with him and fun to learn from him as well. He’s got that passion. He got that energy every day. That’s a big reason why he’s been playing so good. It’s there every day, every game.”
Lineup change
The Panthers on Monday recalled forward Jack Studnicka from the Charlotte Checkers, their American Hockey League and will make his Panthers debut on Tuesday against Toronto.
Maurice said Studnicka will center Florida’s fourth line, a position that has been in flux basically all season with Tomas Nosek sidelined by offseason knee surgery. Studnicka is the third player this season to center that line. Luke Kunin and Cole Schwindt were the others, with Kunin kicking out to the wing when he wasn’t at center.
“We like his speed,” Maurice said. “Right-handed draw man. We can use that, we hope, and spend a little less time in our end of the ice with that line.”
Studnicka, a second-round pick by the Boston Bruins in 2017, has played 107 career games in the NHL with 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) to his name but spent all of last season in the American Hockey League playing for the Ontario Reign, the Los Angeles Kings’ affiliate.
He impressed during training camp, but the Panthers didn’t have a roster spot for him and he went to Charlotte as a result. He had six points (one goal, five assists) in eight games for the Checkers, missing time with a lower-body injury.
“I love the system the way it fits my game,” Studnicka said. “It takes all the nerves out of the game. You just go out there and skate as hard as you can and follow the system.”
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