Panthers winning despite just 3 goals by Tkachuk
When he looks at the first two months of the season, Florida Panthers superstar winger Matthew Tkachuk is more than pleased with the team’s performance. The Panthers have emulated their style and effort from late last season that helped propel them to the Stanley Cup Final, and the results have shown in the standings.
The Panthers entered their Saturday game against the New York Islanders with a 14-7-2 record, good for second in the Atlantic Division behind only the Boston Bruins.
“We have a game right now that we’re playing that can not only win right now but in April, May and June,” Tkachuk said Thursday before their 5-1 road win against the Montreal Canadiens that capped a 2-0-1 trip in Canada. “That’s what we’re building toward and that’s what we’ve been playing like in the last few [games]. That’s really exciting for us.”
Even more impressive: The Panthers have done this despite a rare extended scoring lull from Tkachuk to begin the season.
The All-Star and Hart Memorial Trophy finalist from a year ago has scored just three goals in 23 games entering the Islanders game. It’s the fewest goals he has ever scored this late into a season and only the second time in his eight-year career that he has fewer than five goals
after 23 games.
His three goals are equal to that of defenseman Niko Mikkola and half of what bottom-six center Kevin Stenlund and defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson have produced in the same timespan (six).
And this is despite the fact that Tkachuk leads the team in shots on goal (93), expected goals (10.93), scoring chances (91), high-danger chances (57) and rebounds created (22), per the advanced hockey statistics website Natural Stat Trick.
“I have never had a start like this to my career where offensively, things just aren’t clicking right now,” Tkachuk said before the Panthers’ road trip. “It has to turn for me
at some point.”
It usually does. Tkachuk scored 40 goals and tallied 109 points last season to finish third in MVP voting and became the Panthers’ playoff hero on multiple occasions on their run to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season with the club. He has scored at least 20 goals in five of the past six seasons. The onus is on him to be a producer.
That said, Tkachuk has made it clear many times before that he doesn’t care if he’s the one scoring. Panthers coach Paul Maurice echoes that sentiment. Team success is the priority.
And two months into the season, the Panthers have succeeded more often than they have
failed.
“I am only concerned about the overall team game. I don’t care who scores,” Maurice said. “I know Sam [Reinhart] is in the lead, but I don’t know where anyone else sits because I don’t look at it. It does not tell me where our team is. It’s not important to the team. If Matthew breaks 100 points, fine; if he gets 75, fine.
The only thing that matters is wins and losses and style of play. We’re ahead of where we were last year, so I am fine where we’re at.”
JOSH MAHURA UPDATE
Defenseman Josh Mahura remains on injured reserve but was in a normal, red jersey during the team’s morning skate on
Saturday. He split time with Dmitry Kulikov and Ekman-Larsson, both of whom are part of Florida’s third defensive pairing.
Maurice said he wants Mahura to get in a full practice with contact before getting into a game. The Panthers didn’t practice this week because of their three-game, four-day schedule in Canada.
“Before we get him cleared, I want to get him into something where there’s some body contact and you can test it,” Maurice said, “and then we’ll be looking at the early part of next week.”
BALINSKIS SENT DOWN
With the impending return of Mahura and the fact that he has been a scratch for six of the past seven games, the Panthers on Friday sent defensemen Uvis Balinskis to the Charlotte Checkers, their American Hockey League affiliate, so he can get everyday playing reps.
“He’s got to play games,” Maurice said. “I mean he’s interesting in that if he was 21, we might have said, ‘Well he could have gone a week ago or two weeks ago because he needs pro games.’ He doesn’t really need pro games, but he just needs a rhythm. So I have a lot of faith in this guy. For me, he is a full-time NHL player, as is Josh. Right now, you have the luxury and then sometimes the challenges of managing these guys so we can get their best hockey.”