Shuffling lines generates spark
Andrew Brunette, understandably, did not want to really touch too much when he took over as interim coach of the Panthers last month.
The circumstances of his ascension were unenviable, but the situation he walked into was not. The Panthers were the hottest team in the NHL, off to the best start in franchise history and still unbeaten when he first took over behind the bench, and Brunette just wanted to keep them on track.
He knew, of course, it wouldn’t stay that way forever. Florida was not going to go undefeated and, in his first stint as a head coach, he’d have to make some real decisions.
Those came this weekend. With the Panthers in the midst of a fast-spiraling losing streak and trailing by two in the second period Saturday, Brunette made wholesale lineup changes, including reuniting Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau on the top line.
“A lot of times either the play of the players, or the guys or the team calls for a little change,” he said. “Sometimes, a little change brings excitement.”
This one sparked a much-needed turnaround in Tampa. Florida (10-2-3)
scored two goals in 36 seconds in the second period to come back on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Although the Panthers eventually fell 3-2 in overtime, Brunette’s boldest decision yet — and one he made on the fly in the middle of a period — paid off.
The revamped top line — with Huberdeau joining Barkov and winger Anthony Duclair — got the Panthers on the board with 7:01 left in the second period and the two-goal comeback was complete less than a minute later.
Brunette changed the shape of three of his four lines in the second half and all three improved, according to expected goals percentage. He kept the lines the same at practice Monday at the Florida Panthers IceDen — save for Duclair’s absence for
“maintenance,” Brunette said — and it’s an indication he’ll stick with the same lineup Tuesday when Florida hosts the New York Islanders (54-2) at 7 p.m. at FLA Live Arena.
“Some guys that aren’t going, it gets them going. Some guys that are going are getting other guys going and it’s kind of contagious through the lineup,” Brunette said. “When you do those little things, you’re just hoping to gain some momentum off of it.”
Each of the changes yielded seriously promising signs Saturday, with at least one telling stat for each.
The top line — which went from Carter Verhaeghe, Barkov and Duclair to Huberdeau, Barkov and Duclair — went from generating one more shot attempt in its first 6:50 to four more in its last 7:49.
The second line — which went from Huberdeau, Sam Bennett and Owen Tippett to Verhaeghe, Bennett and Sam Reinhart — went from taking one fewer shot in its first 4:25 to four more in its last 6:28.
The third line — which went from Frank Vatrano, Anton Lundell and Reinhart to Vatrano, Lundell and Tippett — had its expected goals percentage jump from 72.5 in its first 4:24 to 87.5 in its last
4:55.
It was all a small sample size, but the underlying numbers backed up the actual production.
At the root of the decision, though, is the top line. Barkov and Huberdeau have played together at times throughout their careers, but the Panthers found their most success last year when Barkov carried the top line and Huberdeau carried the second.
Reuniting them is always a potential secret weapon. When the Panthers needed a spark, Brunette went to it.
“Obviously, they’re offensively our two best players,” Brunette said. “It’s a long year. You’ve got to change lines up. I think guys get tired of playing with each other, so you move them around and something fresh can bring an excitement level, and then carry it on all through the lineup.”