What’s at stake during final homestand
The Panthers are coming down the home stretch.
A final four-game homestand separates them from the start of the Stanley Cup Playoff and another attempt to win the cup for the first time in franchise history.
The Panthers (48-24-6, 102 points) have dropped nine of their past 12 and picked up just eight points in that span, but they have their spot in the playoffs locked up, and their attention now is on fine-tuning their game before the postseason begins.
“It’s been a good year, but obviously that’s not our focus at all,” forward Sam Bennett said. “We’re not really thinking about that or where we finish. It’s all about preparing the right way for what’s to come.”
Here are a few areas Florida needs to clean up before the playoffs begin.
Staying out of the penalty box: The Panthers have gone on the penalty kill 60 times during the past 12 games (and have been short-handed at least five times in eight of those 12 games).
That’s by far the most in the league in that stretch; the second most is 49 by Anaheim, and no other team has been shorthanded more than 38 times in that time.
The Panthers’ penalty kill has remained successful — the 85 percent kill rate during the 12 games is ninth since March 14 and slightly better than the team’s season average of 82.5 percent — but giving playoff opponents multiple power-play chances each game is dangerous.
“We can’t be killing so many penalties per game,” captain Aleksander Barkov said.
“Other than that, I think our effort is there and our intensity is there.”
Defense and goaltending: Since the Panthers’ one-two punch of Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz went on a run of 21 consecutive games allowing no more than three goals from Jan. 22 to March 12, Florida has given up at least four goals in five of its past 12 games (not including a the fourth goal credited to the New York Rangers for their shootout win March 23). They have given up 39 total goals, 18 of which were high-danger goals.
The 3.25 goals allowed per game over the 12game run is the 10th most in the NHL. Heading into the stretch, Florida led the NHL in allowing an average of just 2.35 goals per game.
Gettng healthy: Forward Carter Verhaeghe and defenseman Aaron Ekblad are out for the rest of the regular season, but coach Paul Maurice said the expectation is both will be available for the start of the playoffs.
Figuring out forward lines: Ever since the Panthers acquired Vladimir Tarasenko and Kyle Okposo at the trade deadline, Maurice has been tinkering with his forward lines to figure out how to maximize production.
With four games left, this remains a work in progress.
There are a few notable groupings that will likely remain unchanged, such as the line of Bennett centering Matthew Tkachuk and Verhaeghe
(when healthy), plus Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen remaining together on their line.
Beyond that, there are questions.
Which two among Sam Reinhart, Evan Rodrigues and Tarasenko are best suited to play with Barkov on the top line? And then who moves to the third line with Lundell and Luostarinen?
What type of wingers does Maurice want on the fourth line with Kevin Stenlund? Will it be bruisers Jonah Gadjovich and Ryan Lomberg, or will Nick Cousins, Okposo and Steven Lorentz find ways to draw into the lineup?
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Panthers entered Monday five points behind Boston (46-17-15, 107 points) and five points ahead of Toronto (4423-9, 97 points) in the Atlantic Division, although Toronto had two games in hand. Toronto hosted Pittsburgh on Monday night.
Winning the division is all but out of the question for Florida at this point, so the goal is holding off the Maple Leafs to get second place and secure home-ice advantage for at least the first round of the playoffs, which will most likely be against Toronto.
Florida’s final four games of the regular season are as follows: Tuesday against Ottawa, Thursday against Columbus, Saturday against Buffalo and April 16 against the Maple Leafs.
MAURICE MILESTONE
The Panthers’ win at the Senators was Maurice’s 865th victory as an NHL coach. That moved Maurice, 57, into sole possession of fourth place on the NHL’s all-time wins list, surpassing Lindy Ruff (864).
The three ahead of Maurice: Scotty Bowman (1,244), Joel Quenneville (969) and Barry Trotz (914).
EKMAN-LARSSON NOMINATED
The South Florida chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association on Friday announced that defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson has been selected as the Panthers’ 2023-24 nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
The award is given annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey. Each PHWA chapter nominates a player from the NHL club they cover.
A 14-year NHL veteran, Ekman-Larsson signed with the Panthers this offseason after a pair of injury-riddled seasons with Vancouver that led to him being part of the largest contract buyout in NHL history.
In 78 games this season, Ekman-Larsson has nine goals (second among Florida defensemen only to Gustav Forsling’s 10) and 30 points (third behind Forsling’s 37 and Brandon Montour’s 32).
Jordan McPherson: 305-376-2129, @J_McPherson1126
Atlantic
x-Boston x-Florida x-Toronto x-Tampa Bay Detroit Buffalo Ottawa Montreal Metropolitan
x-N.Y. Rangers x-Carolina
N.Y. Islanders Pittsburgh Washington Philadelphia New Jersey Columbus
Central
x-Dallas x-Colorado x-Winnipeg Nashville St. Louis Minnesota Arizona Chicago Pacific
GP W LOT Pts GF GA
78 46 17 15 107 259 211 78 48 24 6 102 254 196 76 44 23 9 97 280 237 77 43 27 7 93 274 251 77 38 31 8 84 257 254 78 37 36 5 79 234 234 77 34 39 4 72 244 268 77 29 36 12 70 213 268 GP W L OT Pts GF GA
78 53 21 4 110 272 219 78 49 22 7 105 263 205 77 35 27 15 85 228 251 77 36 30 11 83 235 230 77 36 30 11 83 208 249 78 36 31 11 83 226 249 78 37 36 5 79 255 268 78 26 40 12 64 225 282
78 49 20 9 107 290 227 78 48 24 6 102 291 240 77 47 24 6 100 237 191 78 45 29 4 94 253 235 78 41 32 5 87 227 240 77 37 30 10 84 235 244 77 33 39 5 71 239 256 77 23 49 5 51 169 268 GP W LOT Pts GF GA
x-Vancouver 77 47 22 8 102 263 210 x-Edmonton 76 47 24 5 99 274 218 Los Angeles 77 41 25 11 93 242 203 Vegas 76 42 26 8 92 248 226 Seattle 76 32 31 13 77 202 219 Calgary 76 34 37 5 73 231 252 Anaheim 78 25 48 5 55 193 284 San Jose 77 18 51 8 44 171 307 x-clinched playoff spot. NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Top three teams in each division and two wild cards per conference advance to playoffs.
TUESDAY
Ottawa at Florida, 7
Carolina at Boston, 7
Washington at Detroit, 7
Philadelphia at Montreal, 7
Toronto at New Jersey, 7
N.Y. Rangers at N.Y. Islanders, 7
Columbus at Tampa Bay, 7
Buffalo at Dallas, 8
Winnipeg at Nashville, 8
Minnesota at Colorado, 9:30
Los Angeles at Anaheim, 10
Arizona at Seattle, 10
Calgary at San Jose, 10:30
MONDAY
Pittsburgh at Toronto
Vegas at Vancouver
SUNDAY
Detroit 3, Buffalo 1
Minnesota 4, Chicago 0
Carolina 3, Columbus 0
Arizona 5, San Jose 2
Ottawa 3, Washington 2 (OT)
Nashville 3, New Jersey 2 (SO)
N.Y. Rangers 5, Montreal 2
St. Louis 6, Anaheim 5 (SO)
Dallas 7, Colorado 4