Panthers need stronger second half from Vrbata
The No. 1 question facing the Panthers going into the season remains unanswered heading into the second half.
They are still seeking reliable scorers to fill the void of several prominent forwards who departed in the offseason.
Veteran Radim Vrbata was among players obtained with the hope of offsetting the production of departing forwards such as Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith, who went to the expansion Vegas Knights.
So far the 36-year-old Czech has fallen well short of the form he showed last season in leading the Arizona Coyotes with 55 points, including 20 goals.
Some physical setbacks have factored into a disappointing line of 13 points (five goals) in 32 games entering the Panthers’ bye week.
It was encouraging that Vrbata notched a goal in his return after missing five games with a lingering illness in last week’s 7-4 win at St. Louis.
“We signed [Vrbata] here as a guy that can provide some secondary offense,” coach Bob Boughner said Friday. “We had a little bit of an up-and-down start of the season and then he got sick and was out of the lineup. So coming back and scoring a goal, hopefully that helps his confidence. We need that.”
Florida also needs more performances from Evgenii Dadonov, another offseason signee, like his two-goal effort in Friday’s 4-2 loss to Calgary.
Dadonov, who also missed time with an injury, had gone 19 games without a goal. However, he is fourth on the team with 26 points in 35 games doing a commendable job filling Jaromir Jagr’s vacated spot at right wing on the top line.
“He’s been good for a while, he’s just been snakebitten,” Boughner said following Friday’s game. “It’s nice to see him get the bounces tonight and I think he’s going to take off after this game offensively. He’s still been registering assists every game and helping out the offense, but it’s nice to see the puck go in for him.”
While Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Vincent Trocheck have combined for 47 goals and 125 points, secondary contributors have been erratic. Nick Bjugstad, with 20 points, has nine goals but none in the past nine games. Jared McCann has been a healthy scratch lately.
Vrbata has been part of the revolving door of wings that have failed to stick on the second line alongside Trocheck. When he returned last week it was as part of a newly constituted third line with center Denis Malgin and Connor Brickley.
In their second game together Friday, the trio combined for 10 of the Panthers’ 43 shots on goal, five of them by Vrbata.
“I like that line a lot,” Boughner said of the alignment that pairs Vrbata, a 16-year NHL veteran, with two players in their second seasons.
“[Malgin] is creative with the puck,” Vrbata said of the 20-year-old center. “He likes to make plays, and Bricks is a hard-working player. He goes on the forecheck, he hits players. If we can stay together for a couple games and build some chemistry, I think it could work.”
Break time
The Panthers don’t play again until Friday when they host Vegas due to the league-mandated bye week that gives every team at least five days off.
They won’t practice again until Thursday, and Boughner said he wants his players to use it as a mental break to recharge for the upcoming playoff push.
“We demand a lot of these guys and it's been pretty intense around here for a while,” Boughner said. "It's draining when you're in a race like this and every point's huge and every point matters. I think that they can just forget about it for a few days."