‘We’re not ready to be done yet’
Once again, the Florida their backs to the wall.
Wednesday’s 3-2 win in Game 3 against the New York Islanders served as both a momentous victory — the first playoff win for Florida since 2016 — and a temporary salve in a five-game series. Because on Friday they’ll have to do it again.
Or else?
“It’s win or go home,” said Panthers forward Noel Acciari. “So I think everybody in the locker room knows that. And we’re not ready to be done yet, so I think we’re going to come out with the same energy and kind of build off where we left off.”
Florida staved off elimination — and serious disappointment — Wednesday on the back of an important performance from $70-million goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and goals from Erik Haula, Mike Hoffman and Brian Boyle. Coach Joel Quenneville shook up the lineup, slotting five new players in search of a jolt.
Florida responded, scoring first on the power play in the second period to get ahead of the defensively-sturdy Islanders. They scored twice to break a 1-1 deadlock entering the third period, then held on to live another day.
“It’s one of those situations, ‘Hey, we’re back in the series and now we’ve got to make sure we do a lot of the things we did [Wednesday] and go forward,’ ” Quenneville said. “But simple is the best approach.”
If it’s merely a temporary jolt, Wednesday’s win will only have delayed the inevitable. It will not be historic or momentous. It will be forgotten.
Winger Jonathan Huberdeau suffered a leg injury late in Wednesday’s game. Quenneville said of his star: “We’re looking for him to be ready to go.” He did not offer many clues about whether the lineup changes would be permanent.
One way or another, the performance of one man will be scrutinized more than any
Panthers have other. After a season in which he posted the worst save percentage since his second year in the NHL and allowed a career-worst 3.23 goals against average, Bobrovsky remains the team’s lightning rod. Thus far, Quenneville and his players are pleased with how their goaltender has played.
“It helps us tremendously. Knowing that when we make a mistake, he’s there to back us up,” Acciaria said. “He’s played unbelievable these last three games, and we want to play well in front of him and how him how much we appreciate it.”
Added Quenneville: “He did what he had to do to give us a chance and got us a win. I think that he’s been under some situations where he’s been in a lot of big moments like that.”
Friday afternoon will be another of those moments in Game 4, with the puck set to drop at 12 p.m. ET. The Panthers will hope Sunday will be another.
“Learning how to win is an acquired taste, and I think [Wednesday] was a first step,” Quenneville said. “But we need to win a lot more than one game, so we’ve got to find out more. And I look forward to the guys accepting a big challenge.”