Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Rowe shuffles up the lines
With a focus on discipline, Panthers will have new look
SUNRISE — He didn’t mince words Saturday after another exasperating Florida Panthers loss at home, and interim coach Tom Rowe made it clear Monday that the status quo won’t get the underachieving team to the playoffs.
That was evident in a shakeup on two lines aimed at busting out of a scoring slump and an emphasis on adhering to a disciplined approach that has too often been missing during losses in five of the past six games since sweeping a five-game road trip.
“We can’t be losing our assignments, we can’t be cheating on offense and we need to get back to playing the way we did on the West Coast, which was defense first, protect the puck and get it deep when you don’t have a play,” Rowe said, hitting on some shortcomings in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Dallas at home.
Rowe had singled out forward Reilly Smith following the game for missing defensive assignments on the Stars goals, saying, “All I know is Reilly Smith was blowing the zone and doing exactly what he’s not supposed to be doing.”
It is unusual for a coach to call out a player publicly for a lapse in a game. Smith handled it stoically, saying Monday, “It’s never good. But it happens, and I hold myself pretty accountable. A couple slipups last game probably cost us.”
Smith, who has been on the No. 2 line with Vincent Trocheck and Jussi Jokinen, was moved to Nick Bjugstad’s line along with Jokinen. Jonathan Marchessault and Thomas Vanek were moved up as wings alongside Trockeck.
Despite getting key forwards back from injuries and the recent addition of a proven scorer in Vanek, the Panthers have netted only five goals while registering 158 shots on goal in their past four losses.
“We haven’t scored a 5-on-5 goal in eight periods, so we’re not going to keep the lines the same way — that’s just insanity,” Rowe said.
The Bjugstad-SmithJokinen alignment proved productive near the end of last season and into the playoffs when Trockeck was out with an injury.
Rowe is hopeful the combination will revive that chemistry.
Smith said, “If you’re able to sustain pressure and keep the puck down low in the other team’s end it usually correlates to a good chance or a goal. Bjugy’s great at that, so that’s why he’s a great guy to play with.”
After playing themselves into playoff position on the western swing, the Panthers have missed a prime opportunity to entrench themselves during a stretch that has them playing seven of eight games at the BB&T Center.
So far they have earned only three of a possible 12 points with two home games remaining this week before returning to the road.
Rowe was pointed in his assessment of what has been missing and what has to change.
“That’s our problem, we try to get too fancy with the puck when we shouldn’t be,” he said. “We’ve told them over and over, make your play when the ice is available. But they’re all smart enough and talented enough to know when the ice isn’t available you’ve got to chip it deep. It’s just crazy when you don’t play that way.
“San Jose, Chicago, they probably chip the puck and dump it in more than anybody in hockey, and look what they’re doing. Minnesota the same way. Carolina is ranked No. 4 in puck possession. We’re at the top of the 10 mark in puck possession, well guess what, we’re fighting for our lives to get in the playoffs. Carolina is not going to make the playoffs. So it’s pretty simple.”
To his point, Minnesota, Chicago and San Jose are 1-2-3 in points in the Western Conference and all in solid playoff position. So they are all worth emulating.
The Panthers, for all of their inconsistency and shortcomings, were only two points out of the second wild-card spot going into Monday’s games.
The urgency was evident as they prepared to face the Rangers (firmly in the top wild-card spot) today and the Wild on Friday.
“Stumbling in [to the playoffs] and losing four straight in the first round is frustrating,” Panthers captain Derek MacKenzie said. “So if we’re going to get in we’ve got to beat the best teams and we’ve got to deserve to get in. These next two games are two perfect examples of some pretty good hockey teams, so it will be a good test for us.”
So the Panthers shuffle the deck on their second and third lines with the same faces in different places.
“It’s going to wake us up, I think,” Marchessault said.
“We have the right guys. It’s just a matter of time,” Bjugstad said, then mindful that only 18 games remain, added, “Obviously, we don’t have much time.”