Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Team enforcer
Panthers enforcer takes action after cheap shot
Panthers coach says fight last night needed to send message that cheap shots won’t be tolerated.
CORAL SPRINGS — You won’t find Micheal Haley’s name in the score sheet much. The Florida Panthers fourth-line forward has 17 career points. He’s scored five goals in eight NHL seasons. That’s fine with him. He’s not supposed to fill up the box score.
Haley serves as the Panthers enforcer, willing to drop the gloves to defend a teammate or to fire up the bench. During Florida’s 8-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night, Haley notched his fourth fighting major of the year, this time sticking up for Aleksander Barkov.
During the first period Thursday, Barkov absorbed a high crosscheck to the face from Ducks defenseman Josh Manson. Manson was whistled for a highsticking penalty, and Barkov was slow to get off the ice.
Less than a minute after Manson emerged from the penalty box, Haley hit him against the boards, then both dropped the gloves at center ice. In a bout that spanned nearly 45 seconds, the two exchanged fists before Manson knocked Haley off balance with a couple left jabs.
“A player like Barky, you don’t want people thinking they can do things to him,” Haley said. “Just wanted to let them know that someone will answer it, so you can’t be running around.”
It was Haley’s fourth fight through the season’s first nine games. His 34 penalty minutes are tied for fourth-most in the NHL. Haley averages 3:47 penalty minutes per game. He averages 7:30 of total ice time.
Panthers coach Bob Boughner — himself a former NHL enforcer with 1,382 penalty minutes across 10 seasons — said Haley’s fight was “one of the biggest statements of the game” against Anaheim.
“We talk about being a tough team to play against, and it’s not about fighting or anything like that,” Boughner said. “It’s about sticking up for each other and get that pack mentality. That was important, especially when Barky took that shot to the face.
“I thought it was high. I thought it was dirty. Hales took it upon himself, and I think it raises the emotion up on the bench and the enthusiasm.”
With Florida’s penaltykill unit banged up with injuries, Boughner leaned on Haley for some time on the PK during Tuesday night’s loss in Montreal. Haley played 30 seconds on the kill that game, and could see more time should Colton Sceviour, Connor Brickley and Jared McCann miss more time.
McCann (lower body), Sceviour (upper body) and Brickley (upper body) did not practice on Friday morning.
No practice for Luongo
Injured goaltender Roberto Luongo (right hand) also did not practice with the rest of the team on Friday morning. Boughner said he remained day-today after suffering the injury Oct. 20 against the Penguins.
“It’s taking him some time to get some mobility back in his hand and working on that,” Boughner said.
Luongo has done some work on the ice with goaltending coach Robb Tallas and has continued his conditioning on the treadmill, Boughner said. The first game Luongo is eligible to come off injured reserve is Saturday.