Late night work for 2 Panthers

Miserable game leads to extra drills

SUNRISE — Forty-three minutes after the Florida Panthers’ 4-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks ended on Saturday night, the BB&T Center stood still. It was silent, save for the distant music at an arena bar and the chatter of workers. Then Vincent Trocheck arrived.

Armed with a bag of pucks and his stick, Trocheck set up in the slot and fired shots on an empty net. It was an odd postgame event. After nearly every game, the players will disappear into the gym for a workout or abandon the rink. But Saturday became the latest loss this season for the Panthers, who entered Sunday with the third-worst record in the NHL.

So Trocheck grabbed his skates and headed toward the ice. As he left the dressing room, Alekander Barkov stopped him.

“Hey, you going out?” Barkov asked.

“Yeah, you want to come?” Trocheck responded.

The franchise’s two star centers fed each other passes from circle to circle. They practiced one-timers and shooting on the move. They switched sides. Towards the end of the 23-minute session, Barkov displayed his one-handed backhands that wowed during Wednesday’s shootout. Trocheck mimicked them. Then he pushed the goal the length of the ice to help put it away at 10:35 p.m.

“It’s nice to have somebody out there working on it with me,” Trocheck said Sunday afternoon after practice.

Trocheck and Barkov have been two of Florida’s best players this season. Trocheck leads the team with nine goals. Barkov is tied for the team lead with 15 assists. Together, they are on pace for 160 points across the entire season.

They’ve been a big part of Florida’s unbalanced offense that stars the Panthers’ top line and then Trocheck. Now, they’ll assume even more responsibility with Evgenii Dadonov sidelined for what could be weeks.

“We both know that we need to score more,” Barkov said. “Our shots are not that good right now. We’re not that confident, so we practice even more shooting. I hope it’s going to help.”

Barkov has no goals in his past five games. He hasn’t scored on his past 19 shots on goal. Trocheck has one goal in his past seven games. He has scored once on his last 20 shots on goal.

Now, the once high-flying Panthers offense has slowed, averaging 1.4 goals per game in the past five games. Florida is 2-3-0 in those games.

“Right now, we’re missing a lot of shots,” Barkov said. “We’re missing the net and hitting the other players and the pucks are not going in.”

For Barkov and Trocheck, the losses can hold a different meaning. They were driving forces behind Florida’s division championship two seasons ago. They both signed longterm contract extensions that keeps them in Sunrise through the 2021-22 season.

Both wear letters across their chests as alternate captains, and both fly below the national radar as the Panthers sink to the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

“I think we know we have the ability to be a really good team,” Trocheck said. “It’s just putting it all together now. The fact that it’s there, pieces to the puzzle are there, we’re just not putting it together, that’s what makes it frustrating.”