Panthers shrug off burden of the Presidents’ Trophy
With the Presidents’ Trophy in hand for the first time in franchise history, the Panthers will begin the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs on Tuesday with a proverbial target on their back.
In recent history, it hasn’t boded well for the top team in the NHL.
In the first 34 years the league handed out the trophy to the team with the best regular-season record, only eight recipients have gone on to win the Stanley Cup and none since 2013. In the past 20 years, more Presidents’ Trophy winners have lost in the first round — five — than won the Cup.
The Panthers have mostly downplayed any meaning to the regularseason award.
“We’ve been close to first, if not first, all year, so we’re not really worried about a target on our back,” left wing Ryan Lomberg said Friday. “As far as other Presidents’ Trophy teams go, they’re all great teams. At the start of the year, not one person on our team or probably in the league sets out to win a Presidents’ Trophy. Obviously, it’s a cool accomplishment, but I can tell you in that locker room, from Day 1, no one said Presidents’ Trophy once. That’s not what we’re out here to do. That’s not what we worry about.”
Florida took Saturday off as the team traveled back home after playing its final two regular-season games in Canada on Thursday and Friday, and interim coach Andrew Brunette said it would be a good chance for everyone to celebrate a little bit what they accomplished in the regular season before they begin preparations for the Capitals with a practice Sunday.
“In life you’ve got to celebrate some of these little things and enjoy them, and get back to work on Sunday,” Brunette said Friday. “Our eyes are on that bigger prize and this group has been really good at keeping it day to day and moving on. We’re going to need that moving on because you’re right, there’ll be a target. There’ll be all kinds of talk that there’s probably never been around this team in a long time. These are all different things we’ve got to deal with.”
The regular season was certainly one to remember as the Panthers set franchise records for points, wins, goals and goal differential, tied the NHL’s single-season record for come-from-behind wins and became the first team since the 1995-96 season to average more than four goals per game.
Earlier in the week, Bill Zito was asked what traits have made this team historically good and he rebutted by saying, it’s not — yet.
“We’ve won two playoff games,” the general manager said, referring to last year’s first-round loss to Tampa Bay.
Nothing will matter if the Panthers can’t make a run in the playoffs.
PANTHERS-CAPITALS SERIES BEGINS TUESDAY
Florida will begin its first-round playoff series against the eighth-seeded Washington Capitals on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at FLA Live Arena and playing on alternating days for as long as the series lasts.
It’s good news for South Florida sports fans: The Miami Heat will begin its second-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday at FTX Arena and play on alternating days until a potential Game 7. A sameday conflict for the Heat and Panthers would only occur if both series go seven games, in which case both teams would play May 15.
Even then, the sameday conflict would come on a Sunday, meaning the NBA and NHL could try to make sure the game times don’t overlap.
After two games in Sunrise, Florida’s firstround series against the Capitals will shift to Washington for two games, then locations will alternate for the final three, if necessary. Game times for potential Games 5, 6 and 7 have not been announced.
David Wilson: 305-376-3406, @DBWilson2