Home must be place to go for some wins

To improve playoff chances, Panthers have to protect home ice

SUNRISE — If the Florida Panthers want to turn the corner and return to the playoffs, it’s going to have to start at home.

After falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-2 in Thursday’s season opener, the Panthers began their home slate Saturday night at the BB&T Center against their instate foe once again.

With just two playoff appearances in the past 18 seasons, taking advantage at home is critical for the Panthers — and the team knows it.

“We want to establish that we’re going to be a good team — predictable at home ice that we’re going to be hard to play against,” new Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said prior to Saturday’s home opener.

“You want to make sure you play and have a good winning record at home. A lot of teams will say that if you’re .500 on the road and have a higher winning percentage at home — that’s what you’re looking for.

“We want to make sure that we’re one of those teams that takes advantage of the crowd, the building.”

Last season, the Panthers finished the regular season 20-13-8 at home but struggled on the road, accumulating a 16-19-6 record. Starting off hot with be a key task for Florida after years of earlyseason struggles have doomed its playoff chances. Last year, the Panthers finished October with a 2-4-3 mark and never recovered.

“This is the time of year when

our building ’s full and bumping,” Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said.

“We want to get people excited about hockey as soon as possible and make them want to buy another ticket for the next game.”

While the Panthers haven’t won a playoff series since 1996, expectations for the team are high entering the year.

In the offseason, Florida landed the second-winningest coach of all time in Quenneville and signed the top free-agent goalie in Sergei Bobrovsky.

Pairing the summer additions with their talented returning core featuring Aleksander Barkov, Vincent Trocheck, Jonathan Huberdeau and Ekblad, the Panthers are hoping the pieces are finally in place for a playoff run.

With the Dolphins, Hurricanes and Marlins all struggling mightily and the Heat looking to replace legend Dwyane Wade after missing the playoffs, the Panthers have an opportunity to seize the market if they live up to expectations.

Hawryluk moves to third line

Ahead of t he home opener, Quenneville made a minor switch in his forward lines, bumping up Jayce

Hawryluk to third-line winger. The forward, who didn’t play in Thursday’s game versus Tampa Bay, takes Denis Malgin’s spot on that unit. Last season, Hawryluk, 23, played in 42 games, posting 12 points (seven goals, five assists).

After making his NHL debut last season, Hawryluk is ready for the opportunity at hand.

[The plan is] just go out there an play hard every shift,” Hawryluk said. “If I work hard and follow the systems that are in place, I think things will turn out well for myself.”