Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Tough customers?
Panthers, Vegas spar about physicality that’s part of Florida’s style
LAS VEGAS — To hear the Florida Panthers tell it, Saturday’s Game 1 was about introductions being made with Vegas, strategies being cross-examined and themes forming in this Stanley Cup Final between two teams that don’t see each other much.
“You kind of get to learn a little bit on both the special teams, especially, and then the game will take on its own style,’’ Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “Vegas and Florida will create their own style of game and it’ll be different than any other series we’ve seen.”
Here were a few of the developing themes to watch entering Monday’s Game 2:
Tough series or over-the-line
play?: The Panthers say they’re playing physical. Vegas says it’s too much at times.
“We’re not going to pull off the physicality, it’s what we do well,’’ Maurice said.
The Panthers’ rough-and-tumble play was in evidence in the Boston series when one game had acombined87hits.Game1against Vegas, by comparison, had 65 hits.
Still, Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy talked about playing “disciplined” hockey and, “not getting dragged into,” a borderline chippy game, “if that’s what the other team wants.”
Vegas center Jonathan Marchessault was disappointed he reacted to a first-period moment where, “(Matthew) Tkachuk came up to me and he slapped me on a wrist … he gets restless and excited. I didn’t want to get involved in that.
“It’s the same with Lamborghini,’’ Marchessault said, referring to the Panthers’ Ryan Lomberg. “I think he’s playing well but he’s still an agitator. You must not fall into that trap and keep calm.”
Marchessault termed, “silly,” a scrum in the final minutes that ended the night for Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Vegas’s Chandler Stephenson with game misconducts.
“It was a two-goal game and there were four minutes left,’’ Marchessault said. “The referees did a good job. We wanted to win the game.”
The Panthers’ plan has been to wear down teams over a series with their physicality. That was a possible part of their comeback from down 1-3 in the Boston series. Expect more of the same in Game 2 against Vegas.
Special teams questions: Power plays should be an advantage for the Panthers this series when looking at the comparative numbers. There’s no time for sample-size comparison, though, so what matters is the Panthers went 0 for 3 on power plays in Game 1 while Vegas went 2 for 7 (and gave up a Panthers’ shorthanded goal).
“I felt we were a little slow early on,’’ Maurice said of the power play, before noting Aleksander Barkov hit the post and other chances were created on a third-period power play. “Both teams will improve the power play once they get a feel for the kill.
“We gave up the goal, then we gave up another chance, actually being too aggressive at times. But we don’t want to completely pull that off, either. Those are the learning things in a series that happen.”
The Panthers entered the series scoring on a healthy 27.9 percent of power plays in the postseason. That included 4 of 16 against Carolina, the top penalty-killing unit of the playoffs. Vegas, by comparison, was killing penalties at a 61.7 percent, the worst of any team that advanced past the first round.
“If you’ve watched us this year, our power play’s hit or miss,” Cassidy said. “It’s been good in stretches, and other times we get slow on it. So we’re not relying on it … We can win in different ways.”
Sergei Bobrovsky vs. Adin Hill:
Both goalies entered Game 1 on hot streaks and each had their moments Saturday night. Vegas forwards Brett Howden and Mark Stone each broke in alone in the first two periods and Bobrovsky made saves.
Hill had the save of the night — maybe of the entire NHL playoffs — when Panthers forward Nick Cousins got a rolling puck at the doorstep of an open net. Hill dove across the crease and stopped the shot with his stick paddle.
Vegas had two goals from near the blue line, a place they haven’t scored much from these playoffs. One was defenseman Shea Theodore’s first post-season goal for Vegas’ third goal — and game-winner — where Bobrovsky was screened.
Of his first game after nine days off, Bobrovsky said, “I saw the puck well. The moment was good. Everything was good. It was a great game. I was really happy to be there, you know, to play that game and to face that team. It was a good game.”