3 Takeaways From The Florida Panthers Preseason

After a solid set of preseason games, the Cats have a good idea of how everyone looks for the season. Florida went 2-0-2 in the preseason, with the team winning both first matches against their opponents and losing the second game in a shootout. The Panthers probably could’ve gone 3-0-1, but HC Paul Maurice decided not to utilize any of his best shootout options against Carolina. There was plenty of good and bad to take away. The goaltending is still a question mark, but apart from a couple of mistakes, it didn’t look as poor as some feared. Akira Schmid had a really solid game against the Lightning on Saturday and had a fantastic save in OT to send the game to a shootout. Both Markstrom and Schmid posted a .923 SV% in the second match against the Hurricanes. The top line looked as good as expected, Florida’s identity was alive and well, and there were very good performances from the depth players.

Magic:

It’s only been two games, but it seems the Bill Zito and Paul Maurice have already been vindicated in putting Brady onto the Barkov line. Brady scored the first goal in each game against Carolina, including one on the power play. He also had a third goal on an empty net at the end of the first game. But the new guy wasn’t just scoring goals; he also had a great pass to Barkov for a breakaway and a goal, and decided to fight a guy for a hit on Sasha that Brady took exception to, although it was the wrong guy. Tkachuk was able to poke fun at himself for fighting the wrong player during his podcast with Matthew. Barkov looked like Barkov, arguably the best he’s ever been. But don’t take my word for it; M. Tkachuk said during media day that it’s unusual for a player to come back from an injury like that better than before. Other teammates and Paul Maurice shared similar sentiments. Reinhart was the quietest one from his preseason games with just one assist, but he’s Sam Reinhart; there’s nothing to worry about there. Overall, that line looked dominant and dangerous, but take it with a grain of salt with it being the preseason and Carolina iced a mostly non-NHL lineup.

Fight Club And Penalties:

Three fights in four preseason games, and it’s not even surprising. Ironically, the first game against Tampa Bay was the only one that didn’t feature a dropped-gloves fight after what happened last year. Brady fought in the first preseason game, Boko Imama dropped gloves early in the second Carolina game, and Lafferty fought in the second Tampa game. Lafferty also got the first 10-minute misconduct for the Cats this season. With the personnel that Florida has, I expect we’ll be seeing fights on the ice more often than not, and we already saw quite a bit of fighting before this year. Hopefully the penalty kill will once again be up for the task because the Cats are likely going to take so, so, so many penalties during the season, beyond just fighting ones. Florida hasn’t been particularly disciplined during the preseason. There’s been more than one 5v3 power play for the Cats’ opponents already, which is a bit concerning because it could mean that Florida’s aggressive style is hurting more than helping. The flip side is that the only power-play goals the Panthers have given up have been on power plays where the opponent had a two-man advantage. The second game against the Lightning was certainly more in line with what was expected, very chippy and more penalty-filled. Tampa was able to tie the game up on a late power play, but it was the only man-advantage goal the penalty kill allowed, which is great for how many young and depth players were in the lineup.

Trust In The Depth:

The Panthers ran a youth-heavy lineup against the Lightning, who rolled out something close to their opening night lineup. The depth held their own in the first game taking a 5-3 win with a penalty kill that went a perfect 4/4. The two biggest veterans, Lars Eller and Garnet Hathaway, had solid games against the Lightning, especially given that they were the Cats’ top line for those games. Cole Reinhardt has made a very strong case to be on the opening night roster. He came into the Panthers organization late last year but has scored 6 goals in 7 games dating back to the previous season. Florida’s style seems to fit him like a glove, and he’s flourished in the opportunity he’s been given. Sandis Vilmanis is expected to start the year on the third line for Florida, filling Brad Marchand’s role while he rehabs from surgery. Vilmanis had a big growth year last season, getting opportunities at both the Olympics and World Championships. The latter of which he was one of the leading points scorers with 11 points in 7 games. HC Paul Maurice said that there’s plenty of trust in Vilmanis’ game to slot him in on that third line.

Other young players like Hunter St. Martin, Boko Imama, and Kai Schwindt had great showings in their preseason games. Imama spoke to the media about wanting to leave an impression during training camp, and he most likely achieved that by being a noticeable physical presence and scoring a goal. HC Paul Maurice said that he’s pleased with the progress that St. Martin has made after he suffered an injury in training camp last year. K. Schwindt had a goal and an assist in the first game against the Lightning as his entire line scored and had a very good game. Kai also had an assist on the Vilmanis goal in game 2 against Tampa Bay. All in all, the young players are poised to have a good season down in Charlotte and will have the trust of the coaching staff should they get called up.