Foundation to Panthers’ success on display in Game 1 win vs. Lightning. The goal now: Sustain it
For an understanding of just how gritty the Florida Panthers were in their series-opening win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday to begin the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, just listen to how the opposing coach described how the game unfolded.
“Florida is an exceptional team. They are going to do this,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “They have done it to teams all year and they are going to do it to us for the rest of the playoffs. It’s our job to fight through it.”
Cooper is referring to Florida’s suffocating defense, its tight-checking approach that stymies opponents when all five skaters on the ice are clicking.
And on Sunday, Florida was clicking.
The Panthers held the Lightning to just 19 shots on goal — including just 10 combined in the first two periods — and managed to break the game open in the third period to take a 3-2 win in Game 1 of the best-of-7 series.
“That’s how we’re trying to play,” Panthers forward Sam Reinhart said. “Try to limit their time and space and be on top of pucks. That’s what gives you success this time of year.”
What the Panthers did in Game 1 is nothing new for them. They entered the playoffs coming off a regular-season run in which they allowed the third-fewest shots on goal per game in the league (27.8) en route to winning the Atlantic Division. They held opponents to two goals or fewer 46 times, also the third-best mark in the league.
It’s the epitome of how coach Paul Maurice has structured this team during his two seasons at the helm of the Panthers — defense comes first and the offense will come from it.
That approach won’t change either heading into Game 2 on Tuesday, with puck drop scheduled for 7:30 p.m. from Amerant Bank Arena.
Panthers embrace physicality, defense-oriented game in series-opening win vs Lightning
“It’s the foundation of our game,” Maurice said.
And it was well noticed right from the start.
The Panthers held the Lightning without a shot on goal for the first 16 minutes of play and went up 1-0 in that span on a Reinhart deflection in front of the net. After two periods, the score was tied 1-1 and both teams had combined for 25 shots on goal.
Florida then took the lead for good on a Carter Verhaeghe power-play goal 58 seconds into the third period and a Matthew Tkachuk empty-netter with 2:05 left on the clock, at one point outshooting Tampa 12-5 in the third period before the Lightning put together a flurry of scoring chances in the final minutes with their net empty trying to mount a comeback.
“They went to their game plan, and we abandoned ours before it even started,” Cooper said. “Give our guys credit — they weathered the storm for 12, 13 minutes and then we played. But that’s the problem — 16 teams are out. Now there are only 16 teams left. The margins of error is so much smaller now. When we turn the game into a 45-minute game instead of a 60-minute game, you’re given a little bit less of a chance to do anything.”
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During those final 45 minutes, Maurice considered the game to be “even” and wants the Panthers to get “comfortable with that.”
“I think it’s going to look like this until somebody has to change the way they’re doing [things] because it’s not working for them,” Maurice said. “There wasn’t enough sustained action from either team to say, ‘Yeah, we got it.’ ... Both teams are going to work their asses off for an inch of ice.”
The Panthers did just enough to get them a win in the series opener. Now, the focus is on sustaining that momentum as the series continues.
“It’s always nice getting off to a good start,” Reinhart said. “We know there’s a long way to go. We’re going one day at a time. We had a job to do today, we executed, and now we rest up, recover and get ready for Game 2.”
