For the first time since skating with the Stanley Cup, the Florida Panthers were back on the ice at Amrenat Bank Arena on Sunday.
Florida hosted the Nashville Predators in a preseason-opening doubleheader for the pair of playoff teams from a season ago.
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It was a fun day and night for the South Florida hockey fans who enjoyed the opportunity to see a pair of games and players who either have yet to go pro or spent much of their season in Charlotte.
Let’s get to our first takeaways of the preseason:
PLEASED WITH VETS, FWIW
Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice made sure to emphasize that there isn’t much to be taken from these first preseason games.
Both teams have large rosters that feature players who will soon head to their respective junior teams and others who know they are destined for the American league.
Still, Maurice found areas that he was pleased with. That’s not terribly surprising considering the Cats put up nine goals.
“The veteran players played smart, they did the right things, they didn’t cheat the game, they ran the routes,” Maurice said. “And then we got some pretty good work from some guys, some good goaltending, some saves at important times, if you were relating that to the wins, and then we won’t think about those games again.”
POWER PLAY CLICKS
Florida scored three power play goals in the span of just over 10 minutes during the first period of game two on Sunday.
They deployed a familiar trio of Sasha Barkov, Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe, all of whom are usually found on Florida’s top power play unit, along with brothers Adam and Jesper Boqvist.
That group accounted for two of the three PPGs, and afterward, Maurice cautioned that while yes, they looked good, they were also facing a penalty kill that was far from a well-oiled machine.
“We’ve got three players that have played together for a very, very long time against a group of penalty killers that haven’t killed as a group ever,” said Maurice. “I like the way (Adam Boqvist) moved the puck across the line and I liked the decisions he made with the puck, the pace he was at, but I think we knew that. We thought it would be good.”
STRONG SHOWING FROM RECENT DRAFT PICKS
It’s not often a sixth-round draft selection immediately begins standing out on the ice, but that’s exactly what’s happened with Hunter St. Martin. He’s carried a strong showing at development camp and the rookie tournament to holding his own at the Panthers Training Camp.
The same can be said of last year’s second-round pick, Gracyn Sawchyn, who has shown consistency in both the way he’s able to produce and how he’s been able to grow as a player.
“What I liked about (St. Martin) and Sawchyn, (they are) both very young guys, both junior eligible, and the cost physically (of playing pro) would be greatest on those two,” Maurice said. “They’re still very young. Every year, their tanks get bigger, they get so much stronger at that age. I thought those guys were able to get through those three days of camp and then come out and play with some energy. That’s a good sign. They’ve done some good work at a young age to be able to survive our camp.”
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