Panthers Playoff Run:

From Outside to East Finals

By: Michael A. Chase Jr.

05/18/2023

The Florida Panthers are set to take on the Carolina Hurricanes in the franchise's second ever conference finals appearance. This team has gone on a playoff run that few saw coming, considering that not only were they the bottom team in the postseason, but they had to face some fierce competition from what was considered to be the best in the league. To this point, the Panthers have exceeded those expectations, and now sit four wins away from their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance since the 1995-1996 season. Let's look at all the factors that have contributed to Florida's run to the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.

Offensive Distribution

The first contributing factor to the Panthers' postseason success is their offense and the balanced production it has relied on. Their offense has been spearheaded by their huge offseason trade acquisition of Matthew Tkachuk. The newly acquired Tkachuk leads Florida in postseason points with 16, posting a team-high 11 assists to go with 5 goals – a few of them being big ones that were needed to keep the Panthers alive. He’s done an excellent job being a key driving force and taking attention away from his linemates, leaving them with more room to operate. He has certainly had plenty of his teammates aid the cause from both the forward and defenseman groups. Defenseman Brandon Montour has starred this postseason with a team-leading 6 goals and is a +2. Wingers Sam Reinhart (6 goals, +2), Carter Verhaeghe (5 goals, 7 assists, +10) and Sam Bennet (4 goals, 4 assists, +8) have helped the cause, but back on defense, Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling have also combined for 3 goals and each being a +6. Florida has offense coming from across the lineup – 14 different players have scored at least one goal during this playoff run, five of which have scored more than five goals.

The Panthers have also found major success in the power play, operating at 27.6% through the first two rounds. The Panthers offense has been sure and steady this postseason having scored 40 goals through their first 12 playoff games, but now they will take on its toughest challenge yet against the stout defense of Carolina.

A Rejuvenated Netminder

When teams make deep runs in the postseason goaltending usually ends up being one of the big reasons. These playoffs the Panthers came in with much uncertainty in net, but with the rebirth of Sergei Bobrovsky this postseason Florida has found its stalworth tender to lean on. Bobrovsky taking over in net after young netminder Alex Lyon began the playoffs as the starter has been the season-changing move Florida could have hoped for. Bobrovsky has a .918% save percentage along with 2.82 goals against average (GAA). Those numbers may not seem astonishing but considering he has allowed 3 or fewer goals in 7 of the last 8 playoff games, his game has been stellar. Plus, with the team in front of him is allowing the second most shots per game this postseason he has been busy but up to the challenge. But facing a Carolina team that is 4th in goals for per game at 3.64 he will need to be at his best. He’ll likely be seeing shots in mass volume as Carolina is 5th in shots per game at 33.3 meaning – he’ll be tested often. Bobrovsky’s return to playing at the elite level that saw him be named a two-time All-Star has been crucial to Florida's run.

Perseverance against Favorites

One thing that can’t go understated is how battle-tested the Panthers are coming into this series. We’ve seen who they've ousted to get here. They started with the daunting task of taking down the President Trophy-winning Boston Bruins, a team who set a slew of NHL records in wins, points, among other statistics this season, and looked like the clear-cut Stanley Cup favorites. That series got off to a start that had Florida's postseason stint looking short-lived, with the Panthers falling behind 3-1 in the series, including a 6-2 blowout in Game 4. From that point, the Panthers displayed their resolve and made history as they rallied from a 3-1 deficit to take the series in seven games. They did so by winning two of the last three games in overtime and scoring 15 goals over the final three games against a stout Bruins defense.

They then carried that confidence into their series against a Toronto Maple Leafs team that had just won its first playoff series in 19 years. Once again, they were picked as the underdogs in the series and given little chance. The Panthers went on to shock the hockey world jumping out to a 3-0 series lead over the high-flying Leafs. They did this by limiting the Toronto offense, holding them to 2 or fewer goals in all five games of the series. And again, like the Boston series their last two wins of the series came in OT. The comfortability Florida has displayed in these close games is huge – especially to be undefeated in overtime games this postseason. Now, after having taken down two heavyweights facing the Hurricanes should be nothing new in terms of understanding the challenge. They just must go out and execute and play the game that has gotten them to this point.

It has been a surprising playoff run by the Florida Panthers that few saw coming. To go from the last team to barely qualify for the postseason to now 4 wins away from a Stanley Cup Finals appearance is impressive. Now we wait and see if they can continue their magical run versus an elite Carolina squad tonight.