Lars Eller is set to play his 1,200th NHL game tonight when the Panthers host the Blackhawks, and he spoke about it today.
He sits at 1,199 games, so the milestone arrives at puck drop. It also lands in his first season in Florida, and a night when the Panthers need a response after Monday's 5-3 loss to Detroit.
Eller reflected on the number, according to the Panthers and Jameson Olive. He said that as a kid, playing in the NHL "wasn't even on the map," and that he thinks the little kid would be proud today.
Paul Maurice had plenty to say about his veteran center too. Olive relayed Maurice's view that the consistency in Eller's game comes from the fundamentals.
"The mind hasn't changed and it hasn't slowed," Maurice said, according to Olive. That is a lot of praise for a 37-year-old who was drafted 13th overall by the St-Louis Blues in 2007.
What Eller has given Florida in his first season
The numbers back up the coach. Eller has 8 points in 15 games with the Panthers, made up of 1 goal and 7 assists, and he carries a +7 rating.
One of those goals was a game-winner, which matters on a team that sits 5th in the Atlantic at 8-5-2. Nobody is mistaking him for a top-line scorer, but a +7 on a club with a +3 goal differential stands out.
The Panthers also shared Maurice's comments on how Eller has adapted to his first season in Florida.
Maurice said Eller does the right things night after night. Coming from a coach who has just called out his group for a sloppy loss, that is the kind of reliability you want in a lineup. You can read more on Maurice's message after the Red Wings loss.
Over his NHL career, Eller has 194 goals and 253 assists for 447 points in 1,199 games. Those are steady, durable numbers, built over a long run in the league.
Chicago arrives at 4-10-1, having lost three straight and winless on the road this season at 0-5-1. Eller can reach 1,200 games against a team Florida should beat, and Maurice will want the Panthers to give him a win to go with it.
Does Lars Eller's steady two-way game deserve more ice time on the Panthers?
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