Anton Lundell's first career hat trick is the centerpiece of this week's Primetime Panthers, and the show also debuts the new Hometown Remix jerseys.
The Panthers drafted Lundell 12th overall in 2020, and he has been a fixture down the middle ever since. At 25, he has 375 NHL games behind him and a career that has quietly stacked up to 207 points.
This season he sits at 4 goals and 2 assists through 16 games. That's 6 points for a Florida team that is 9-5-2 and 5th in the Atlantic Division.
The plus-minus is the one blemish. Lundell is a -4, and he was held off the scoresheet Wednesday night in the 5-3 win over Chicago, finishing a -1 in 16:54 of ice time.
Sandis Vilmanis and Sam Reinhart did the heavy lifting in that game, which only shows how deep this lineup can get when Lundell isn't the one scoring. But a hat trick is a hat trick, and the Panthers are treating it that way.
Lundell has been in the middle of the conversation lately for other reasons. Winnipeg's reported Lundell ask for Connor Hellebuyck was the price Florida refused to pay.
The Panthers' official account says Katie Engleson sits down with him on the show to talk about his journey to the NHL.
That's a good watch for fans who know the numbers but not the path from Espoo to Sunrise.
Why Lundell still matters to Florida
Florida said no when Winnipeg came asking for him. Judging by what a 25-year-old center with 82 career goals gives this lineup, that was the right call.
He plays the hard minutes, kills penalties and doesn't need to lead the team in points to matter. A hat trick just reminds everyone he can finish too.
The jersey segment adds a little fun to the night. The Hometown Remix sweaters are the other big piece of the show, and the post says the special look comes tonight at 7pm.
On the ice, there's work to do without the captain. Paul Maurice's message about life without Aleksander Barkov put the spotlight on how much the others have to carry.
Lundell's next chance to add to that 6-point total comes Saturday, when the Panthers visit Washington.
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