The Florida Panthers put their three-game win streak on the line tonight against the Detroit Red Wings, and a handful of skaters are carrying the load.
At 8-4-2 with 18 points, Florida sits 10th in the NHL and 5th in the Atlantic. The goal differential is a modest +5, built on 44 goals for and 39 against.
Paul Maurice made the stakes clear ahead of puck drop. Every one of these teams is legit and five points apart in the division, he said.
Carter Verhaeghe's comments about the Panthers building something fit the same mood in the room, and the Panthers shared a clip of one more voice previewing the game, saying every game is huge in a league and a division this hard.
The scoring leader is Matthew Tkachuk, with 20 points in 14 games on 4 goals and 16 assists. He's a playmaker first this season, and the Panthers need exactly that.
Seth Jones is right behind him with 18 points from the blue line. Sixteen of those are assists, which puts him in a spot most defensemen never reach.
The two of them were already the subject of talk about good company after the win over Winnipeg on Friday.
Goals are coming from the wings and the power play
Brady Tkachuk has 15 points and 8 goals, and he's the one who has kept the puck going into the net. Carter Verhaeghe also has 8 goals, two of them game-winners.
Sam Reinhart has 12 points, and 6 of his 7 goals have come on the power play. That's where he has made his living so far.
The depth is still a work in progress. Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand have each played just 2 games, and both are listed on injured reserve, so this is a lineup that has been winning without its full group.
That's the part that should worry Detroit and encourage Florida. The Red Wings are 20th in the NHL at 6-5-3 and lost their last game 5-4 to St. Louis, but they are in the same division and a win gets them closer.
For Florida, a fourth straight win keeps the Atlantic race within reach. Barkov is listed as out until at least Nov 27, and Marchand until at least Nov 21, so the scoring has to keep coming from the same names for weeks.
Can the Panthers stay in the Atlantic race on Matthew Tkachuk and Seth Jones alone until Barkov returns?
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