Barkov back as Leafs, Panthers aim to send message before playoffs
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The Maple Leafs and Panthers skated at Baptist Health Iceplex in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Tuesday
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The sliding Florida Panthers are getting reinforcements for Tuesday’s showdown against the Leafs.
Captain and first-line centre Aleksander Barkov will return after missing three games, including last week’s 3-2 loss in Toronto.
“For us, I like that he’s back in the lineup,” insisted Leafs defenceman Brandon Carlo. “It’s a great challenge for us to continue to kind of gauge ourselves.”
Top-line winger Sam Reinhart and top-four defenceman Gustav Forsling will also draw back in for the Panthers after sitting out Sunday’s 2-1 loss in Detroit to rest some bumps and bruises.
Reinhart had played in every game this season and also suited up for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. He hasn’t missed a game since the 2021-22 season.
“He’s played more games than anyone else in the NHL in the last two [years], so pulling the guy on a back to back seemed to make sense,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.
The Panthers, who were shutout on Saturday in Ottawa, have lost five straight (0-4-1) amid an unforgiving schedule.
“We’re nine games in 15 days this month, with three sets of back-to-back, but that’s coming off 10 of 14 on the road,” Maurice pointed out. “So, we’ve been in one.”
Florida is 4-8-1 since defenceman Aaron Ekblad was suspended for or violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program back on March 10. Florida's last regulation win came on March 13 in Toronto.
Regardless of the results, the Panthers are generally happy about their process of late.
“We’ve been through something like this before, so there’s no panic, there’s no sense of urgency,” said Reinhart. “I think there’s things in our game that we’re doing very well and that’s what we’re focused on. Of course, certainly, it would be nice to see the wins.”
In particular, Florida likes how its forecheck game is working even though the offence has dried up of late. The Panthers have scored just nine goals in the past six outings.
“Our game is starting to round to where we need to get,” Maurice said. “It’s starting to become a little more physical and it might be something that gets the game going tonight.”
Despite playing on the second half of a back-to-back last week in Toronto, the Panthers were tied in the third period against the rested Leafs.
“They check extremely well,” said Leafs coach Craig Berube. “They’re in your face extremely well and there’s not a lot of room so we’re going to have to be patient. Simple puck plays are important tonight. Putting pucks in behind them, getting pucks out of your zone, those little things are crucial and we did a really good job of it for all the game, I thought. We got a couple good opportunities in the third period and capitalized on it."
Adding intrigue to Tuesday’s tilt is that it could be a playoff preview.
“Both teams are going to want to send a message of what we’re going to bring if we matchup in playoffs,” said Panthers winger Brad Marchand. “But there’s also that position in the standings right now that we’re all chasing. It just makes for an intense game.”
The Leafs lead the Tampa Bay Lightning by two points in the race for first place in the Atlantic Division. The Panthers are six back and the Ottawa Senators are eight back. Toronto has played one fewer game than their rivals.
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Panthers winger Sam Bennett skated on Tuesday, but will remain sidelined and is unlikely to play again in the regular season due to a nagging upper-body issue.
“I just don’t think he’s going back in,” said Maurice. "We’re going to take the time for the rest of the season ... We can manage it, but he can’t play the game at his best. He can play, but it doesn’t make any sense. We got to get him as close to 100 per cent. We think we might be able to do that, but we gotta do that off ice.”
Is there any concern about Bennett being unavailable for Game 1 of the playoffs.
“No,” Maurice said. “None. Zero.”
Centre Nico Sturm remains out on Tuesday, but is expected to return later this week. Defenceman Dmitry Kulikov may return next week.
Winger Matthew Tkachuk skated on his own as he works his way back from a lower-body injury.
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Anthony Stolarz picked up the win against Florida last week, but it will be Joseph Woll getting the start on Tuesday.
“Well, Stolarz has seen them three times this year, so I switched them up,” Berube said.
Stolarz, a former Panther, played all three previous games against Florida this season.
Woll last played on March 30 in Anaheim where he picked up a win against the Ducks.
Sergei Bobrovsky starts for the Panthers.
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What kind of person and player are the Leafs getting in Carlo?
“You got a scumbag,” said Marchand with a laugh. “No, I love Brando. He’s one of my best buddies on the team there [in Boston] and they got an incredible teammate in the room. Great locker room guy. Great competitor.”
After nine seasons together with the Bruins, the pair of old pals faced off for the first time last week.
“He chirped me,” Marchand said with a grin. "He came after me … It cut deep.”
It happened after Marchand drew a high-sticking call on Chris Tanev.
“I was just chirping him and saying that he was embellishing it,” Carlo revealed. “Nothing crazy. Now that I chirped him I’m open for fire, so I’m sure he’ll come with something tonight for me.”
Although Carlo seems unflappable on the ice. He’s second on the Leafs with a plus-five rating in 14 games since being acquired at the trade deadline.
“He’s one of the best defenceman at killing plays,” gushed Marchand. “One of the best sticks in the league and just a steady guy who can log a ton of minutes. He wants to win. He competes at a very high level so they got an incredible player back there and they got him on term too, so it’s a huge pick up.”
Carlo has two more years on his deal after the current one.
Berube has described Carlo as a “vacuum” because he’s so good at recovering pucks in the defensive zone.
“I’ve never heard that type of analogy before,” said centre John Tavares with a smile, "but that makes a lot of sense with his size [6-foot-5] and his reach and even the length of his blade. There’s a lot of [the blade] that can always just get a piece of something and make it difficult to find passing lanes.”
Carlo uses a "tall blade" which he feels helps him knock down more pucks. He credits Zdeno Chara, Adam McQuaid and Kevan Miller for helping him refine his defensive play over the years in Boston.
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Steven Lorentz, who helped the Panthers win the Stanley Cup last year, opted not to catch up with any teammates on Monday after landing back in south Florida.
“Good memories, but that’s in the past,” he said. “Yeah, we got a job to do so that’s the focus right now … Try to keep it internal. Obviously there’s no secret what’s going on in the standings and stuff, so it’s a battle right now. It’s a new season so I’m just trying to win.”
With only six games left in the regular season, Lorentz wants to keep the focus on his new team.
“We wouldn’t hold it against a guy if he’s going to see someone on the other team, but just, at this time of year I want to keep everything internal,” the 28-year-old explained. “You want your group to be as tight as possible.”
Lorentz has his game face on right now. He even dropped the gloves with Jackets forward Sean Kuraly on Saturday for his first fight as a Leaf and first in an NHL regular-season game. The pair had been battling in front of the net before things escalated.
“I mean, I’ve done it before,” Lorentz said. “It was just heat of the moment type of thing and for me that’s kind of the time to do it."
It was the first fight for Lorentz since a playoff bout against Jacob Trouba in a second-round series in May 2022. Back then Lorentz was on the Carolina Hurricanes and Trouba was with the New York Rangers.
"I’m not going to be one to plan one and square up with a guy," said Lorentz, who has just two minor penalties this season. "Probably get my teeth knocked out at that point, but when I’m upset like that I get a little angry. When you’re fighting like that then you’re going through the emotions and doesn’t really hurt when you get hit, and you’re probably not hurting the other guy because the adrenaline is pumping.”
Lorentz is the 12th different Leaf to record a fighting major this season, which is tied for the most in the NHL.
“It just says a lot about our group and the character of the guys in there that they can get to that level of emotion in a hockey game to be able to have it boil over,” said Lorentz.
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Mitch Marner scored a goal and set up the game winner by Matthew Knies in the win over Florida last week. The winger added an assist on Saturday and is up to 94 points on the season.
That puts Marner just six points from the century club with six games to go.
“It’s like a guy scoring 50 goals,” said Berube of the milestone. “It means a lot to the player, individual, and to our team and to the organization.”
Marner has come close before. He finished with 99 points two years ago and 97 three years ago.
“He’s just gotta make sure he stays in the moment with things and plays the right way and the points will come,” Berube advised. “He’s just gotta stay focused and keep playing his game and focus on playing the team game.”
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Lines at Leafs skate:
Knies - Matthews - Marner
McMann - Tavares - Nylander
Laughton - Domi - Jarnkrok
Lorentz - Holmberg - Robertson
Ekman-Larsson - Tanev
Rielly - Carlo
Benoit - Myers
Woll starts
Stolarz
Lines at Panthers skate:
Verhaeghe - Barkov - Reinhart
Luostarinen - Lundell - Marchand
Puljujarvi - Rodrigues - Samoskevich
Greer - Nosek - Gadjovich
Mikkola - Jones
Forsling - Schmidt
Megna - Balinskis
Bobrovsky starts
Vanecek