SUNRISE - The Florida Panthers opened the NHL season with a 2-0-2 road trip, earning six of eight possible points to claim first place in the Atlantic Division - the sixth time in franchise history the club has started a season on a four-game point streak.
“If you would have told me going into the trip that we’d take six of eight [points], I would have signed on the dotted line,” forward Matthew Tkachuk said. Tkachuk finished the road trip with three points, tied atop the team scoring leaderboard with Sam Bennett and newcomer Lars Eller.
Goaltender Jacob Markstrom has been a cornerstone of the fast start. The 36-year-old veteran posted a 2-0-1 record through his first three appearances, stopping 51 of 55 shots for a .927 save percentage. According to MoneyPuck.com, Markstrom has saved 3.1 goals above expected in the early going.
Eller, in his first season with the Panthers, is riding a three-game point streak. The fourth line of Eller, Garnet Hathaway and Bokondji Imama has been particularly dominant at 5-on-5, posting an 82.61 Corsi for percentage with a 19-4 edge in shot attempts, an 8-1 advantage in shots on goal and a 5-1 margin in scoring chances.
The Panthers’ physical identity remains intact. Florida leads the NHL with 144 hits and 34.23 hits per 60 minutes, recording at least 27 hits in each of the four road games, including a season-high 43 in their opening-night win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Hathaway leads the team with 18 hits, followed by Brady Tkachuk with 17.
At 5-on-5, the Panthers have allowed just two goals over 170:48 of play, outscoring opponents 5-2 and leading 166-113 in shot attempts. They enter the week in a three-way tie for the fewest 5-on-5 goals allowed in the NHL.
Defenseman Seth Jones is logging 27:43 of average ice time per game, ranking fourth in the NHL and leading all Panthers skaters by 23 total minutes over the next-highest teammate. Of that workload, 26:50 has come on the power play and 10:53 on the penalty kill. Center Anton Lundell leads the team with a 57.1 faceoff winning percentage and 32 faceoff wins, including a season-best 68.8% against the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 1. Over the past three seasons, Lundell has won an average of 53.2% of his draws. The Panthers open their home schedule at Amerant Bank Arena this week.