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Panthers' Spencer Knight: Called up from minors
Knight was recalled from AHL Charlotte on Thursday, George Richards of Florida Hockey Now reports.
Knight has spent the entire 2023-24 campaign in the minors with the Checkers, logging action in 45 regular-season contests in which he posted a 25-14-5 record and .905 save percentage. Even with his promotion, Knight shouldn't be expected to get into any games, primarily serving as an emergency option behind Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz.
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Panthers' Sam Bennett: Set to resume skating
Bennett (upper body) is expected to skate Thursday for the first time since he was injured April 23. He might be available for Game 1 of Florida's second-round matchup against the winner of the Boston-Toronto series, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.
Bennett missed the final three contests of the first round due to the injury. He had 20 goals, 41 points, 100 PIM and 173 hits in 69 regular-season appearances. Bennett is likely to serve in a top-six capacity once he's healthy.
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Panthers' Kevin Stenlund: Contributes assist in Game 5 win
Stenlund logged an assist in Monday's 6-1 win over the Lightning in Game 5.
Stenlund set up Evan Rodrigues' third-period insurance tally. The helper was Stenlund's first point in five playoff outings and just his second point in his last 22 contests overall. The 27-year-old center had 15 points in 81 regular-season appearances, but just four of those points came after the All-Star break. He should continue to see bottom-six minutes, at least until Sam Bennett (upper body) is able to return.
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Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen: Provides helper in Game 5
Luostarinen notched an assist, two shots on goal and two hits in Monday's 6-1 win over the Lightning in Game 5.
Luostarinen's goal drought is now at 17 games, but he has nine assists in that span. Two of those helpers have come over the last two contests, accounting for all of his playoff production through five outings. The winger has added 17 hits, six shots on net, eight PIM and an even plus-minus rating while filling a third-line role in the postseason.
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Panthers' Anton Lundell: Grabs helper in win
Lundell logged an assist, four hits and two PIM in Monday's 6-1 win over the Lightning in Game 5.
Lundell's assist streak is up to four games, which coincides with him taking over the second-line center position from Sam Bennett (upper body). With a few days before the second round, it's possible Bennett could be healthy enough to play the next time the Panthers have a game. Lundell would then likely move down the lineup, which would likely lead to fewer scoring chances for the pivot.
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Panthers' Gustav Forsling: Produces assist
Forsling notched a shorthanded assist, two shots on goal, three blocked shots and a plus-4 rating in Monday's 6-1 win over the Lightning in Game 5.
Forsling recorded four helpers over five games in the first round. The defenseman also has nine shots on net, nine hits, 11 blocks and plus-5 rating in the postseason. Forsling continues to be a key defenseman for the Panthers and should see top-four minutes throughout the playoffs.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Pockets helper in win
Ekblad notched a shorthanded assist, eight hits, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Monday's 6-1 win over the Lightning in Game 5.
Ekblad set up the first of Aleksander Barkov's two goals in the game. Through five playoff contests, Ekblad has two helpers, six shots on net, 25 hits, nine blocked shots and a plus-4 rating. The 28-year-old continues to handle a heavy workload on the Panthers' top pairing, though he's been seeing minimal power-play time.
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Panthers' Vladimir Tarasenko: Logs helper in Game 5 win
Tarasenko recorded an assist in Monday's 6-1 win over the Lightning in Game 5.
Tarasenko provided decent depth offense in the first round, earning a goal, two assists and four shots on net over five games. He also had eight hits and five blocked shots. Tarasenko's ice time has been limited so far in the playoffs, and that will likely make it difficult for him to put up points as the matchups get tougher.
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Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk: Two more assists Monday
Tkachuk registered two assists and six shots on goal in Monday's 6-1 win over the Lightning in Game 5.
Tkachuk helped out on third-period goals by Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe. This was Tkachuk's fourth multi-point effort in five playoff games -- he has accumulated three goals and six assists in the postseason. The winger should continue to see heavy usage in a top-six role while providing solid offense and physical play.
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Panthers' Evan Rodrigues: Tallies in Game 5 win
Rodrigues scored a goal on three shots and added eight hits in Monday's 6-1 win over the Lightning in Game 5.
Rodrigues contributed to the Panthers' third-period rally in their series-clinching win. The goal was his first of the playoffs, and he's added one assist, seven shots on net, 25 hits and an even plus-minus rating over five postseason outings. He should continue to occupy a middle-six role.
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Panthers' Niko Mikkola: One of each Monday
Mikkola scored an empty-net goal, added an assist, logged five hits and blocked three shots in Monday's 6-1 win over the Lightning in Game 5.
Mikkola helped out on Carter Verhaeghe's opening goal in the second period and scored the final goal of the game in the third. This was Mikkola's first multi-point effort since Dec. 6. He's maintained steady ice time in a top-four role this season, though he's rarely been a big contributor on offense. The 28-year-old blueliner had three goals, 17 points, 93 shots on net, 199 hits, 124 blocked shots and 69 PIM over 82 regular-season outings.
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Panthers' Carter Verhaeghe: Strong in series-clinching win
Verhaeghe scored two goals on eight shots, dished an assist and went plus-3 in Monday's 6-1 win over the Lightning in Game 5.
Verhaeghe wrapped up the first round with five goals and four assists over five contests. The 28-year-old started the scoring early in the second period, helped out on an Aleksander Barkov goal in the third and then deposited an empty-netter toward the end of the game. Verhaeghe's playoff performances are becoming the stuff of legends -- he had 17 points over 21 outings last spring and is on an even better pace in 2024.
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Panthers' Aleksander Barkov: Three-point effort in win
Barkov scored twice on four shots, added an assist, went plus-4, levied four hits and blocked two shots in Monday's 6-1 win over the Lightning in Game 5.
Barkov's first tally was a shorthanded one in the second period, and it stood as the series-clinching goal. He also added the first of four goals in the third as the Panthers ran away with the win. The center ends the first round of the playoffs with five points, 14 shots on net, 14 hits, six blocked shots and a plus-3 rating over five appearances. He posted 23 goals and 80 points over 73 regular-season outings while serving as the Panthers' top-line center.
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Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky: Secures series win
Bobrovsky stopped 31 of 32 shots in Monday's 6-1 win over the Lightning in Game 5.
Bobrovsky secured a 4-1 series win in the first round with Monday's strong showing. The 35-year-old has given up 14 goals over five playoffs contests, though six of them came in his lone loss in Game 4. The Panthers will have a little extra time off ahead of the second round, where they'll face either the Bruins or the Maple Leafs.
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Panthers' Ryan Lomberg: Not playing Monday
Lomberg won't play Monday in Game 5 against Tampa Bay despite being cleared to return from an illness, according to Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site.
Lomberg participated in the morning skate after partaking in Sunday's practice but needs a bit more time to get back up to game speed. He picked up four hits in 6:32 of ice time in Game 1 before missing three straight contests. Lomberg had five goals, seven points, 80 PIM and 179 hits in 75 outings during the 2023-24 regular season.
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Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky: In goal Monday
Bobrovsky will get the starting nod at home against the Lightning in Game 5 on Monday, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.
Bobrovsky will be looking for a bounce-back performance after conceding six goals on 32 shots (.813 save percentage) in Game 4 on Saturday. It was the veteran netminder's first regulation loss in his last eight outings dating back to the regular season, having gone 6-1-1 over that stretch. Despite the subpar outing in Game 4, Bobrovsky, who was named a Vezina Trophy finalist Monday, was never really in danger of losing the starting job.
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Panthers' Brandon Montour: Heating up in playoffs
Montour registered an assist and four blocked shots versus the Lightning in Game 4 on Saturday, but it wasn't enough, as the Panthers suffered a 6-3 loss.
After being held without a point in the first two games of the conference quarterfinals, Montour stacked a goal and two helpers between Game 3 and Game 4. The eighth-year defenseman has always had a high ceiling in terms of offensive potential, but there had been a fair number of detractors until Montour's eye-popping 73-point campaign surfaced in 2022-23. He had offseason shoulder surgery and missed the first 16 games of the recently completed regular season, leveling back down to a half-point-per game average. In this playoff series, Montour is averaging 23:26 of ice time with 2:27 on the man advantage. The Panthers will have another crack at eliminating the Lightning in Game 5 on Monday, this time on home ice.
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Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk: Two helpers in Game 4 loss
Tkachuk collected two assists Saturday during a 6-3 loss to the Lightning in Game 4.
Both helpers came in the second period as the Panthers tried to rally from an early 3-0 deficit, to no avail. Tkachuk has been outstanding to begin the postseason, and he leads Florida with seven points (three goals, four assists) through four games. He'll look to extend his active point streak to eight games Monday in Game 5, and lead his team into the second round.
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Team Statistical Rankings
| GF AVG | GA AVG | Power Play | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 3.20 | 2.39 | 23.5 |
Injuries
| Player | Injury |
|---|---|
| S. Bennett C Sam Bennett C | Upper Body |