Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen: Returns to practice Friday
Rotowire
Luostarinen (lower body) returned to practice Friday, according to Panthers TV Rinkside Reporter Katie Engleson.
Luostarinen suffered his injuries during a BBQ accident Nov. 19. He has missed the last eight games and could return to action as early as Saturday versus Columbus. Luostarinen has three goals and seven assists in 18 games this season.
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Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen: Classified as week-to-week
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Luostarinen (lower body) was labeled week-to-week by head coach Paul Maurice on Wednesday due to injuries suffered during a BBQ, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.
Luostarinen figures to be a candidate for injured reserve, considering he has already missed a game due to his lower-body injury. Including Cole Schwindt (arm), the Cats are now missing six forwards from the lineup. As such, look for Mackie Samoskevich to take Luostarinen's spot on the first line while Jack Devine makes his NHL debut against New Jersey on Thursday.
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Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen: Ruled out with lower-body injury
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Luostarinen has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Canucks due to a lower-body injury, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.
Luostarinen has been on a hot streak recently, racking up three goals, 10 points, 27 hits, 13 blocked shots, six PIM and a plus-5 rating while averaging 17:22 of ice time over his last 11 appearances. However, he's now considered day-to-day due to his lower-body injury. Mackie Samoskevich appears to be in line to serve on the top line Monday, while Luostarinen's next opportunity to return will be Thursday against the Devils.
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Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen: 10 points in last 10 games
Rotowire
Luostarinen had a goal and two assists in a 6-3 win over the Capitals on Thursday.
The goal was an empty netter, but it still counts the same as any other goal. Luostarinen went seven games without a point to start the season, but he has more than made up for that with 10 points, including seven assists, in his last 10 games.
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Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen: Tallies on power play in loss
Rotowire
Luostarinen scored a power-play goal, added four PIM and logged four hits in Tuesday's 7-3 loss to the Ducks.
Luostarinen's offense is warming up -- he's earned all five of his points (two goals, three assists) over the last six games. The 27-year-old winger is also in a top-six role with power-play time currently, which gives him a better chance of sustaining his recent success. Through 13 outings, he's produced 20 shots on net, 33 hits, six PIM and a minus-1 rating. Should Luostarinen remain in the power-play mix, he has the potential to have a breakout season as a power winger.
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Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen: Nets first point of season
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Luostarinen scored a goal in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Bruins. He also added four shots on goal, three hits and two blocked shots.
Luostarinen not only snapped his seven-game point drought Tuesday, but he also did it by finding the back of the net midway through the third period to give the Panthers a transitory 3-2 lead. The 27-year-old forward has been unable to step up due to the absences of Matthew Tkachuk (groin) and Aleksander Barkov (knee), but maybe this goal could be the starter he needs to get things going.
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Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen: One of each in Saturday's win
Rotowire
Luostarinen scored an empty-net goal on two shots and added an assist in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Oilers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Luostarinen set up Brad Marchand's game-winning tally at 5:12 of the third period before scoring the empty-netter to close out the win. The goal was Luostarinen's first since Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. He's been good against the Oilers with a goal and four assists over five contests, giving him 18 points, 33 shots on net, 84 hits, 25 blocked shots, 25 PIM and a plus-11 rating across 22 playoff outings.
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Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen: Pockets helper Friday
Rotowire
Luostarinen notched an assist and five hits in Friday's 5-4 double-overtime win over the Oilers in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Luostarinen snapped a five-game point drought with the helper. He was ejected from one contest and injured in another during that span, which partially explains his struggles on offense recently. The 26-year-old has still put together a strong postseason with 14 points, 23 shots on net, 79 hits, 23 blocked shots, 23 PIM and a plus-10 rating over 19 appearances in a third-line role.
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Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen: Expected to be fine for next round
Rotowire
Luostarinen (undisclosed) is expected to be ready to play in the Stanley Cup Finals, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
The Cup Finals don't have a defined start date yet, but it's expected Luostarinen will have at least a week to rest up and get ready for the next round after the Panthers clinched their spot in Game 5 on Wednesday. Assuming he doesn't have a setback, he should continue to fill a third-line role.
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Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen: Exits Game 5
Rotowire
Luostarinen (undisclosed) won't return to Wednesday's Game 5 versus the Hurricanes.
Luostarinen was hurt in the first period after an awkward crash into the boards following a missed hit. He was ruled out for the rest of the game during the second period. If Luostarinen misses additional time, Jesper Boqvist or Nico Sturm appear to be the most likely players to take his spot in the lineup.
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Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen: Two helpers against Leafs
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Luostarinen picked up two assists Wednesday in the Panthers' 4-3 loss to the Maple Leafs in Game 2 of their second-round series.
The 26-year-old has caught fire on the Panthers' third line alongside Anton Lundell and Brad Marchand -- Luostarinen set up tallies by each of them Wednesday, and all three have four-game point streaks going. Luostarinen has collected two goals and eight points during his heater, but Florida will need more scoring from its big guns if it's going to rebound from a 2-0 series deficit.
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Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen: Big performance in series clincher
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Luostarinen scored a goal on three shots, added three assists, logged four hits and went plus-4 in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Lightning in Game 5.
Luostarinen became the fifth player in Panthers history to have at least four points in a playoff game, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Luostarinen's line with Anton Lundell and Brad Marchand finished the game with a total of two goals and nine points as the Panthers knocked out their in-state rivals. Over five playoff contests, Luostarinen has five points, a plus-6 rating, five shots on net, 20 hits and six blocked shots. He continues to be a valuable depth forward for a championship-caliber team, but scoring explosions like the one he had Wednesday are few and far between.
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Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen: Clear to play
Rotowire
Luostarinen (rest) will return to the lineup Tuesday versus the Lightning, Rob Darragh of the Panthers official site reports.
Luostarinen will slot back in on the third line after taking Monday's game off. The 26-year-old winger should also be a candidate for some power-play time in this contest, which is the Panthers' regular-season finale.
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Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen: SItting Monday
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Luostarinen will be scratched for Monday's game versus the Rangers, George Richards of Florida Hockey Now reports.
Luostarinen, along with linemates Anton Lundell and Brad Marchand, will be the latest trio to get some extra time off ahead of the postseason. In his 79 games this season, the 26-year-old Luostarinen has generated just nine goals and 15 helpers, his lowest point total since his eight-point rookie campaign in 2020-21. The Finnish winger should be back in the lineup by Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen: Picks up helper in loss
Rotowire
Luostarinen registered a power-play assist and two PIM in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Islanders.
Luostarinen did not get the dad strength bump after missing a Feb. 25 game in Nashville due to the birth of his child. He followed that absence with an eight-game point drought, which he snapped with a helper on an Aleksander Barkov goal in the second period of Sunday's contest. Luostarinen is up to 21 points, 73 shots on net, 144 hits, 48 blocked shots, 26 PIM and a plus-11 rating over 67 appearances in a middle-six role this season.
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Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen: Pots lone goal in loss
Rotowire
Luostarinen scored a goal on three shots and added two hits in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Kraken.
Luostarinen ended a 15-game goal drought with the tally. In that span, he was limited to three assists, though he added 29 hits and a plus-5 rating. Luostarinen is a role player on the Panthers' third line, adding some physicality and a defensive mindset. He's up to 20 points, 64 shots on net, 122 hits, 43 blocked shots and a plus-9 rating over 58 appearances. He's likely to land closer to last year's 27-point regular season than the 43-point effort he had in 2022-23.
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Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen: Records helper in loss
Rotowire
Luostarinen notched an assist and three hits in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Golden Knights.
Luostarinen snapped his eight-game point drought with the helper -- he had previously been credited with an assist versus the Ducks on Tuesday, but it was later taken away. The 26-year-old winger is up to 17 points, 56 shots on net, 107 hits, 40 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating through 51 appearances. Luostarinen continues to play in a second-line role, though his offense and ice time often haven't matched the expectations that come with that kind of placement in the lineup.
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Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen: Lends assist
Rotowire
Luostarinen notched an assist and two shots on goal in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Ducks.
The helper snapped a five-game slump for Luostarinen. Even with a move to the second line in recent contests, he's done little more than provide depth offense. The 26-year-old is at seven goals, 10 assists, 55 shots on net, 102 hits, 37 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating over 48 appearances, which is production good enough to make Luostarinen an option in deep fantasy formats.
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Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen: Opens scoring Monday
Rotowire
Luostarinen scored a goal and added three hits in Monday's 5-3 win over the Rangers.
Luostarinen has been effective in a second-line role recently, picking up three goals and an assist over his last seven games. The 26-year-old had spent much of the year on the third line before moving up, though his ice time hasn't changed much. Luostarinen is at six goals, 15 points, 40 shots on net, 85 hits, 26 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating over 38 appearances. He's a depth scorer with a physical edge for fantasy purposes.
Luostarinen scored a shorthanded goal in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Lightning.
Luostarinen gave the Panthers a 3-1 lead in the second period, and his shortie came 42 seconds after A.J. Greer's own shorthanded goal. The 26-year-old Luostarinen has been productive in recent games and has cracked the scoresheet in three of his last four appearances, tallying two goals and a helper in that span.
