Nobody said it would be easy for the Florida Panthers, especially after injuries had taken a toll on their team. The defending, back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions are playing most of their season without Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, and now Dmitry Kulikov. It isn't easy to replace that kind of production. However, Evan Rodrigues and some of the other Panthers' veterans have enough experience to get out of the funk and stop the struggles.
“We put ourselves in a good spot going into the third, tie game. Just kind of couldn't find that next one. Our power play has to be a little bit crisper,” Rodrigues told reporters after the loss to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night. “We had our looks, but don't think it was good enough. One goal would have made the difference.”
It's the kind of confidence that will help the Panthers overcome adversity and challenge for another Stanley Cup. Playing in three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals will take a toll on the body, and no one would blink an eye if Florida took a step back this season. However, as hockey fans have seen countless times over the past three seasons, the Cats don't quit, no matter what stands in front of them.
The Panthers didn't designate Barkov as not returning this season, which means they likely expect him back by the end of the year. The same goes for Tkachuk, who has a timeline of around January for his return, and Kulikov is also out for just five months. If the Panthers can figure out their struggles and claim one of the eight playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, the team will challenge for its third straight Stanley Cup.
Florida's definition of struggling is being in a four-way tie for second place in the Atlantic Division with six points. Once the dust settles and teams start separating themselves from the pack, the Panthers will be just fine.
