How the Florida Panthers have become a playoff powerhouse
Defending champions appearing in their third straight Stanley Cup Final, the Florida Panthers are clearly still the team to beat. But what is it about the way they play that makes them such a powerhouse? Vanessa Kezwer dives into some video scouting to get at what makes Florida special.
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As someone who’s worked in a production control room for nearly six years now – imagine a room plastered with screens, where all the behind the scenes organized chaos of live television ensues – the whole operation still amazes me.
You have a team of roughly 25 people in specialized roles, from the producer and director to a person who counts time and another who colour corrects every visual, all working together with those you see on camera to deliver a broadcast.
The level of detail and coordination required for a 30-minute show to run smoothly is, quite frankly, a little mind-blowing. Everyone needs to be clear about their job and move in sync with the larger group. When both happen, the result is a team that functions like a well-oiled machine.
In hockey terms, the result is a team that functions like the Florida Panthers.
When the Panthers are on – when their details are sharp and everyone is connected – sheesh are they ever on. They smother opponents to the point where it feels like there are 10 of them out there, and what’s fascinating is the simplicity that underlies their domination.
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Watch the Stanley Cup Final on Sportsnet
With the Stanley Cup within reach, the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers are set to battle once again for hockey’s ultimate prize. Watch every game of the Final on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
Florida’s success is predicated on collectively committing to and mastering a handful of basic principles rather than doing anything all that unique or advanced. In other words, their approach is straightforward and when everyone is on the same page, it works beautifully.
As such, it’s easy for guys to draw into the lineup and immediately make an impact, as we’ve seen on several occasions this postseason.
We’ll walk through three key principles at the heart of the Panthers’ game plan and how they’ve helped facilitate a third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
Reload above the puck
During a segment on the NHL Network a couple weeks back, former NHL player Blake Wheeler shed some light on Paul Maurice’s coaching philosophy:
“When I played for Paul, on the forecheck, the two things he would say: ‘If you’re not on it, you’re above it.’ I mean, as a forward, how easy is that to play? There’s no thinking involved in that game.”
The “it” he’s referring to is the puck, meaning that a forward’s job when he’s away from the puck is to reload above it in the offensive zone (or even swing back into the neutral zone) to position himself on the defensive side of it.
Below is an example of all three forwards doing just that.
This principle is a staple of Florida’s game and is one that creates favourable conditions in a few different ways.
For one, it allows the Panthers to pressure the puck in layers (hence the “feels like they have 10 guys out there” thing). When your forwards are committed to rotating above the puck, your defencemen can pinch, and everyone can jump on opponents without hesitation knowing they’ll have support behind them. If the opposition beats one guy, there’s another right there.
Here are two examples:
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As we can see, this kind of aggression often results in turnovers, and these layers of pressure and support make exiting the zone difficult for the opposition. According to Sportlogiq, the Panthers have forced the second most turnovers in the offensive zone at even strength this postseason and have scored a playoff-leading 15 goals within five seconds of a turnover (and a playoff-leading 27 goals within 10 seconds). Teams also have the second lowest exit success rate against them.
This layered forecheck extends into the neutral zone as well, with the Panthers preventing the opposition from reaching their defensive zone at the second highest rate at even strength.
By impeding breakouts and entries, Florida not only generates more chances and kiboshes organized attacks against, but ultimately – and perhaps most valuably – wears down the opposition, both physically and mentally. The following snippet is a prime instance of the latter via the type of extended offensive zone sequences we’ve become accustomed to seeing from this team (notice how the forwards read off one another and reload above almost automatically).
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This habit also creates favourable attacking conditions for the Panthers from both speed and space perspectives.
When you’re positioned above the puck, you have the opportunity to gather more momentum to reattack downhill (skate towards the net) because you’re working with more runway. The upshot is a speed advantage that allows you to beat defenders (and win races to pucks), who are typically operating with minimal momentum.
Moving above the puck helps Florida’s forwards get lost in defensive coverage as well. Curling high in the offensive zone or circling back into the neutral zone expands a player’s field of vision while allowing him to fall off the opposition’s radar momentarily, making it easy for the player to not only identify openings, but skate into them undetected.
The Panthers manufacture a great deal of offence by leveraging these two advantages, as the following clips highlight.
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Since every Panther knows to look for a high forward moving downhill, an element of predictability exists too, which simplifies the game for the group and allows for quick puck movement.
Move first
I came across a great quote from NHL player development coach Darryl Belfry years ago that encapsulates a large component of Florida’s success:
“It’s rarely the fastest guy in the race that wins it. It’s the guy that knows he’s in the race first.”
Everyone on the Panthers plays with an awareness that there’s always a race to be won, no matter how big, small, obvious, or subtle. And so, they consistently move first.
They move first (especially off the walls) to win races to the net, slot, and spots where they can provide teammates with passing options, often creating something from nothing:
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They move first to win races to occupy space, buying gaps for teammates by impeding the path of opponents:
(While Florida is notorious for setting picks, I find these ones particularly impressive because it’s less common to see guys make a play on the puck, and then immediately shift gears and think to make a play on an opponent.)
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And they move first to win races for body position, leading to loose puck recoveries and quick strikes, which are especially evident on faceoffs:
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When everyone buys in – when there’s no waiting or watching or delayed engagement – it’s tough for opponents to match Florida’s urgency, which is typically a recipe for chasing and scrambling and spending time in the wrong zone. No bueno for winning hockey games.
Again, a simple principle that produces an array of significant advantages for the Panthers.
Make your goalie’s life easy
While Sergei Bobrovsky certainly deserves credit for Florida’s league-leading and franchise-best 2.29 goals against per game this postseason, his teammates have done a stellar job of setting him up for success, doing so in two simple ways.
First, they let Bobrovsky see the puck.
By picking up opponents early and boxing them out, they keep his line of sight clear, making it easy for him to track shots and maintain his posture (having to peer over bodies or lean to look around a screen increases a goalie’s workload and can throw off his timing, making everything more difficult).
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They’re mindful of their own whereabouts relative to his vision, too. Watch how Seth Jones, who’s lost inside position in the clip below, opts to just stay put rather than try to move in front of his man and risk screening his netminder.
If your goalie can’t see the puck, it doesn’t matter how good he is (*cough* Connor Hellebuyck *cough*).
Second, they allow Bobrovsky to play with a free mind by minimizing guesswork.
Florida’s skaters are responsible for taking away the pass, especially of the lateral or back-door variety, and leave the shot to Bobrovsky. The more they do their job and trust him to do his, the more he trusts them and the fewer variables he’s left worrying about.
The predictability associated with this system gives the Panthers netminder the confidence to set his feet and stay square to shooters rather than cheating (drifting or leaning) towards a potential pass, as illustrated in the following examples.
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You can tell Bobrovsky’s mind is calm based on how quiet and controlled his movements are on these plays.
When a goalie’s trust in his teammates starts to erode, he’ll often try to do too much, resulting in lots of movement that reflects how busy his mind is. Here’s an example, for contrast, of what that can look like, courtesy of the aforementioned Hellebuyck:
This “focus on your assignment” piece also directly ties into the “let your goalie see the puck” piece. While the Panthers are no strangers to blocking shots, defaulting to Bobrovsky and focusing on the pass prevents them from rushing into lanes at the last second and screening their goalie. It positions them well to tie up opponents and negate second chance opportunities as well (they’ve allowed the fewest rebound chances per 60 minutes this postseason).
Final thoughts
Florida’s foundation of success is built on simple details, but the team’s secret sauce is total collective buy-in.
Carter Verhaeghe summed up the latter nicely with a quote from last season about the Panthers’ style of play:
“It’s physically demanding, obviously, and I think everyone has to be on the same page and everyone has to be going hard, because if one guy goes hard and the next guy doesn’t, then that guy’s work is kind of useless.”
Connectivity is the byproduct of a strong team identity and there’s no doubt the Panthers have established one. A strong identity, however, doesn’t remain intact unless it’s actively reinforced, which brings us to a moment that caught my eye during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final.
The Panthers were up 1-0 in the series and 4-0 in the game when a scrum broke out with 10 and a half minutes remaining (hint: keep an eye on Anton Lundell, No. 15).
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As the penalties were being sorted, the camera cut to Florida’s bench, where we saw Matthew Tkachuk call Lundell over and voice some frustrations, seemingly about the fact that Lundell wasn’t more involved in sticking up for his teammates in the scrum (you be the judge, but it looks like he says “no, you weren’t right there with him.”).
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To me, this interaction is a microcosm of a winning culture that seeps into every aspect of a team’s performance.
The Panthers have the structure, they have the commitment, and they have the heart.
Stay tuned to see whether or not they have a second straight Stanley Cup victory to show for it.
Vanessa Kezwer worked as a scout for the USHL’s Chicago Steel for three seasons and was a video analyst for TMU’s women’s hockey team.
