Carter Verhaeghe Gearing Up for Playoffs After Snapping 13-Game Goal Drought

“We’re not worried about the scoring with Carter. What we’re trying to get back to is a certain playoff-style game for him,” coach Paul Maurice said

SUNRISE, Fla. — After snapping his 13-game goal drought on Tuesday with an empty-net goal and taking a much-needed rest day on Wednesday, Carter Verhaeghe finally looked like himself again.

Verhaeghe scored Florida’s first goal in a 3-2 shootout victory for the Florida Panthers on Saturday, but it went well beyond that. He picked up an assist and put together a complete effort on both ends of the ice.

He picked up the bounce of a Seth Jones shot off the boards, drove to the front of the net and beat Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to tie the game five minutes into the second into the second period.

“It’s definitely nice to get one and let your instincts take over,” he said.

During his goal drought, Verhaeghe led all Panthers players in scoring chances for (273) and was third in high-danger chances for (106), per Natural Stat Trick. But he just could not bury one.

“It gets frustrating sometimes when you’re trying to do the right thing and they don’t fall,” Verhaeghe said. “It definitely feels good to get one and see it visually go in the back of the net.”

The 29-year-old forward has the lowest goal total (19) and points total (51) in his five seasons since joining the Panthers after signing a seven-year contract extension following the team’s home opener. But they are not worried about that.

Florida has weathered through injuries from their top players — as any team that has played over 300 games over the past three seasons following back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances would — and many of its stars have seen their numbers drop.

Sam Reinhart is also sitting at 37 goals after potting 57 of them in a career year last season.

“We’re working on the game,” coach Paul Maurice said when asked if he was concerned about Verhaeghe’s goal drought last week. “I don’t know if concern is the right word. He has a certain style, and he scores in certain environments in the game, and we, as a team, haven’t been in that environment.

“It went like this for him — our scoring is down across our board with our team, so it’s not a major concern.”

Verhaeghe has always been the type of player to elevate his game come playoff time, because that is the environment he thrives in.

In 61 playoff games with Florida, Verhaeghe already holds the franchise records for goals (26), game-winning goals (10) and overtime goals (5). He also sits in second place behind only Aleksander Barkov in points (53).

That has always been his game. He creates shooting lanes for himself in tight spaces and fires off shots when there is chaos ensuing in front of the net. And there just has not been much of it between the injuries the Panthers have suffered through and the security they’ve had in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

“We’re not worried about the scoring with Carter. What we’re trying to get back to is a certain playoff-style game for him,” Maurice said. “That’s where he excels — in the competiton of class-quarter combat. And you don’t find that as much right now.”

The day off on Thursday did wonders for him as he continues to ramp up for the playoffs.

“I would take the day off over the goal, because he’s a guy who has scored a whole bunch,” coach Paul Maurice said after Saturday’s game.

“This has been heavy for everybody, and there are some guys who played tonight who I’d say it wasn’t their best game, and that’s all it is. They got a lot of miles stacked up on them now, so we’re going to be mindful of that. We’re staying off the ice on off days, almost like a playoff format. Carter just looked like he was a little bit more rested and could skate the way he skates.”

Verhaeghe has arguably had as much as wear-and-tear as anybody during Florida’s three-year run of dominance. He has played in 291 total games, ranking fourth in regular season games played (236) behind only Sam Reinhart, Eetu Luostarinen and Gustav Forsling.

“I think it’s definitely huge,” Verhaeghe said of the day off. “It’s definitely kind of a mental reset, and our bodies have been through a lot over the past couple of years. I don’t know how many games a lot of guys have missed, but 80 games plus 20 in the playoffs the last two years and then this one. It’s been pretty crazy, so it’s nice to get some rest and kind of get ready for what’s to come.”