Tkachuk: Florida Panthers Need to Get Back to Playing Their Game
As the Florida Panthers continue one of the roughest stretches of Paul Maurice’s tenure, Matthew Tkachuk wants them to get back to the style of hockey that has worked for them.
SUNRISE, Fla. — The Florida Panthers are in the midst of one of their worst stretches since Paul Maurice became coach in 2022.
Florida is 1–5-0 in its past six games, and in those five losses, it has been thoroughly outplayed.
The Panthers have allowed over five goals per game in the losses, and saw their latest become a track meet when the Colorado Avalanche blew the game open in the second period and win 7-4.
That was not the style that won Florida the Stanley Cup last year, and Matthew Tkachuk knows it.
“There shouldn’t be any waiting around anymore,” the Panthers star said. “You have to committing to doing it. It’s not an easy style, it’s hard to do for 82-plus, but that’s what makes us successful. And when we get back to playing that way, that’s when we are going to have success.
“if we keep playing the way we are right now — maybe we got away with it in some previous games earlier in the season, playing against some non-playoff teams — Now we’re playing playoff teams and they’re kicking our ass right now because we’re not playing our style. So, we have to get back to that or else it will be more of the same.”
The Panthers won the Cup last year with lockdown defense and a physical, heavy forecheck. And they have not been getting either of those things over the past few games, or even as a whole in some cases.
Florida’s 3.43 goals-against per game have it tied for fifth-worst in the NHL this season.
The Panthers need to get back to their style to be able to fix that.
“It’s worked for us in the past, so we just got to commit to doing it,” Tkachuk said. “And we have for parts of the season, I just think that we’re not defending well enough as a five-man unit in front of our goalies. Our goalies have been great for us this year and we’re just not doing enough to make it easier on them.
“I think that’s what we start with. We’ve got enough offense in here to win. We’ve seen it before. So, I think we just got to get back to our focus what our focus has always been since I got there, which is defend, defend, defend and we will get as much as we want.”
Things won’t be getting any easier for the Panthers after that deflating loss to the Avalanche.
Florida continues a stretch of five consecutive games against playoff opponents on Monday, where it will play the red hot Washington Capitals. The Toronto Maple Leafs come to town on Wednesday to complete the three-game homestand before the Panthers kick off a home-and-home with the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday.
“We just have to simplify, get back to that and not play these guys’ games,” Tkachuk said. “These teams are going down to their game because they are taking it to us right now and it’s not fun to be on our side right now.”
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