Florida Panthers Opening Night Lines Becoming More Clear

SUNRISE, Fla. — The opening night lines are starting to become a bit more clear as the Florida Panthers near the end of their preseason schedule.

With an opening on the third line next to Eetu Luostarinen and Anton Lundell at left wing and center, respectively, Jesper Boqvist took the right wing spot in Florida’s 5-4 preseason victory against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Making a Good First Impression

What better way to introduce himself to his new teammates than by burying a game-winner in overtime. Boqvist hammered home a rebound on a breakaway 2:40 into the overtime period.

“I didn’t mind him at all there,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “I think there’s something there. He’s a pro.”

Maurice noted Boqvist’s experience on the fourth line with his previous teams in the Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils, a line usually reserved for defensive-minded forwards.

“You learn the defensive parts of the game, the hard parts of the game,” Maurice said. “But he’s got enough hands that he can play up the lineup. He doesn’t lose his defensive acumen when he slides up the line. He’s got a nice respect for the game, too. When he goes out there with those guys he’s not trying to show the hockey world how skilled he is.”

Boqvist, a 25-year-old who the Panthers signed to a one-year deal this offseason, now has three goals, two assists, and a +2 plus-minus rating in the preseason.

Injuries In Camp

Coming into camp fresh off a Stanley Cup victory, the Panthers had their top two lines all but solidified, with Aleksander Barkov centering the top line with Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart on his side, and Sam Bennett anchoring the second line between Evan Rodrigues and Matthew Tkachuk – combos that were very successful for Florida last season, including in their Game 7 victory against the Edmonton Oilers in the Cup Final.

The third line, meanwhile, had one vacancy on the right wing with Luostarinen and Lundell.

That left top Panthers prospect Mackie Samoskevich as the favorite to win that spot. But with the 21-year-old dealing with a nagging but “minor” upper-body injury according to Panthers head coach Paul Maurice since the beginning of camp, the Cats had to look elsewhere for now.

Samoskevich hasn’t played in any of the Panthers preseason games so far. However, he has skated during camp, albeit off to the side with a yellow non-contact jersey.

Maurice did tell Jameson Olive of FloridaPanthers.com that both Samoskevich and Boqvist would see time on the third line this season.

With Boqvist moving up to the third line, and fourth-line center Tomas Nosek out week-to-week after being tripped into the boards in Florida’s preseason opener against the Nashville Predators on Sept. 22, there are two open spots on the fourth line.

Shoring Up The Fourth Line

A.J. Greer seems to be a lock as a left-winger on that line. Patrick Giles, who played the last two seasons with the Panthers AHL affiliate Charlotte Checkers, could be someone to keep an eye on to center that fourth line. He had two assists on Saturday night, and leads the NHL in points (1-5–6) this preseason.

Jonah Gadjovich, who originally looked like a possible healthy scratch candidate when camp started, could move to be the right-winger on that bottom line.