Panthers Postscripts: How Vladimir Tarasenko has settled in with Florida as playoffs loom
One of Vladimir Tarasenko’s primary goals when he joined the Florida Panthers was simple: Fit in as quickly as possible. That applied on the ice and in the dressing room.
He didn’t have much time to do that after Florida acquired him from the Ottawa Senators ahead of the NHL trade deadline on March 6. He had to learn a new team and a new system and do it in a short amount of time. The Panthers, after all, were a little more than a month from the playoffs.
“It’s not always easy,” Tarasenko said, “but I feel comfortable.”
That’s reflecting in his performance, with Tarasenko getting into a groove as the Panthers prepare for their final tune-up before the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin this weekend.
Entering Tuesday’s regular-season finale against the Toronto Maple Leafs — who, barring a massive yet unlikely shift in which Florida overtakes Boston to win the Atlantic Division, will be Florida’s first-round opponent — Tarasenko has produced 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in his 18 games with the Panthers. That’s the fourth-most points on the team since his team debut on March 7, trailing only Sam Reinhart (17), Aleksander Barkov (16) and Matthew Tkachuk (15).
Ten of those 13 points have come in the Panthers’ past 11 games and just about all of his production — four of six goals and 10 of 13 points overall — have been at even strength.
Tarasenko has spent the majority of his time on Florida’s top forward line with Reinhart and Barkov while also getting time on the power play.
And if the Panthers score a goal is scored while Tarasenko is on the ice, chances are he will be helping create it in some way.
The Panthers have scored 16 goals while Tarasenko has been on the ice this season. He has factored into 13 of them — 81.25 percent. He also has not taken a penalty and has laid out 27 hits, the latter of which is tied for fifth among Florida forwards since he arrived.
Playoff scenarios
As mentioned above, Florida is all but locked into a first-round matchup with the Maple Leafs, which could begin as early as Saturday.
The Panthers enter Monday in second place in the Atlantic Division with 108 points (51-24-6 record) in 81 games played, with just their matchup against Toronto on Tuesday remaining.
The Boston Bruins enter Monday leading the division with 109 points (47-18-15 record) and two games left on their schedule — Monday night against the Washington Capitals and Tuesday night against the Ottawa Senators.
The Panthers’ two slim paths to winning the Atlantic are as follows:
▪ A win on Tuesday against Toronto and Boston picks up no more than one point in its final two games.
▪ An overtime or shootout loss on Tuesday and Boston loses both of its final two games in regulation.
If Florida loses to Toronto in regulation or Boston gets two points in any fashion over its final two games, the Bruins take the division.
Toronto (46-24-10, 102 points, two games remaining) is locked into the No. 3 spot in the division.
Panthers prospect wins another NCAA title
Jack Devine, the Panthers’ seventh-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, won his second NCAA men’s ice hockey title in three college seasons when Denver University beat Boston College 2-0 in the championship game on Saturday.
The Pioneers also won the title in 2022 when Devine was a freshman, but the forward had a much bigger impact on the team’s success this season as a junior.
Devine this season set single-season career highs in goals (27), assists (29), points (56) and power-play goals (nine). His 24 goals were the fourth most in the NCAA this year and his 56 points were seventh.
Through three years at Denver, Devine has recorded 106 points (44 goals, 62 assists) in 118 games.
