Jacob Markstrom’s first start back with the Florida Panthers came with a little history attached and a lot of patience required.
Tuesday night in Raleigh marked the first time he had guarded the Panthers’ net since Dec. 20, 2013, a 5-2 loss in Winnipeg. So much has changed since then that Florida was still wearing the leaping cat logo, and Paul Maurice had not yet become Jets coach. Markstrom is now back with a very different Panthers team - one built to contend.
He handled the return well. Markstrom stopped 15 shots in Florida’s 1-0 overtime win over the Carolina Hurricanes and came away praising the group in front of him.
“I thought we played a great game,” Markstrom said after making 15 saves in Florida’s season-opening 1-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime. “Everyone, the whole lineup; all four lines, all six D played really good and made my job a lot easier.
… This was great, we played a great game. Good win, good two points.”
This was a long road back for Markstrom. After that loss to the Jets, he was sent down to the AHL San Antonio Rampage and never appeared again for Florida before the Panthers traded him to the Vancouver Canucks on March 4, 2014, in the deal for Roberto Luongo.
Now he’s back in Sunrise, arriving in a trade with the New Jersey Devils. The move came a day before NHL free agency opened and ended Sergei Bobrovsky’s seven-year run with the Panthers.
Against Carolina, Markstrom had to stay locked in through long stretches without much work. The Hurricanes had just one shot on goal over the first 18:30, then added two more in the final 90 seconds of the opening period after their pregame ceremony to raise their Stanley Cup championship banner.
“It was good,’’ Maurice said of Markstrom’s performance, “and difficult to do. One of the adjustments he has to make is having stretches where there’s not a lot of action.
It was a beautiful ceremony, but there was some time on it. Then you go another 20 minutes where there’s not a lot of action.
Next thing you know, you’re sitting on a 5-on-3 for almost 2 minutes.
“That’s tough, and he handled it like a veteran.’’
Markstrom still had to make the kinds of stops that decide games. He denied Sebastian Aho on a breakaway in the second period and finished with one save in overtime before Gus Forsling ended it with a shot from the point 4.3 seconds remaining.
“He felt very calm back there, made some incredible saves,’’ Forsling said. “I’m really happy for him. Great start.’’
In Other News...
Panthers Fourth Line Just Gave Paul Maurice Something He Needs
Floridas season opener ended with the kind of low-scoring edge that usually makes a coach smile, and Paul Maurice had plenty to like in a 1-0 overtime win over Carolina. Beyond the result, the Panthers unveiled a new fourth line with Lars Eller, Garnet Hathaway and Boko Imama, a group that fit neatly into the teams defensive identity and brought the sort of physical, responsible shift-to-shift play Maurice values when the games tighten up.
The lines presence mattered because it gave Florida another reliable option in a matchup that featured plenty of grinding hockey and very little room to breathe. Eller, Hathaway and Imama helped set a tone in the middle of the game, and for a Panthers team built on structure, that kind of debut is the sort of early-season sign a coach can use right away, even if the bigger question still lingers about how much more this trio can offer as the schedule gets harder. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Opened The Season With A Statement Win Fans Will Love
The Panthers wasted no time reminding everyone what kind of team they are. In a season opener defined by structure and patience, Florida came away with a 1-0 overtime win over Carolina, leaning on a sharp defensive effort and steady goaltending from Jacob Markstrom while Brandon Bussi kept the Hurricanes in it with save after save at the other end.
Florida still found a way to finish, and that is the part Panthers fans will like most. Gustav Forsling delivered the only goal in the extra period as the game tilted into one final chance, giving the reigning standard-bearer in the East an opening-night result that looked every bit like a team comfortable winning tight games. The Panthers now head to San Jose for their next test, while Carolina turns its attention to a home date with Washington. [Read more 🡒]