Paul Maurice may consider lineup changes as Panthers host Edmonton in Game 5
Something happened to the Florida Panthers on Saturday in Edmonton that had not occurred in a substantial amount of time.
They lost.
Prior to the Panthers’ stunning 8-1 Game 4 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, Florida had gone nearly three weeks between defeats.
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That being the case, it’s not terribly shocking that Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice has kept Florida’s lineup the same during the duration, at least in terms of personnel.
The only non-injury related changes that Maurice has made this postseason have been swapping out the wingers on Florida’s fourth line.
Outside of the window where Sam Bennett missed time with an injury, Maurice has kept his winger pairs intact, primarily going with the duo of Kyle Okposo and Steven Lorentz.
Nick Cousins and Ryan Lomberg started the playoffs on the fourth line, but after Lomberg fell ill and Bennett was hurt, it left Maurice with fewer options.
Fortunately for Florida, General Manager Bill Zito has built an extremely deep team, with Okposo and Lorentz available to jump into the lineup and keep the team from skipping a beat.
The last time Lomberg and Cousins were called into action was Game 3 of the Conference Finals against the New York Rangers.
Maurice made the switch ahead of Game 4 in Sunrise, and until Saturday, Florida had not lost a game since.
During their playoff run, one in which the Panthers have won 15 of their 21 games, Maurice has had the luxury of being able to roll his four lines when playing at even strength.
Regardless of which winger combo he goes with, the same expectation exists.
On Sunday, Maurice met with the media via Zoom before he and the Panthers flew back to South Florida.
When asked about any possible lineup changes, Maurice said he was far from making any of those decisions, but he did leave the possibility on the table.
“Not today, and I'm not trying to be funny,” Maurice said. “I won't do that today.”
He went on to explain that there is a process and he and his coaching staff will run through when it comes to ingesting and analyzing the performance of his players individually and his team as a whole.
There are layers that can come with making lineup changes at this point of the season, when they aren’t forced by injuries.
In this case, Maurice is tasked with judging what the best 20-man unit of his squad is, and then deploying that group on the ice for Florida’s next game.
“I'm gonna watch the game straight through,” Maurice said. “I'll get my meeting for tomorrow and the next day done or started for sure, and then if I'm going to contemplate any lineup change, I'll go back and watch the individuals’ games. So if I'm thinking about taking a defenseman out, I will watch the defenseman's game straight through, so I make sure I know what I saw in the game. But that will happen tomorrow.”
Tomorrow meaning Monday, when the Panthers have scheduled a full team practice at the team’s new facility in Fort Lauderdale.
They’ll host Edmonton in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final the following night.
Maurice may not reveal his lineup until the day of the game, but there could be some clues at Monday’s practice.
Stay tuned.
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