The two Finnish phenoms paired with the Rat King himself, the Florida Panthers third line tore up the playoffs, wreaking havoc in every series. It was a third line that came together late in the year, with Luostarinen and Lundell only getting to play 10 regular-season games alongside Brad Marchand. Fans saw their ability to take over games in the postseason, which first reared its head in Game 5 of the Tampa Bay series. Posting a combined 8 points in the series clincher, the third line dominated the match and bounced Tampa out of the playoffs for the second straight year. If they were able to do that with such limited time together, I won’t be surprised to see career years out of Lundell and Luostarinen during the regular season. One of the toughest defensive lines in the NHL, they’ve now got more of a scoring touch to make them even more dangerous to play against.
Anton Lundell:
Going into his fifth season in the NHL, Anton Lundell has seen no shortage of success in his short career: a President’s Trophy as a rookie, three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, and a two-time Stanley Cup Champion by the age of 23. Fans dubbed him Baby Barkov. I prefer to call him Barkov 2.0 because Lundell has more of a fiestiness to his game than Barkov does. He’s not afraid to jump into a fight or start one, whereas Barkov prefers not to get tangled up in the mess unless he’s attacked first. Anton played a career-high 79 games and posted a career-high 45 pts (17G, 28A); both the goals and assists were career-highs. Lundell’s 16:42 TOI was split between 5v5, 2nd PP Unit, and the PK where he scored 2 PPGs, 4 PPAs, 2 SHG, and 1 GWG. His 10.8 shooting percentage is the second-best of his career, and he had the sixth-most SOG at 158. The faceoff dot was a place he shone last season, so it’s no surprise that he was second best behind Barkov. Anton had a 53.0 FO% and a win/loss rate of 542-481. HC Paul Maurice asked him and Eetu Luostarinen to step up and play a bigger part on the PK, and they excelled at it. Although they’re not usually paired together, Lundell has become an elite penalty killer. Becoming a dependable presence on the PK takes some of the strain off of Barkov and Reinhart and allows for more evenly distributed minutes amongst the top three lines. Anton also had a career year in the postseason with a career-high 18 pts (6G, 12A) and shooting a 12.5%, up from last year’s 10.3% with 48 SOG. More impressively, all but one of his points came at even strength; he had an assist on Marchand’s short-handed goal in the Cup Final. Lundell’s TOI dipped slightly in the playoffs, where he was at a 16:09 TOI. Second best in the faceoff dot behind Barkov, Anton had a 47.6 FO%, which was down somewhat from last year’s 52.5%. Like Bennett, losing in the faceoff dot doesn’t impact the team as much because his line definitely won its minutes throughout the playoffs. Anton Lundell had a fantastic year, highlighted by being named to Team Finland for the 4 Nations Tournament and a breakout playoff performance. He could easily slide into the underrated category the way Barkov does, as he’s not talked about as much when it comes to players under the age of 25. More than likely, Lundell will be named to Team Finland’s Olympic Roster, although he was not part of the first six players that got released.
Brad Marchand:
He’s got the heart of a bear but the soul of a rat. Brad Marchand, as much as Boston fans don’t want to hear it, has been a perfect fit for the Florida Panthers. Embraced by the team and fans alike, he’s quickly become a favorite down in South Florida. A huge surprise at the trade deadline, Marchand came to Florida rehabbing from an injury and only played 10 regular-season games, where he posted 2G & 2A. With the Bruins, he’d played 61 games with 47 pts (21G, 26A) and averaged a TOI of 18:26; he had 17:37 TOI with the Cats. No special teams points during the regular season with Florida, but he scored 5 PPGs, 8 PPAs, 1 SHA, and 5 GWG in Boston. Brad shot for 12.0% with the Bruins and 10% with the Panthers. He had the second-most SOG at 175 for Boston, but he still posted 19 SOG for Florida. The Cats worked Brad into the PK rotation and added him to the second PP unit, which arguably made both units’ top unit quality and equally dangerous. Adding Brad into the PP also allowed HC Paul Maurice to manage Tkachuk’s minutes, as he didn’t have to play on both units. Marchand took very limited faceoffs with Boston, going 5-7 with a 41.7 FO%; he only took one faceoff for Florida, which he lost. The playoffs are where Brad really shone with Florida, though, as he went on a postseason run to remember and nearly won the Conn Smythe. 20 pts in 23 games split between an even 10Gs & 10As. Brad had the second-best postseason of his career; his best postseason was during the 2018-’19 season, where he had 23 pts in 24 games with Boston. Brad had 1 PPG, 1 PPA, 1 SHG, and a career-best 3 GWGs while he averaged 16:40 TOI. The 16:40 TOI is a career low, with the only other postseason under 17 minutes his rookie year at 16:46. Brad was a key contributor in the Toronto series, where he scored the OT winner in Game 3 that helped shift the tide in Florida’s favor. However, the Stanley Cup Final is where Marchand became undeniable. 6 goals in 6 games, including the only Florida short-handed goal, an OT winner, and two highlight-reel goals in Game 5. Brad was a part of Team Canada as a depth player at the 4 Nations Faceoff, where he was on a line with Bennett. The two were apparently able to bury the hatchet from the year prior’s playoffs there. Marchand received an invitation to Team Canada’s Orientation Camp along with Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, and Aaron Ekblad. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him don a Team Canada jersey for the Olympics next year. He signed a six-year extension over the summer to the surprise of many. I don’t think it’s a contract term Bill Zito would hand out if he didn’t feel confident in Marchand’s ability to play it through. Brad’s more than earned his summer of celebration, and he’ll be excited to watch with his two Finnish linemates once the season starts.
Eetu Luostarinen:
A silent assassin, Eetu Luostarinen doesn’t light up the scoresheet most nights. But don’t let that fool you, he’s an impressive young player and one of Florida’s best defensive forwards. Luostarinen tends to fly under the radar as his game is more defensive-based than scoring points. His regular season was right around his points average at 24 (9G, 15A) while shooting at a 10.1% with 87 SOG. Eetu averaged 15:17 TOI split between 5v5 and PK. Eetu fills in on the PP when necessary, and this year he posted 1 PPA, 1 SHG, 1 SHA, and 3 GWGs. He’s been Lundell’s consistent LW as one of the pairs of center/winger that HC Paul Maurice likes together. He briefly played up the lineup on Bennett’s line when injury dictated it necessary, but rarely will you see Luostarinen-Lundell split up. He also stepped into a bigger role on the PK this year and was one of the team’s best killers. At times in years prior, there have been fans wanting the Panthers to trade him, but HC Paul Maurice values the defensive game he brings to the ice, and he helps make the third line a nightmare to play against. The line excels at being able to outskate opponents or waste time along the boards. Luostarinen is a secondary faceoff taker with a 33-40 win/loss rate and a 45.2 FO%. Eetu had a breakout playoffs where he set a franchise record for most points in a single road game at 7 and had a career-best 19 pts (5G, 14A). All of his points came at even strength as well. The only players who had more even-strength points were McDavid and Draisaitl. A highlight for him outside of his Game 5 performance against Tampa was his primary assist on the Cup-winning goal this year, as he made the pass to Tkachuk, who scored. Eetu had a career-best 14.7 shooting percentage with 34 SOG and 15:23 TOI for the playoffs. With Marchand on the line, it has raised the level of play from both Lundell and Luostarinen. Like his Finnish teammates, Eetu was named to Team Finland for the 4 Nations tournament and will likely be named to Finland’s Olympic roster. Although he was not named among the first six players. He’s a quiet 2-way forward on a line that has earned HC Paul Maurice’s trust to play against the top lines of other teams if necessary. We’ll have to wait and see if a full season of Luostarinen-Lundell-Marchard brings out more of a scoring touch in him, or if he’s content to let his linemates do most of the damage.
Next Week: Florida Panthers Fourth Line Forwards
ITR 47: Then There Was Nothing – Inside The Rink
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