‘He can do it all for us:’ One player’s under-the-radar success has been key for Panthers

It might get overlooked, but one of the Florida Panthers’ biggest plays in its series-clinching win against the Tampa Bay Lightning came from one of its under-the-radar players.

With Florida up two goals in the third period, Kevin Stenlund forced a takeaway in the Panthers’ zone and sprinted down the ice. As Florida got into the offensive zone, Stenlund sent a slick, cross-ice pass to Evan Rodrigues, who buried the puck past Andrei Vasilevskiy to give Florida a three-goal lead en route to its eventual 6-1, Game 5 win on Monday to advance to the second round.

“It was a hell of a play,” Rodrigues said. “He makes a great play drawing both D to him. I just tried to get open. He made a great pass, and it was a big goal for us.”

Stenlund added: “We got in a rush there. I felt like I could deke the D. I got around them pretty well and the pass to E-Rod was pretty simple. Just crossed it over and he made a good shot.”

When the season began, coach Paul Maurice’s hope was that Stenlund would be a valuable contributor to the Panthers.

Now, to be clear, Stenlund probably wasn’t going be a household name. But, if he did his job, he was going to be a key bottom-six forward and a player who would be vital on the Panthers’ penalty kill, which was arguably their biggest weakness last season.

As the Panthers prepare for their second-round matchup of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it’s easy for Maurice to say now that Stenlund has exceeded the club’s expectations.

“It would have been a tall order,” Maurice said Thursday, “to necessarily predict exactly how important he’s become to our team.”

Just how important was Stenlund?

The 27-year-old center, who stands at 6-5 and 215 pounds, played in 81 of 82 regular-season games for the Panthers — the first time he was ever an everyday player in his six-year NHL career. He scored 11 goals and logged 15 total points — maybe not earth-shattering totals but career highs nonetheless for a player whose main job isn’t producing points.

He also anchored a much-improved penalty kill unit, leading Florida forwards and ranking second among all NHL forwards in short-handed time on ice in the regular season (218:22). Florida’s penalty kill finished as the sixth best in the NHL at the end of the regular season with an 82.5 percent success rate. In the 2022-23 season, the Panthers ranked 23rd (76 percent success rate).

“He’s an incredible skater,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. “Coming from Sweden, you know Swedish guys have that high-level hockey skill. They can make plays. They can skate really well. He’s a big-bodied guy and moves really well for his size. He’s big on faceoffs. He does really good on the kill. He can do it all for us.”

The biggest for Stenlund’s success this year?

“It’s just consistency,” Stenlund said. “Just play consistently all the time and show up for every game. I feel like that was a boost for myself and my confidence to know I can do that and trust myself.”

On the penalty kill specifically, he credits the extended playing time and increased chemistry with Eetu Luostarinen as a reason for the sustained success.

“Me and Luosty have played a lot together all season,” Stenlund said. “You get to know your teammates, how they think, how they react, those sort of things. We connect really well. We help each other. We talk a lot.

Added Luostarinen: “He’s a smart guy. It’s easy to read off him. We’re both just trying to battle as hard as we can and it’s been working pretty go thus far.”

And while his job on the penalty kill is the focal point to his success, Stenlund has held his own at 5-on-5 play as well. He has primarily played as the Panthers’ fourth-line center but has shown he can move up to the third line — like he has had to do in the absence of Sam Bennett since Game 2 of the playoffs — and face tougher competition without a drop off in production.

“He brings a lot of stability in our lineup,” Panthers forward Sam Reinhart said. “He takes off so much pressure on the kill, especially starting a lot of kills. ... He’s got so much skill. He’s got so much length. His hands are so good. He’s capable of making plays. That’s important to have up and down your lineup.”

Added Maurice: “He’s a bright man. Conscientious. Wants to be a good player. Being in the lineup on a regular basis has helped him greatly so we can use his brain and use his skill set that he has without always being afraid to make a mistake — you can’t kill penalties without some anticipation. You can’t just go out and hold water. You’ve got to be better with that and he has been, for sure.”

It’s been a successful season for Stenlund — one that he hopes is far from finished.

“It’s been a long journey,” Stenlund said. “Hopefully it lasts a little longer.”