Latest news with #Lundell
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Panthers' Anton Lundell gets real on continued postseason success early in career
The post Panthers' Anton Lundell gets real on continued postseason success early in career appeared first on ClutchPoints. Florida Panthers forward Anton Lundell has given his team a boost in their Stanley Cup Final series with the Edmonton Oilers. Lundell has posted four total points in the final, with all of them coming in the last three games. The Panthers forward is trying to remain humble about his success. Advertisement 'I know it's not normal,' Lundell said, per The Athletic. 'You try to kind of soak in everything around here. But at the end of the day, it's hockey. That's what I love to do, and that's what we're here to do.' Lundell scored a goal for his team in their heartbreaking overtime defeat in Game 4 to Edmonton. The Oilers won that contest 5-4, despite Florida having a 3-0 lead in the contest. The Panthers forward finished the contest with two shots on goal. The Oilers-Panthers series is now tied at 2 games apiece. The Panthers need that production from Anton Lundell to win the Stanley Cup Lundell has been brilliant for the Panthers in the playoffs. Florida is looking to win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, and Lundell has helped boost them with his production. Advertisement The Panthers forward has 16 points in this year's playoffs. That includes six goals. More importantly, Lundell has a plus-minus of +16 which has helped Florida throughout the postseason. Lundell is seeing his overall production increase, as he has a career-high 45 points on the season. 'He's matured a lot,' Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling said of Lundell, per 'He was mature when he came, but he's been just growing into playing like a real man and veteran out there. He's been unreal.' The Panthers forward said it has helped him to listen and learn from the team's older players. Lundell is just 23 years old, after being drafted by Florida in 2020. Advertisement 'It helps a lot to have veteran guys around, especially guys that have been in the league long and won as well,' Lundell said. 'You learn small things about them, but at the end of the day, everybody just wants us to try to enjoy it and keep going.' Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final is Saturday night in Edmonton. Related: Panthers' Brad Marchand issues eye-opening admission on 2025 Stanley Cup Final Related: Panthers' Paul Maurice hypes 'great' Stanley Cup Final despite Game 4 heartbreaker
Toronto Star
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Goaltender Calvin Pickard again steps up for Oilers at crunch time
SUNRISE - Calvin Pickard had yet to see much action. The Oilers goaltender entered the fray after Thursday's disastrous first period where his team failed to meet the moment and left Stuart Skinner hung out to dry down 3-0 to the Florida Panthers in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final. Edmonton clawed back within two early in the second period on a power-play goal off the stick of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Pickard then — almost out of nowhere — was forced to make a save that will be remembered for a long time if the Oilers end up hoisting their sixth championship. The former journeyman netminder denied Anton Lundell on that breakaway after defenceman Jake Walman turned the puck over to keep the score at 3-1 before making a number of huge stops that set the stage for Leon Draisaitl's overtime winner as Edmonton defeated Florida 5-4 to even the best-of-seven title series 2-2. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'Gets you feeling better,' Pickard said of that save on Lundell. 'After that it was pretty steady. They had some looks, but we had a ton of looks too and our resolve was fantastic.' The 33-year-old has bailed the Oilers out before this spring. Pickard replaced a shaky Skinner in the first round of the playoffs with Edmonton down 2-0 to the Los Angeles Kings. He won his next six starts — with plenty of goal support from a high-flying roster led by Draisaitl and Connor McDavid — before getting hurt in Game 2 against the Vegas Golden Knights. 'When I got hurt, it was frustrating,' Pickard said. 'Things were going pretty well, and then (Skinner) hopped in there and played great. I felt for him … he came ready to play (Thursday), made some big saves early. We just didn't have it as a team early. 'If he was playing behind our team in the second and third and overtime, he would've done what I did.' What the Moncton, N.B., product did was pretty impressive. After that stop by Pickard on Lundell, the Oilers made it 3-2 on a terrific shot upstairs from Darnell Nurse before Vasily Podkolzin tied things. Pickard was there to deny an Evan Rodrigues redirection late in the second and again on an Aaron Ekblad power-play chance before the intermission. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'Unbelievable,' Nugent-Hopkins said. 'Outstanding to be able to come in off the bench, make some massive saves in huge times.' Walman gave Edmonton a 4-3 lead with under seven minutes to go in the third, but Sam Reinhart forced OT when he scored with 19.5 seconds left in regulation. Pickard, however, saved his best for the extra period when he got enough of Sam Bennett's shot with his glove to deflect it off the crossbar. 'Read it pretty well,' he said of the sequence. 'And then I looked in my glove and it wasn't in there … heard the crowd oohing and ahhing. 'It was a good bounce, and then we got one.' That came later in OT when Draisaitl's effort from tight found its way past Sergei Bobrovsky. The Oilers, however, wouldn't have been there if not for Pickard. 'It's hard to describe the situation that he gets put in,' said Draisaitl, whose team will host Game 5 on Saturday at what will be an incandescent Rogers Place. 'We're down 3-0. He's coming in, he's cold. It's not easy and he makes those stops at the key moments that we really need them. He's one of the best in the league at making the right save at the right time. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'He's been nothing but spectacular for us.' Head coach Kris Knoblauch said the move to Pickard wasn't about Skinner's play. 'Our team was flat,' he said. 'We needed to change things up.' Only the sixth goaltender in NHL history to win a Cup final game in relief, Pickard has only played 184 regular-season games for six different NHL teams since being selected in the second round of the 2010 draft by the Colorado Avalanche. 'He's been a journeyman goalie,' Knoblauch said. 'He's been through it all, and right now he's been enjoying the ride. The ride last year of just becoming a regular NHL goaltender again and then obviously getting as many starts as he's been getting, and he's earned them. 'I'm not giving him any starts. He's deserved them.' There's likely another one coming this weekend. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2025.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Stanley Cup Final live updates: Florida Panthers vs Edmonton Oilers, Game 3
Florida Panthers fans react during a watch party after their team scored against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Amerant Bank Arena on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. The best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final is now essentially a best-of-5 set. After splitting the opening games in Edmonton, the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers now play the next two games in Sunrise, with the Panthers looking to take advantage of home ice in their quest to repeat as champions. Advertisement Game 3 on Monday is set for an 8 p.m. puck drop, with the game televised on TNT and truTV and available on streaming via Max. Follow along throughout the game for live updates, news, analysis and commentary. Panthers win Game 3, Edmonton loses its cool In a game with 17 power plays, many of them after the Panthers took a three-goal lead and Edmonton began venting, the Panthers won 6-1 to take a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Final. Rodrigues. Panthers 6, Edmonton 1 On a two-man advantage in an increasingly nasty last 10 minutes filled with misconducts as officials just tried to push this game to a finish, Evan Rodrigues scored from the left circle at 16:10 of the third period. Advertisement Panthers 6, The Oil 1. Competitive phase done, down go the gloves Down 5-1, Edmonton right wing Trent Frederic started crosschecking Sam Bennett in the neutral zone. Dissatisfied with Bennett's response (ignoring it with a chuckle), Frederic stepped up the crosschecks and punches. Jonah Gadjovich flew in to give Frederic more response and satisfaction. A.J. Greer went after Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm with a furious assault. Eventually, Gadjovich and Edmonton's Darnell Nurse dropped the gloves in one of the best and longest fights you'll see in a Stanley Cup Final. Frederic got crosschecking and roughing minors. Nurse got a roughing minor and fighting major. Greer and Bennett got roughing minors. Gadjovich got a fighting major. All of them and Ekholm got misconducts. Ekblad scores, chases Skinner. Panthers 5, Edmonton 1 Redemption Monday for Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad. Advertisement Ekblad, minus two and minus one in the first two games, was a plus one after two periodsin Monday's Game 3, had a game-high five hits and fired home a power play goal off a saucy behind-the-back turn from Evan Rodrigues that put goalie Stuart Skinner out of position. The Panthers' second power play goal of the night expanded the lead to 5-1 3:27 into the third period. That was all for Skinner, who put the Panthers on that power play by flipping a hard around attempt into the stands. Skinner gave up five goals on 23 shots End of second: Panthers 4, Edmonton 1 With 44.7 seconds left in the second period, Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse looked at the back of Panthers center Anton Lundell in a board scrum, lightly crosschecked Lundell, lightly crosschecked Lundell, then crosschecked Lundell like Lundell said a 'Yo, mama' snap. Advertisement The dumb penalty indicated the frustration the Panthers once again forced upon Edmonton in one of the second periods of this series. The Panthers have a 5-2 scoring advantage in the three second periods while establishing a physical dominance, no more so than Monday. See below for the Sam Bennett hits that preceded his goal. After dough-popping Connor McDavid midway through the period, Panthers' defenseman Aaron Ekblad smashed Corey Perry into being one with the boards. Perry rose as if feeling all of his 40 years plus someone else's 40 years. Ekblad had a game-high five hits after two periods. Ekblad vs. McDavid went better for the Cats this time Edmonton center Connor McDavid's usual sizzling slashes through the neutral zone got interrupted Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who McDavid made look like a manatee trying to swim on ice on a dazzling Game 2 assist, blasted McDavid with a check a that sent McDavid to the bench and briefly to the locker room. Advertisement McDavid was back for his next shift. Two Sams call and raise. Panthers up, 4-1 Just 1:20 after Perry's goal, the Panthers began pounding out the kinds of goals that have allowed them to own the second periods in this series. Sam Reinhart matched Perry's goal to restore the Panthers' two-goal lead and Sam Bennett expanded it to 4-1. First, center Aleksander Barkov hounded Oilers defenseman John Klingberg around the Edmonton net and right into referee Francis Charron along the deep left boards. Klingberg lost his feet and the puck. Carter Verhaeghe fed Reinhart in the left circle and Reinhart struck for a 3-1 lead. Advertisement Four minutes later, Bennett obliterated Vasily Podkolzin at the Panthers line, smashed Klingberg against the boards, then, when Eetu Luostarinen stripped a still dazed Podkolzin at the blue line, accelerated into space. Luostarinen gave the breakaway to Bennett instead of taking it himself, and Bennett proved the worth of his teammate's generosity by beating Skinner. About that Panthers penalty gets one back Just 20 seconds from another successful penalty kill, Edmonton worked the puck around high in the zone while rotating until Panthers defenseman Seth Jones left the Corey Perry alone in front of the net. Not a good idea, even if Perry's almost as old as the last Super Bowl tickets bought by Dolphins fans. Advertisement Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard spotted Perry, fed him on the doorstep and the Panthers lead was down to 2-1 at 1:40 of the second. End of first period, Panthers lead special teams duel, 2-0 Somebody had to score on the power play as the Panthers and Oilers refused to allow referees Wes McCauley and Francis Charron to swallow their whistles, putting each other on the power play seven times in the first period. Only 8:45 of the first period was spent five-on-five, only 10:01 spent at even strength. The Panthers maintained good offensive zone time on their power play and actually created one or two chances on each power play. Finally, their rotten (at home) power play bore fruit when Carter Verhaeghe walked into the left circle and beat Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner over the right shoulder with a snipe. Advertisement That put the Panthers up 2-0 at 17:45 of the first period, made the Panthers two for 32 at home in the playoffs on the power play and gave defenseman Nate Schmidt another assist, his ninth of the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Panthers snuffed all three Edmonton power plays, preventing the circle-to-circle passes through the penalty killing box from Connor McDavid while also respecting his shot. Also, the Panthers kept goalie Sergei Bobrovsky's sight lines clear and efficiently cleared rebounds. Appropriately, the period ended with Panthers center Anton Lundell going to the box for roughing. Really, Lundell was sent off for sparking a post-horn mini-rumble with an extra poke at Skinner as time expired in the period. That brought the predictable pushing-and-face washing response from the Oilers, which brought the predictable defense of Lundell from the Panthers. Marchand, who ended Game 2, gets the Game 3 party started On the game's second shift, off a face-off in the right circle of the Edmonton zone, Panthers center Anton Lundell circled the net right to left and tried to pass back to Eetu Luostarinen at the right post. When Luostarinen couldn't handle the pass, Lundell circled the net, came out from behind the left post and tapped the puck to Brad Marchand. Advertisement The 37-year-old Game 2 double overtime scorer fired home his eighth goal of these playoffs 56 seconds into the game. Panthers 1, Edmonton 0. Marchand has the Panthers last three goals in the series. He's the oldest player to score in each of the first three games of a Stanley Cup Final, replacing Frank Mahavolich, who was 35 when he did it in the 1973 Stanley Cup Final for Montreal against the Rangers. RNH is in; starting lineups Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is in. Full starting lineups: Panthers: Verhaeghe-Barkov-Reinhart/Forsling-Ekblad Oilers: RNH-McDavid-Perry/Ekholm-Bouchard Bobrovsky vs Skinner in net. A look at the lineups With A.J. Greer drawing into the lineup for the Panthers, the only change from Game 2 is on Florida's fourth line. They'll start out as follows... Advertisement Forward lines Carter Verhaeghe-Aleksander Barkov-Sam Reinhart Evan Rodrigues-Sam Bennett-Matthew Tkachuk Eetu Luostarinen-Anton Lundell-Brad Marchand A.J. Greer-Tomas Nosek-Jonah Gadjovich Defense pairs Gustav Forsling-Aaron Ekblad Niko Mikkola-Seth Jones Nate Schmidt-Dmitry Kulikov Goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky Vitek Vanecek Edmonton, meanwhile, has swapped around its defense pairs and still has to formally say whether Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is playing. He was listed as a game-time decision but went through warmups and took line rushes. Here's how the Oilers should look if he is indeed in... Forward lines Ryan Nugent-Hopkins-Connor McDavid-Corey Perry Advertisement Evander Kane-Leon Draisaitl-Kasperi Kapanen Trent Frederic-Adam Henrique-Connor Brown Vasily Podkolzin-Mattias Janmark-Viktor Arvidsson Defense pairs Mattias Ekholm-Evan Bouchard Darnell Nurse-John Klingberg Brett Kulak-Jake Walman Goaltenders Stuart Skinner Calvin Pickard Series schedule ▪ Game 1 — Oilers 4, Panthers 3 (overtime): The Panthers had a two-goal lead early in the second period but couldn't hold on as Edmonton tied the game early in the third and won it on a Leon Draisaitl power-play goal with 31 seconds left in overtime. ▪ Game 2 — Panthers 5, Oilers 4 (double overtime): The Oilers tied the game with 17.8 seconds left in regulation to force overtime for a second consecutive game. Brad Marchand scored the game-winner 8:05 into the second OT period to secure the Florida win and even the series 1-1. Advertisement ▪ Game 3: Tonight ▪ Game 4: Thursday, June 12, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Sunrise's Amerant Bank Arena ▪ Game 5: Saturday, June 14, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Edmonton's Rogers Place ▪ Game 6 (if necessary): Tuesday, June 17, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Sunrise's Amerant Bank Arena ▪ Game 7 (if necessary): Friday, June 20, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Edmonton's Rogers Place Pregame reading Need to catch up ahead of Game 3? Here are the highlights of the Miami Herald's coverage over the past few days. ▪ 'He just finds a way': Panthers' Brad Marchand, at 37, has another big playoff moment ▪ After excelling on road all playoffs, it's time for Panthers to produce at home in Cup Final Advertisement ▪ Panthers vs. Oilers Stanley Cup Final changes rinks. And, probably, little else ▪ Panthers know Bobrovsky's importance in Cup Final. 'We're not taking him for granted' ▪ Panthers' top line hasn't scored yet in Stanley Cup Final. Is it a cause for concern? ▪ Legendary lineages: Have the Panthers joined South Florida's sports dynasties from the past?
Miami Herald
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
He has quietly excelled for the Panthers. It's time to talk about Eetu Luostarinen
Eetu Luostarinen isn't the household name on a Florida Panthers team filled with stars that is looking to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. He doesn't have to be. He's quiet. He's humble. His performance on the ice, however, is speaking loud and clear. Luostarinen, the 26-year-old left winger on Florida's third line, is already putting together a postseason to remember. In addition to his stellar defensive work, Luostarinen is tied for the team lead with 12 points through the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs. That's tied for seventh overall across the league this postseason entering the conference finals, where the Panthers will play the Carolina Hurricanes. 'I'm really happy for him,' said Anton Lundell, who has been linemates with Luostarinen for the better part of the past three seasons. 'Obviously, we've been playing a lot together. He's one of my best friends. It's cool to see how he steps up when the team kind of needs him the most. You can see he's got some confidence. He's always been a great player, and now it's just coming out.' His production this postseason has mostly come in big moments. In Florida's series-clinching win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, Luostarinen had four points (one goal, three assists). In Florida's series-clinching win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round, Luostarinen had three points (one goal, two assists). Each of his past 11 points has come on the road — no other player has more road points so far this postseason. 'I'm just trying to be real reliable,' Luostarinen said, 'so that coach can put me on the on the ice whenever.' Luostarinen has been reliable defensively since he joined the Panthers and became a regular in Florida's lineup in 2020 in the trade that sent Vincent Trocheck to the Hurricanes. Brought up as a center, Luostarinen saw his role increase starting in the 2022-23 season when he moved out to the wing, a position switch that gave him the chance to play top-nine forward minutes instead of being stuck on the fourth line because of the Panthers' center depth. In the process, Luostarinen built chemistry with Lundell and has evolved into one of Florida's more reliable forwards on the penalty kill. His offense, however, always seemed to have another level waiting to be unleashed. He has shown the potential to score goals — he has 50 along with 79 assists in 366 career regular-season games with Florida — but there always seemed to be another gear Luostarinen could unlock if given the opportunity. 'The role that I gave them stunted them,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said of Luostarinen and Lundell. Maurice said the trade-deadline addition of Brad Marchand, a 16-year NHL veteran who is as responsible defensively as he is a gifted scorer, helped Luostarinen and Lundell with their breakthrough. 'Brad comes in and says 'Hey, you can do all those things, but we can also make some plays,'' Maurice said. And they have certainly made plays. The line of Luostarinen, Lundell and Marchand has arguably been the Panthers' best through two playoff rounds. In just more than 117 and a half minutes together at 5-on-5 this postseason, the trio has outscored opponents 10-2 while at times playing against the opposition's top forward lines. 'I really like our game right now, especially our line,' Luostarinen said. 'We're working hard and keeping pretty simple — and we're getting rewarded.' More Game 7 notables ▪ With the win, Marchand is now a perfect 5-0 against the Maple Leafs in winner-take-all Game 7s in his career and 8-5 in 13 Game 7s overall. He is the only player in NHL history to have five Game 7 wins against one team and one of eight players to be part of eight Game 7 wins. ▪ Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is 3-0 in Game 7s and has stopped 75 of 80 shots in winner-take-all games for a .938 save percentage. ▪ Maurice is a perfect 6-0 as a head coach in Game 7s.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NHL Playoffs 2025 Second-Round Schedule: Dates, Times, Where To Watch
NHL Playoffs: Stutzle, Boldy And Lundell Lead Young Standouts In Round 1 There is no shortage of young players getting into their first NHL playoff action or taking another step in the post-season – and it's only been the first round. 1:15 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
