Latest news with #Samoskevich
Miami Herald
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Florida Panthers making a lineup change ahead of Game 4 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
The Florida Panthers are making a lineup change. Rookie Mackie Samoskevich will be a healthy scratch in Game 4 of the Panthers' Stanley Cup playoffs opening-round series with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night. A.J. Greer, who did not play in the first three games of the series, will take Samoskevich's spot in the lineup. It will be Greer's Stanley Cup playoffs debut. 'Super excited,' Greer said after the team's morning skate on Monday. 'Happy to join the group and be a part of it.' Greer, who signed a two-year, $1.7 million deal with the Panthers this offseason, has been a steady presence on Florida's fourth line and provides a blend of physicality and sneaky scoring potential. He led the Panthers in the regular season with 220 hits despite only averaging about nine-and-a-half minutes of ice time, while also setting or tying his career highs in goals (six), assists (11) and points (17) over 81 games. 'He's earned it,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. 'He's worked his butt off every single day, every game, all year. That's important, that feeling that you've earned.' In a series between in-state rivals that has seen the intensity heighten with each passing game, Greer's physical style adds another dimension to the Panthers' lineup to counteract the Lightning in that regard. 'We've got a task at hand here, being up 2-1, to really step on their necks and be able to put ourselves in a really good position,' Greer said. 'We know it's not going to be an easy one, and it's going to be back and forth. We've got to limit the chances defensively and make sure that we play the game that we're used to playing — forechecking and closing fast offensively.' Samoskevich, meanwhile, saw his ice time dip in Game 3. Maurice dropped Samoskevich from the second line to the fourth line on Saturday. He played just 9:52 and was taken off Florida's top power play unit by the end of the game. 'This is the natural progression of a young player,' Maurice said. 'You just can't explain to somebody the difference between playoff hockey and regular-season hockey. It's so different. ... Mackie will go back in [at some point], maybe the next game and maybe down the road, but he now has that first initiation under his belt.' The full lineup, based on the team's morning skate, should be as follows... Forward lines Carter Verhaeghe-Aleksander Barkov-Sam Reinhart Evan Rodrigues-Sam Bennett-Matthew Tkachuk Eetu Luostarinen-Anton Lundell-Brad Marchand A.J. Greer-Nico Sturm-Jesper Boqvist Defense pairs Gustav Forsling-Aaron Ekblad Niko Mikkola-Seth Jones Nate Schmidt-Dmitry Kulikov Goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky Vitek Vanecek
Miami Herald
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
After watching for two years, Mackie Samoskevich is ready to be part of a Panthers playoff run
Mackie Samoskevich had an up-close-and-personal view of the Florida Panthers' past two Stanley Cup playoff runs. He joined the team both postseasons as a Black Ace, an extra practice player called up from the minor leagues during the playoffs, and got to see first-hand what it takes to win it all. But not playing in those games also fueled him to want to get on the ice in the big moments. 'I've been able to watch a lot of our hockey here,' Samoskevich said. 'You're sitting up there just thinking about how bad you want to be out there.' On Tuesday, Samoskevich will have his moment. The rookie forward, who has evolved into a key contributor for the Panthers, will suit up for his first Stanley Cup playoff game when the Panthers begin their first-round series against their in-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena. While there is no substitute for experience, Samoskevich plans to take what he learned watching those past two playoff runs — the first ending in a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2023, the second with Florida winning it all in 2024 — as he tries to make an impact this postseason. 'The energy level and compete just goes up 10 times,' Samoskevich said. 'You've got to be ready. You've got to be dialed in on everything, every little thing. Every inch matter.' The Panthers believe Samoskevich is ready. They've seen him blossom over his first full NHL season. Samoskevich's role has evolved since making the opening night roster. He began on Florida's fourth line, which plays fewer minutes and has less opportunities for players to showcase themselves but gets them on the ice. That role helped him add a physical element to his game and made him hone in on his defense to complement his lethal shot and swift skating. As the season progressed, Samoskevich's responsibilities increased. He joined Florida's second line centered by Sam Bennett and worked his way onto the top power-play unit. The results came with it. Samoskevich finished the regular season with 15 goals and 16 assists to go along with 134 hits and 32 blocked shots. He is just the sixth rookie in franchise history to record at least 15 goals and 15 assists in his first full season. The other five: Anton Lundell (18 goals, 26 assists in 2021-22), Nick Bjugstad (16 goals, 22 assists in 2013-14), Michael Frolik (21 goals, 24 assists in 2008-09), Kristian Huselius (23 goals, 22 assists in 2001-02) and Jesse Belanger (17 goals, 33 assists in 1993-94). His 15 goals ranked tied for eighth among all NHL rookies, while his five game-winning goals tied with Carter Verhaeghe for the team lead and were tied for second among all rookies. 'He's gotten himself to a point where I don't have to be careful with him anymore. He understands what we're doing,' coach Paul Maurice said. 'I'm excited for him because it feels like he's been with us because he was with us last year in that run. Then he comes in, and to his credit, he's handled every situation like a great pro. ... He kind of just slowly worked his way up.' Maurice said Samoskevich being around over the past two playoffs runs despite not playing was a benefit for the rookie for two reasons. First, it gave Samoskevich an opportunity to understand the playoff grind. For a Black Ace, the routine of being on the ice every other day only to not play can become mundane. Samoskevich thrived in it and took the routine into the offseason. 'He used that time, and he physically looked considerably different at the end of the two months than at the start,' Maurice said. 'You put on some mass, you lift every day, you're training every day. He changed his body type. It's a really good sign for us.' Second, it helped him find comfort in the team before he had his defined role. It made training camp a little easier for him because he didn't have the extra pressure of making a first impression on his teammates because they had already seen what he can provide. 'Young players come into training came and they burn an awful lot of anxiety energy,' Maurice said. 'We hoped that he got through that without as much anxiety and could just play. We think that's what happened and that gave him a chance to be where he is today.' Where he is today is the Stanley Cup playoffs, with a chance to play a role in the Panthers repeating as champions in his first NHL season. Now, Samoskevich does have playoff experience, just not at the NHL level. He made the NCAA tournament in both of his seasons at Michigan, advancing to the Frozen Four as a sophomore before turning pro. Samoskevich also appeared in 10 playoff games with AHL and logged four assists during that span. He hopes to draw on that experience. 'Last year, the playoffs in the American League, it's another level,' Samoskevich said. 'I learned that, and it's going to be another level here.'
Miami Herald
11-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
How the Florida Panthers can still get home-ice advantage in first round of playoffs
The Florida Panthers did their part Thursday to keep their thin hopes for home-ice advantage in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs alive with their 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings. But for it to become reality, they're going to need some help from their in-state rival and most likely first-round opponent. Entering Friday, the Panthers are 46-29-4. Their 96 points are one shy of the Tampa Bay Lightning (45-26-7, 97 points) for second place in the Atlantic Division and three behind the Toronto Maple Leafs (48-26-4, 100 points) for the division lead. Florida has three games to play, while Tampa Bay and Toronto each has four games left on its respective schedule. Barring a nearly perfect run by Florida and a complete collapse by Toronto, winning the division seems unlikely. Second place, however, is still up for grabs. Since the Lightning currently owns the tiebreaker over the Panthers by virtue of having more regulation wins (39 for Tampa Bay, 37 for Florida), Florida would need to finish with more points than Tampa Bay to get into second place in the division and start the playoffs at home. A tie in the standings would keep them in third. For that to happen, in simplest terms, Florida needs to pick up one more point than Tampa Bay (which, again, has a game in hand) down the stretch. That would happen with any of the following scenarios... 1). Florida finishes the season 3-0-0, picking up six points in the process, and Tampa Bay gets no more than four points in its final four games. 2). Florida finishes 2-0-1, picking up five points, and Tampa Bay gets no more than three points in its final four games. 3). Florida finishes 2-1-0 or 1-0-2, picking up four points, and Tampa Bay gets no more than two points in its final four games. 4). Florida finishes 1-1-1, picking up three points, and Tampa Bay gets no more than one points in its final four games. 5). Florida finishes 1-2-0 or 0-1-2, picking up two points, and Tampa Bay loses each of its final four games in regulation. The Panthers close the season by hosting the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday and New York Rangers on Monday before traveling to play the Lightning on Tuesday. Tampa Bay hosts Detroit on Friday, Buffalo on Sunday and Florida on Tuesday before playing the Rangers on the road on Thursday. ▪ What a rookie season it has been for forward Mackie Samoskevich. He opened the season on Florida's fourth line and worked his way up to proving that he can be a legitimate middle-six forward with his lethal shot and his improved physicality and defense. His go-ahead goal in Florida's win against Detroit on Thursday was his 15th goal of the season and fifth game-winner. Add on his 16 assists this season and Samoskevich is just the sixth rookie in franchise history to record 15 goals and 15 assists in his first full season. The other five: Anton Lundell (18 goals, 26 assists in 2021-22), Nick Bjugstad (16 goals, 22 assists in 2013-14), Michael Frolik (21 goals, 24 assists in 2008-09), Kristian Huselius (23 goals, 22 assists in 2001-02) and Jesse Belanger (17 goals, 33 assists in 1993-94). Samoskevich's 15 goals this season are eighth among all rookies. His five game-winners are tied for second among rookies. ▪ The Panthers' top three forward lines when the team is at full strength in the playoffs appear to be set. The top line would be Aleksander Barkov centering Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart. The second line would be Sam Bennett centering Matthew Tkachuk and Samoskevich. And the third line would be Lundell centering Eetu Luostarinen and Brad Marchand. How coach Paul Maurice handles selecting the fourth line will be interesting to watch. He essentially has seven players — Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist, Nico Sturm, A.J. Greer, Jonah Gadjovich, Tomas Nosek and Jesse Puljujarvi — for three spots. Maurice has liked what he has seen from the line of Greer, Nosek and Gadjovich lately and for good reason. Over the past five games, they have held opponents scoreless in their 14:16 on the ice together at five-on-five while holding a 55-28 edge in shot attempts on their opponents and allowing just nine total scoring chances. However, Sturm is an integral piece of Florida's penalty kill, and Rodrigues has been part of Florida's second power-play unit all season. One would think one of Greer or Gadjovich makes the lineup as the physical tone setter who can provide an energy boost with a hit or fight without compromising star power from the lineup. Maurice mixed and matched the wingers on his fourth line during the playoff run last season, with Nick Cousins, Steven Lorentz, Kyle Okposo and Ryan Lomberg going in and out depending on matchups and availability. That of course is an option as well. ▪ Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has been rounding into form during the second half of the season. In 22 starts since Jan. 21, Bobrovsky is 15-7-0 with a .926 save percentage. He has allowed more than three goals just once in that span. ▪ Another decision Maurice is still trying to finalize for the short term is the makings of his defense pairings until Aaron Ekblad returns from his suspension, which runs through the first two games of the opening round of the playoffs. With Ekblad suspended and Dmitry Kulikov out the past 11 games with an upper-body injury, Maurice's defense pairings have been a revolving door. He hopes the first wave of stability comes when Kulikov returns to the lineup, which could be as early as Saturday when Florida hosts the Sabres. When Kulikov returns, he will be paired with one of Gustav Forsling or Niko Mikkola. Seth Jones will be paired with whoever isn't with Kulikov. That leaves the third pairing to likely be Nate Schmidt and Uvis Balinskis, a duo that has played together most of the season. When Ekblad returns for Game 3 of the playoffs, he'll slide back to his usual spot with Forsling, Mikkola and Jones will be paired together and Schmidt and Kulikov will most likely occupy the third pairing. ▪ With Florida's win on Thursday, Maurice now has 915 for his career, surpassing Barry Trotz for the third-most wins in NHL history. He now trails only Joel Quenneville (969) and Scotty Bowman (1,244). But Maurice, as has been the case his entire stint at Florida, brushed the individual accomplishment to the side when asked about it postgame. Now, he says, isn't the time and place for it. 'My appreciation for things [is] the whole group here,' Maurice said. 'How much I enjoy sitting in the coaches office, with [president of hockey operations] Bill [Zito], as well; the equipment guys, the medical guys and the players. For sure, this has been a wholly and completely unexpected level of joy that I find in my job. ... If I was asked today what the memory is, it's this group. It's the fun that we've had. They work hard. I'm not pulling teeth here to get these guys to play hard or work hard and that makes life really easy.'
Boston Globe
28-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Former Bruin Brad Marchand to make debut with Florida Panthers Friday night
'It's been a lot of fun,' Samoskevich said of playing with Marchand. 'He's such a good player. So silky. I feel like when he has the puck, he sees you — he's got eyes in the back of his head. It's a lot of fun. Excited for the future with him. He's such a good guy off the ice, too.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Marchand had 21 goals and 26 assists in 61 games with the Bruins this season, and Panthers coach Paul Maurice said he believes Marchand will help fill what Florida will need in its playoff run and its quest to win a second consecutive Stanley Cup. Advertisement 'He's had an incredible career,' Maurice said. 'He's a Stanley Cup champion, 1,000 games, 1,000 penalty minutes, lots of points. I don't want to see it all in one game. ... You know how tenacious this guy is, how physical he is, how hard he plays. Then you get him in practice and you're like, 'Oh my God, he's got hands on him.' And you start to realize how good the skill level is there.' It may have been strange at first, with the former captain of the Bruins wearing Florida colors after those teams had tough playoff battles — both won by the Panthers — in 2023 and 2024. But by all accounts, Marchand has fit perfectly into the Florida mix. 'He brings a lot of energy to the locker room, a lot of compete on the ice,' Panthers defenseman Gus Forsling said. 'A huge veteran that's going to be big for us.' Advertisement
Miami Herald
06-03-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
How Mackie Samoskevich has evolved into a key player for the Florida Panthers as a rookie
There are times when Mackie Samoskevich still has to pinch himself when he thinks about where he is right now. At this time a year ago, he was on the tail end of his first full season of professional hockey with the Charlotte Checkers, the Florida Panthers' American Hockey League affiliate. He got a brief taste of NHL action, playing in seven games with the Panthers and then rejoining the team as a black ace (a player called up as insurance) during their run to their first-ever Stanley Cup. Now, Samoskevich is not only a regular for the Panthers as they attempt to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, he's a key cog in what they do in his rookie season. He's playing top-six minutes on Florida's second line with center Sam Bennett and, as of Monday, began receiving playing time on the Panthers' top power-play unit. Samoskevich isn't taking that opportunity for granted. 'It's so cool what they've done the past few years and playoffs,' said Samoskevich, Florida's first-round pick from the 2021 NHL Draft. 'It was so fun to watch. I found myself up there thinking 'I want to be out there in the years to come.' So it's definitely pretty cool to see now that I'm a part of it.' Samoskevich is more than just part of it. He enters Florida's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday with 10 goals and 10 assists — making him the 13th player in franchise history to have double-digit goals and assists during his rookie year. His 10 goals are tied for seventh among all NHL rookies this season, and his four game-winning goals are tied for second among rookies. At 5-on-5 this year, Samoskevich's 81 scoring chances are sixth on the Panthers, while his 38 high-danger chances rank seventh. Teammates praise his 'wicked' shot, as Bennett called it, and speed. He has improved his defense considerably, as well. 'He's learning every single game, every single day, how to play Panthers hockey,' Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. 'He's fit in really well. And now he's a he's a threat out there every single time he steps on the ice. He has that speed, he has that skill. He shoots the puck really well.' Added star Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk earlier this season: 'His confidence with the puck, how strong he is on the puck, how well he skates. People have got to realize how much of an offensive talent he's been throughout his whole life. So I think that if he's put in a position to play that type of game — and he is with Benny and myself right now — he's going to excel. It's awesome playing with him.' His game really began to tick upward when he started playing on Florida's second line in January with Bennett, who has become a mentor of sorts to Samoskevich. When Samoskevich and Bennett are on the ice together at full strength, the Panthers have controlled 55.17% of shot attempts while holding a 123-90 edge in shots on goal edge and 118-77 advantage in scoring chances (including 48-38 in high-danger chances). 'He's a kid that that wants to be an elite player in this league,' Bennett said. 'You can see he's got all the tools to do it. I'm just trying to keep him confident. The more we play together, I think the more we're gonna learn off each other and build that chemistry, but he's a he's a great player with a ton of potential, for sure.' While Samoskevich is known for his offensive prowess — that was his hallmark that got him selected in the first round — Bennett praised Samoskevich's increased physicality, something the always-physical Bennett admitted caught him by surprise. Samoskevich has 89 hits and 19 blocked shots. Just as important, Bennett appreciates that Samoskevich is taking risks in his game. The veteran's biggest advice to the youngster has been 'don't be afraid to make mistakes.' 'Obviously, a big part of the NHL is trying to limit your mistakes,' Bennett said, 'but as a young guy, I think if you're too scared to make mistakes, your game doesn't really develop. You definitely have to be on the edge of you don't want to be making too many, but a couple here and there is OK. It just shows that you're trying to make plays. And I think he definitely needs to do that.' Samoskevich's confidence to be aggressive and make plays has always been there. But he acknowledged that playing a full year in the minor leagues last season only aided his development. He scored 22 goals and had 54 points in 62 games with Charlotte last season. 'Just being able to play with no pressure and just grow as a person, as a player, it was huge for me,' Samoskevich said. 'And I think it was big getting just little glimpses of the NHL, and then being able to go back there and work on stuff that I wasn't very good at here. So I think it was huge for me. It was definitely valuable for me.' And that development has been on display since joining the Panthers full time this season. He has taken every opportunity that has been offered to him, every challenge he had to face, in stride. He began the year primarily playing as the right wing on the fourth line — a role that saw him get minimal playing time relative to what he could be getting — before getting promoted bit by bit throughout the season. It started with getting time on the Panthers' second power play unit. Then, it was moving up to the second line with Bennett and playing on the left wing — a new position for him as a right-handed shooter. Now, he's also part of Florida's top power-play unit with Tkachuk sidelined for the rest of the regular season due to an apparent groin injury sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off. 'His curve has been very steep,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. 'His improvement has been quite drastic. This year, he is quite a bit of further ahead of where I would have hoped he would be. ... He's a much different player right now than he was a year ago. Credit to him and the work that he's put in. 'He's going to help us win games, and he's not going to lose any confidence.'
