Paul Maurice, Panthers Pregame: Florida Welcomes Vegas Golden Knights to Sunrise

Paul Maurice, Panthers Pregame: Florida Welcomes Vegas Golden Knights to Sunrise

I want him I want to see some speed because I think he has it. Uh but more importantly, I want him to play without the concern that first first game guys first time they’re they’re kind of playing with your team. They don’t want to make a mistake. I don’t want I don’t want that game. I want him to go and play with speed and a little bit of freedom and then we’ll fix the mistakes we don’t like. But I don’t want them tenative tonight. Coach, a lot a lot to like about that second and third period. What do you want to try and capitalize on and carry into this one against Vegas? Well, we’ve been lacking offensive zone time and pucks two and net pucks that have gotten through and we were really good in that department. We had some great chances to score and for the most part it was in structure. It wasn’t it wasn’t hope plays. So, I want to see that speed in our offensive game. We’ve been in and out of this offensive zone too quickly. we haven’t created enough chaos either on our hunts or or just plays that we put to the net that we pounce on. So, we’re going to push hard here um to see if we can grow in that area, get better in that area. It’s not something that we’ve ever had to spend a whole lot of time on. We we play in very tight games and I’ve said, you know, on the record, I like playing in those tight games, but we’re a point we’re a goal away from it, right? almost. Our power play has been pretty darn good overall. Our penalty kill’s fallen off. That’s a goal. But our five on five game is con consistently under this year, which you might expect. So, we’ve got to find a different way to do it. And part of that is just getting faster um and maybe a little bit more focus on it. We’ve almost been a defense first and we can’t lose that team, but we’ve got to get some offense going here. watching the tape or what did did you see anything that you liked from flipping uh Yeah, if you go back they played a game together on that road trip and and they were easily uh so I’m talking about Rodriguez with Verhi and Reinhardt they were the one line that had generated some offense in that game. Um, now we were always looking for more and it’s interesting you make changes to look for more, you get less, right? So, we kind of ran the course of that, but we came back to that line in that Lendell’s line is just dynamic when they’re when they’re with Brad. Uh, and then we saw a different player out of A2. So, they have to stay together. They’re they’re good. Um, and then I’ve got to find the right combinations with the other players. Any concern with Sam’s uh numbers right now for him? because it’ll it’ll wear on a player. That’s it. I I mean, I truly would get to the end of the year and not be really sure who led our team in scoring. It’s not a critical piece, but I am aware at times. He had a couple months there in um December, January area last year. He went a couple months without scoring a goal. So, um and he turned out to have a pretty good finish to his season. That’s all I’m looking at is how does it affect him for the next game if he’s as long as I just don’t want him carrying. He’s got a banged up number of minuses, but he was on for four straight empty net goals, but you carry that proud man. Um, that’s all I just don’t want him carrying it into the next game. Back to Cole, just how do you see him fitting with AJ Jones? Just the fact that those two winners have been together and they have the experience and their style. How much can that help him as he as he gets situated? They have a pretty clear idea of of what they should look like, especially as a forcheing line. They can articulate that to Cole and it is a speedbased physicalbased quickness uh on change of possessionbased forcheing group and they can tell them right it’ll it’ll it’s consistent when it’s good. So consistency for a player coming in his first game they got two guys going to do pretty much you know exactly what they’re going to do what they’re going to try to do anyway that’ll help you play faster and everything that yes looking at Jack plays off to a great start this year every in that tier in the NHL is maybe some unique part of their game in your mind when you watch the tape maybe his defining trait I think we his hands are incredible I mean he’s truly truly elitely gifted in those but the biggest change you go back to Buffalo now um is his his success in the defensive parts of the game and and the way they play they put a lot of pressure on their center iceman to be good in their own end to not cheat the game and there’s none of it so those are the the best players in the world are really strong with their numbers and he’s leading the league I believe but they don’t do it at the expense of some really fine defensive work and I think he’s really strong with that. Is there any we have just Tom I know is there like any timeline or he’s in the Kulakov group right so it’ll be around before or slightly after the break but I would think in around he’s yeah he’s months and months yeah yeah similar injury to to Sasha just it happened a month earlier place A kiss.

Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice speaks before his team plays host to the Vegas Golden Knights in Sunrise on Oct. 25, 2025.

The Panthers have lost five of the past six after losing 5-3 to the Penguins on Thursday.

Brad Marchand scored twice, Sam Reinhart once; Mackie Samoskevich and Seth Jones had two assists each.

Florida outshot the Penguins 37-16 including 31-9 in the final two periods but lost their first home game of the season.

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Video Courtesy Florida Panthers / Panther Vision