After the 4 Nations Face-Off last February, Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice made sure he gave those players who participated time off once the NHL season resumed.
That meant days off from practice, even some game nights off.
Can Maurice afford to do that again?
“Probably not,’’ he said. “Not in terms of back-to-back games. Everybody plays all the games. We are in a much tighter race than we were last year at this time.”
The Panthers had 10 players at the Olympics with seven getting medals.
Maurice said he does not plan on having any of his Olympians — aside, perhaps, for Uvis Balinskis and Sandis Vilmanis — on the ice before Thursday when the Panthers play the Toronto Maple Leafs in Sunrise.
With 25 games remaining and 49 days in which to play them, the Panthers simply do not have room for error if they hope to make up their eight-point gap between them and Boston for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Giving players nights off does not seem to be an option.
Last year, the Panthers were pretty secure in their playoff spot after the 4 Nations tournament.
This year, that is not the case.
At all.
The Panthers need to make up ground starting Thursday.
“We have two days. It’s ‘Let’s Go!’ We have to,’’ Bill Zito said Monday from Miami International after landing with Team USA.
“We don’t have a choice.’’
Flipping the switch from the Olympics to playing for the Panthers again may be easier said than done.
The Panthers do have one gold medalist in Matthew Tkachuk — and three players from Canada who lost to Tkachuk and Team USA.
Although Florida’s three Finnish players did not win gold, they did end their Olympic experience on a high note by winning gold.
Tkachuk says the Panthers are a close enough bunch where they will rally around their common goal — which, now, is all about the Panthers.
“It’ll be a little different,’’ Tkachuk said Monday. “I have played against my teammates at 4 Nations, or going back to other international stuff. It is a little weird, but not too bad.’’
Tkachuk, will likely be the least-rested of the Olympians when things start on Thursday.
Team USA partied into Tuesday after landing in Miami, with a number of them — Tkachuk included — flying to Washington today as invited guests of President Donald Trump at tonight’s State of the Union address.
Based on how the Team Canada players looked after they disembarked off their long flight Monday, they will be just trying to catch up on their sleep.
“I’m ready to get home, get some rest. We have two big games coming up,’’ Sweden’s Gus Forsling said Monday at MIA.
“I’m excited. I think we’re really excited about what’s ahead of us.’’
FLORIDA PANTHERS
2026 MILAN CORTINA OLYMPIC GAMES
United States (6-0-0, Gold Medal): F Matthew Tkachuk (6 GP, 0-6, 6 points); D Seth Jones (injured), Bill Zito (assistant GM), Teddy Richards (equipment manager)
Canada (5-0-1, Silver Medal): F Sam Reinhart (6 GP; 1-1, 2); F Brad Marchand (4 GP, 0-1, 1); C Sam Bennett (5 GP; 0-1, 1)
Finland (4-2-0; Bronze Medal): C Sasha Barkov (injured), F Eetu Luostarinen (6 GP; 0-4, 4); D Niko Mikkola (6 GP, 0-3, 3); C Anton Lundell (5 GP; 1-1, 2); Tuomo Ruutu (assistant coach)
Sweden (3-1-1): D Gus Forsling (5 GP; 1-1, 2); Myles Fee (video coach)
Germany (2-3-0): Jamie Kompon (assistant coach)
Latvia (1-3-0): D Uvis Balinskis (4 GP; 0-1, 1); F Sandis Vilmanis (4 GP; 0-0, 0)
ON DECK: GAME No. 58
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS at FLORIDA PANTHERS
