SUNRISE — Don’t concern yourself with what happened Saturday night in the rematch of the past two Stanley Cup finals. The bottom line was the Edmonton Oilers beat the Florida Panthers 6-3, with the padding of two empty-net goals.
But it doesn’t matter. This was rematch of jerseys, not teams. When Panthers veteran Aaron Ekblad called in sick Saturday, that meant eight of the 18 regulars on the two-time champs — 44 percent of their skaters — were out for the game.
The other seven players have an injury timeline of weeks, months or, perhaps in the case of captain Aleksander Barkov, the entire season. So, unlike Ekblad, none will be on the ice Monday in Nashville.
But this isn’t a column about the poor, poor Panthers. It’s the opposite, really. What you’re watching so far this season is a new way to explain what has played out on their grand run of the past few years.
With seven regulars missing, the Panthers have an 11-9-1 record through 21 games.
They were 12-8-1 at this point last season en route a second-straight Stanley Cup title.
They were 13-7-1 two seasons ago preceding their first title.
Don’t you get it? This isn’t a time for excuses, their on-ice play says. It’s an opportunity for seven players who are getting the chance of a career and for several others with enhanced roles, “up the food chain,’’ as coach Paul Maurice said Saturday night.
Maurice was talking specifically here about Uvis Balinskis. The veteran defenseman played three playoff games last spring after Ekblad returned in the opening Tampa Bay series. Balinskis moved to a top pairing with Gustav Forsling on Saturday. Their first assignment was Connor McDavid, the best talent in the league
“As long as you’re not nervous, it’s fine,’’ Balinskis said.
Balinskis represents the larger story of the season. And not just for players. Even the coaches feel “inspired,” Maurice said this week, because their work is urgent and necessary to keep the season afloat until bodies heal.
Remember when the Panthers signed all their free agents this summer and everyone expected them to skate it back this season? That hasn’t been an option this year. They were down four regulars on the opening night.
“It’s kind of slapped you out of sleeping through the first four months of the season,” Maurice said in talking of the coaching staff.
That’s why Maurice talked about the, “challenge to survive,” the, “handling of adversity,” and the need to find working parts with these new players that can “make us better” across this odd season.
Do you hear the sound in those statements? It’s unmistakable. It’s the sound of winning. You can hear it even on a losing Saturday night.
Edmonton has their own issues of playing a ridiculously, road-heavy schedule. So, it’s not like the Panthers were the only team fighting something after some long springs. But overcoming road fatigue is one thing in pro sports, and overcoming a disproportionate number of injuries is another thing.
“Guys just got to step up,’’ Panthers center Sam Bennett said. “We’ve definitely dealt with injuries in the past. Maybe not as many as we’re dealing with right now. But that’s part of hockey. A guy goes down, another one has to step up.”
At some point, the injuries become unbearable and break a season. We’re not there yet with the Panthers’ injuries.
Saturday’s added problem was goalie Sergio Bobrovsky had an uncharacteristic night. He let in two easy goals. He gave up four in Edmonton’s opening 17 shots. Maurice went to the bullpen and called in backup goalie Dani Tarasov at that point.
Tarasov did fine in giving the Panthers a chance. But the night was gone even as the Panthers tried to scramble their way back.