The Florida Panthers picked up a much-needed win against a strong Vegas Golden Knights team last night, concluding their road trip with a 2-2-0 record. They’ll now return home for a five-game homestand.
Last night’s win witnessed another strong performance from 23-year-old defenseman Donovan Sebrango. He finished the game with two assists, his first two points of his NHL career, while blocking a shot, throwing two hits and recording a fight in 12:18 of ice time.
His emergence comes as a surprise, but it’s most definitely a pleasant one. But the real question is, should it be considered a surprise? Recent evidence of the Panthers under GM Bill Zito shows that he is a wizard at both pulling off blockbuster moves and finding unearthed talent on the waiver wire.
He hit big-time with Gustav Forsling, and while it’s still very early into both his Panthers and NHL career, Sebrango appears to be another possible home run. His minutes have been fairly sheltered, but as time goes on, it wouldn’t be shocking to see coach Paul Maurice continue to use Sebrango in more high-leverage situations.
Standing 6-foot-2, 223 pounds, Sebrango is a big body who is slowly becoming more comfortable using. Prior to his inclusion in the lineup, the third pairing of Jeff Petry and Uvis Balinskis was struggling. They were hemmed in their own zone far too often, and the Panthers were losing their minutes badly.
Maurice made the simple swap of Balinskis for Sebrango, and it’s changed the Panthers. According to Natural Stat Trick, at 5-on-5, the Panthers are outscoring their opponents 6-1, hold the high-danger chances advantage 17-9 and own 52.92 percent of the expected goals with Sebrango on the ice. Sebrango has skated in almost half the ice time as Balinskis has, but each statistic is in favor of Sebrango.
The 2020 third-round pick (63rd overall) of the Detroit Red Wings hasn’t featured too prominently on the penalty kill just yet, but he is an option Maurice can turn to if needed.
Recent reports suggested the Panthers could be looking at the trade market for a depth defenseman to replace Dmitry Kulikov while he is on the shelf with a long-term injury, but if Sebrango continues to play at this level, Zito will likely stay off the phones.
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Three takeaways: Panthers end road trip looking more like themselves, power play snaps cold spell
Panthers shake off slow start, reclaim their identity on the road. Their potent offense and disciplined play deliver crucial wins and a snapped power play drought.
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