Paul Maurice Should Make a Change On Power Play

Paul Maurice's Panthers have been rolling along. After a historic season last year, winning the franchise's first Stanley Cup title, expectations and the end goal remained the same for this year. That goal was to make it back to the Stanley Cup Final and repeat as champions. So far, things have gone according to plan.

Florida has run roughshod through the Eastern Conference during these playoffs. They dispatched Tampa Bay in a gentleman's sweep. In the second round, the Cats destroyed Toronto in Game 7, adding another moment of misery to a franchise that hasn't made the Conference Final since 2002. Speaking of the Eastern Conference Final, the Panthers took out Carolina in another gentleman's sweep.

Now, in the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers, they have gained a 2-1 series lead on the heels of a double-overtime victory in Game 2 and a 6-1 blowout in Game 3. In each series, the Cats have looked dominant at certain points. We have seen three shutouts pitched by Sergei Bobrovsky. The team has won games by scoring multiple goals in a single period.

The top players that the Panthers have faced in each round have been shut down or slowed down to a certain extent. It's been great hockey, and their hard work has led them to be in this situation. However, despite the good vibes felt throughout this playoff run, Florida has had one consistent problem: their lack of production on the power play.

Through 20 postseason games, Florida has compiled a power play percentage of 24.7%. That ranks sixth amongst the 16 playoff teams in 2025. However, that's underlying how lethargic the unit has been for long periods. To add more context, of the four teams that made the Conference Final this season, the Panthers rank third in this regard.

Dallas has converted on 32.1% of the power plays. Edmonton is just behind them, scoring 26.8% of the time when on the man advantage. The only team that's behind the Panthers in power play percentage is Carolina, which scored 23.1% of the time. If you dissect Florida's power play numbers even more, it gets worse. It has also been weird.

For some reason, Florida has been able to light the lamp on the man advantage more on the road than at home, and the contrast is night and day. When in other teams' arenas, the Panthers have scored on 41.2% of their power plays, going 14-for-34. At home, the production has been abysmal. If you don't like to see putrid stats, cover your eyes.

The Panthers have collected 39 power-play chances at home during these playoffs. How many goals have they scored? Well, unfortunately, not much. You can count the number of times they've done so on just one hand. Florida has tallied just four times on the power play at home, which is only at a 10.2% rate. It's been bad. Coming into Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, the team was one-for-28.

Needless to say, the power play performance has been inconsistent and peculiar all postseason long. It's not often that a team's ability to produce results in this regard is better on the road than in their confines. This has been a concerning issue for the Cats. Even when they have scored, it's been mostly the result of a breakdown from the opponent's penalty kill or a broken play that went in Florida's favor.

Due to this, Maurice should make a change, especially when there is still time to try something new. To be fair, the Panthers finally ended their home power play drought in Game 3 of the Final, scoring three times on the man advantage. However, it hasn't been good enough, and trying something new can't be harmful in this situation.

An alteration in the personnel could be beneficial for the team. Throughout the playoffs, Maurice has had most of the same players on each of the two power-play units. The first unit consists of Sam Reinhart, Aleksander Barkov, and Matthew Tkachuk, with Seth Jones and Aaron Ekblad on the back end. The second unit features Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, and Evan Rodrigues, with Nate Schmidt as the only defenseman.

At times, the second unit has looked better than the first, and that was the case in Game 3 against the Oilers. Maurice did switch to a lineup consisting of four forwards for the second unit, and it worked wonders. He should do the same to the first group as well. It's nothing against Jones or Ekblad, but one of them should be swapped out for another forward.

In this postseason, the puck movement hasn't been quick enough, especially from the blueliners. When the puck doesn't move fast enough, it gives the opposition more of a chance to kill the penalty. The Panthers have committed turnovers, looked slow, and failed to generate anything most of the time. Sometimes, players have hesitated to shoot when given the opportunity.

Maybe replacing one of the two defensemen with another forward can do the trick for the first unit. Also, should Matthew Tkachuk be taken off the unit and replaced with someone else as well? He hasn't been a great contributor on the power play, and everyone knows he's still dealing with a groin issue that was sustained in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

If the staff were to make one of these changes, the most likely candidate to move into the unit would be Anton Lundell. Maurice won't let any of the fourth-line forwards join in since they have a limited offensive upside. Eetu Luostarinen could also gain consideration since he can do anything and everything. However, he isn't a supreme offensive talent. His role is to be the team's Swiss army knife.

Meanwhile, Lundell has always shown flashes of being a gifted offensive playmaker. His production in the offensive zone has only been elevated since Bill Zito acquired Marchand. The potential benefits of including Lundell on the power play could be endless due to what he brings as a player. His specialty has always been his defense. However, he has a long reach, which is essential for retrieving loose pucks.

The 23-year-old center has gotten better at getting his shots off. He usually shoots low for rebounds, especially in the slot, which is great for a power play. Any time a huge rebound is given up by the opposing goalie, his long reach will allow him to scoop them up, keep the possession alive, and give the team more life for a high-quality scoring chance.

Also, from a lineup perspective, he might be the Panthers' most versatile asset. He can play with anyone, despite being on the third line for most of his career. He is healthier than Tkachuk, so maybe subbing him in can add more of a scoring punch to the unit. What if Maurice wants to keep 'Chucky' in? Well, he can take the place of either Jones or Ekblad.

The size will still be there. There is a three-inch difference between the three players. Lundell is 6-feet-1 while Ekblad and Jones are 6-feet-4. However, Lundell's weight is in the ballpark of the defensemen, and he is physical as well, when he needs to be. Despite his more subdued play style, Lundell can be a huge asset and addition to a struggling power play.

He brings more hustle, energy, and is very quick-witted. He reacts fast to every play, and his biggest weapon is his sharp hockey IQ. There is no doubt that a change of some kind must be made for the top unit. Having an efficient power play is essential to winning, especially against a team that can score in bunches like the Oilers.

When given the chance to put games away, it must be done. This is especially the case when the opposition takes many penalties. Against a team like Edmonton, you must always be aggressive. You must never let your foot off the gas pedal. Putting away the opponent as quickly as possible must always be the focus, even though it's difficult to do so this time of year.

Having a lethal and consistent group on the man advantage is a way to do that. Quite frankly, the production hasn't been good enough, and maybe a slight alteration can make things better quickly.