Paul Maurice has Brady Tkachuk and Matthew Tkachuk on the same line with Sam Bennett, and the Panthers badly need the jolt.
It lands heading into tonight's game in Columbus, a day after a 5-3 loss in Buffalo dropped Florida to 2-2-2.
Six games in, the Panthers have scored 12 goals and allowed 17. They sit sixth in their division.
And they're doing it without Aleksander Barkov, who's expected out until at least Nov 27 with a lower-body injury.
Brad Marchand is down too. His leg injury is expected to keep him out until at least Nov 21.
So Maurice stopped spreading the agitation around and stacked all of it on one trio. Two brothers and Bennett, nobody in a good mood.
Three agitators on one line is like seating three loud uncles at the same end of the Thanksgiving table. Somebody's leaving upset before dessert.
Brady Tkachuk still hunting his first goal of the season
The pressure lands on the younger brother. Brady has yet to score through six games and sits at a -5 rating.
His last five are worse, at minus-6. In Buffalo on Monday, he fired 3 shots and still couldn't stay out of the red.
Matthew is the one carrying the room. He leads Florida with 5 points, and 3 of them are goals.
Both brothers picked up power-play assists in Buffalo. Matthew logged 18:25 that afternoon, the heaviest workload of the trio.
Bennett is the wild card here. He has 3 assists through six games and is still looking for his first goal.
The rest of the attack isn't picking up the slack. Sam Reinhart's 2 goals have both come on the power play.
Now look at the money. The new line carries $25,708,714 in combined cap hits.
Is that a top line, or the most expensive forecheck in the Atlantic?
It's still the right gamble. Florida's goaltending isn't bailing anyone out, with Jacob Markstrom at .904 and Akira Schmid at .868.
Rick Bowness and the Blue Jackets are waiting at 2-2-0, coming off a 5-3 loss in St. Louis. It's the first meeting between the two clubs this season.
After Columbus, the Panthers finally go home for Vancouver and Seattle. They've played one home game all season, and lost it.
But if Brady's drought follows him home, how long does Maurice keep the brothers together?
-
Should Paul Maurice keep Brady and Matthew Tkachuk together even if Brady stays without a goal on the homestand?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Panthers confirm another tough turn of events for Brad Marchand
