SUNRISE, Fla. — At age 32, Vladimir Tarasenko is not the top name on the Panthers’ marquee nor the biggest statistics collector in their lineup.
But he is the sage to the stars and the lunch-pail guys alike for one main reason — and it’s on the top line of his NHL résumé.
Tarasenko has played in a Game 7 of a Stanley Cup final and won it, in 2019 for the Blues against the Bruins in Boston.
After Monday night in south Florida, every player in uniform for both the Panthers and Oilers is able to make the first part of that statement, but only the winners can claim the second (and most important) part.
The Panthers were counting on Tarasenko’s advice and performance to help put them over the top after they took a 3-0 series lead but then lost the next three games by a combined score of 18-5.
“That’s why he was targeted at the [trade] deadline,” said Sam Reinhart, who scored 57 goals in the regular season and had another nine in the playoffs entering Monday. “That’s why guys wanted him in their locker room. We’ve felt that experience and we’ve felt that knowledge that he’s brought to our group. You’ve got to utilize past experiences and he’s certainly been there for us.”
Tarasenko was acquired by Florida on March 6 from Ottawa for the price of a No. 4 pick later this week and a third-rounder next year.
He had put up 17 goals and 24 assists in 57 games for the Senators, who remain in the playoff wilderness.
But the man and his message were highly coveted by the Panthers.
And that message is this:
“Come in with a positive mindset and believe in the guy next to you,” said Tarasenko, who had six goals and eight assists in 19 games after the deal. “It maybe sounds pretty simple, but that’s what it is. That’s the only way to prepare yourself — be relaxed and work hard and believe.”
For the first 11 seasons of his career, Tarasenko was that name near or at the top of the Blues’ star constellation.
He scored at least 33 goals six times and hoisted the Stanley Cup on June 12, 2019, at TD Garden in Boston.
The Blues lost, 5-1, at home in Game 6 with the Cup in their building, but then beat the Bruins, 4-1, in Game 7 with Tarasenko registering an assist.
He was traded to the Rangers at the deadline last year with defenseman Niko Mikkola, who is his teammate again in Florida on a third different team.
The Blueshirts infamously flamed out in the first round against the Devils in seven games but not before Tarasenko scored three goals in the series.
Playing on the right wing of a line with 22-year-old Anton Lundell and 25-year-old Eetu Luostarinen, Tarasenko has contributed five goals — including the series winner in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Rangers — and four assists in this postseason.
“[This has] been a really great experience on my part,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said on the morning of Game 7 at the team’s practice facility. “I didn’t know Vlad before he [came] here. The experience of that Game 7 [with St. Louis], you see long before you get to it [again].”
The coach said Tarasenko’s influence can be seen in the performances of his young linemates.
“What he’s done for them in terms of communicating on the ice, on the bench, talking hockey, relaying experiences — and there is a lot of experience because he’s played against certain styles. He’s played in the West, he’s played in the East,” Maurice said. “All of the best coaching doesn’t happen from coaches to players. It happens from player to player. The mentorship that happens on the bench. That’s where the nuances of the game are passed down.”
And that’s what was happening in Sunrise on the morning of the sunset of the NHL season.
“I think [Tarasenko’s] quote the other day was, ‘Pressure is a privilege.’ [That] we earned the right to be in this position so enjoy it and give it everything you’ve got,” forward Ryan Lomberg said. “It’s been a great experience having him here as a teammate and as a brother and we’re excited to cross that finish line with him.”
