Playoff Update: Train Keeps a Rollin’

The Florida Panthers continue to make mincemeat out of some very good opponents.

Two nights after clobbering the Hurricanes in Raleigh in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final, the defending Stanley Cup champs outclassed, eviscerated (choose your own adjective) the ‘Canes last night, 5-zip. I mean, they just absolutely tore the heart out of Rod Brind’Amour’s crew and fed it to ‘em for a late night snack.

How lopsided was it? The Panthers limited the swarming, shoot-from-anywhere ‘Canes to a paltry 17 shots on goal.

None other than former Pen and current ‘Canes captain Jordan Staal referred to the debacle as “an ass whuppin’.”

For the record, the Panthers did the very same thing to a better-than-credited Toronto squad in Round 2, pasting the Leafs by matching 6-1 scores in Games 5 and 7. On the road, to boot.

Reminds me of the refrain from an old Aerosmith (and Yardbirds) song…

Train kept a rollin’ all night long…

I look at the Panthers’ lineup and both marvel and salivate. It’s literally the perfect blend of piss, vinegar and polish, if you’ll excuse the expression. A veritable on-ice threshing machine.

You want high-end skill?

Look no further than Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe up front and Gustav Forsling on the back end.

Want guys who can play and bring some slam-bang and swag to the mix? Matthew Tkachuk, “Playoff” Sam Bennett (nine goals and counting) and Aaron Ekblad, top-six picks all, apply their own special brand of heat.

Don’t forget ex-Bruins disturber and standout, Brad Marchand, who’s blended seamlessly with Anton Lundell and ex-Cane Eetu Luostarinen to form the best third line since HBK propelled our Pens to the 2016 Cup. A true matchup wrecker.

Have there been two better deadline adds than Marchand and rangy d-man Seth Jones?

The list of contributors goes on and on. Niko Mikkola and ex-Pen Dmitry Kulikov providing physicality and stiff resistance in front of Sergei Bobrovsky, who’s as big-time as it gets between the pipes. Even fourth-liners A.J. Greer and Jonah Gadjovich, who in addition to delivering a crunching hit or knuckle sandwich, chip in with the odd goal.

In fact, therein lies the true beauty of the Panthers. Like a team of ultra-determined sled dogs, everybody pulls their weight and then some. No fewer than 11 players have at least three goals, seven have four goals or better. They don’t rely on one line or a handful of stars to get ‘er done.

Did I mention that 16 of the 23 players who’ve dressed for the Panthers during the postseason are under the age of 30? Fourteen are in their mid-to-late 20s. In other words, smack dab in the middle of their primes.

Again, credit POHO/GM Bill Zito for his brilliant work. He’s assembled the perfect playoff team. He understands that when the postseason rolls around and the physicality and intensity get ratcheted up a few notches, with a handful of exceptions, players who rely primarily on skill lose whatever edge they enjoy during the regular season. There simply isn’t the time and space to make pretty plays or that extra pass in search of the highlight video goal.

Everything’s north-south. Direct.

Urgent.

It’s part of the reason why teams like the Leafs, with all their front-end talent, invariably fail during the postseason.

Hope Kyle Dubas is paying attention.