Forget the Tkachuks: the players who are really impressing Paul Maurice

Paul Maurice singled out Anton Lundell's line Sunday night after a 3-2 overtime loss in Anaheim, and the Panthers need that group more than ever.

"They skate well, get in the holes well, they don't cheat the game to do it, and they've been around that net quite a few times," Maurice said of Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Sandis Vilmanis.

Then came the kicker. "So, we're excited about them."

Coaches don't hand out that kind of praise by accident. Especially this early in October.

Aleksander Barkov is on injured reserve with a knee injury and isn't expected back until at least Oct. 27. Aaron Ekblad is also listed day-to-day for personal reasons.

Florida sits 1-0-2 and still hasn't played on home ice. The last two games both slipped away in overtime, starting with a 4-3 loss in San Jose.

The offense is the real issue. Six goals through three games won't scare anybody, and Sam Reinhart has yet to register a point.

Sandis Vilmanis forces the Panthers into a minutes debate

Vilmanis put four shots on goal in Anaheim. That tied Sam Bennett, Brady Tkachuk and Seth Jones for the team lead.

He did it in 13:38. Jones needed 28:35 to get his four.

So who's getting squeezed? The 22-year-old with the most jump, who logged the fewest minutes of the three forwards Maurice just praised.

Keeping him under 14 minutes while the top six hunts for goals is a bad call. Plain and simple.

That "don't cheat the game" line is the hockey version of the coworker who never leaves dirty dishes in the sink.

Nobody throws him a parade. Everybody notices the mess when he's gone.

Luostarinen fits that description best. He has two goals through three games, one on the power play, which already makes him Florida's leading goal scorer.

And yet he didn't register a shot Sunday in 16:12 of ice time. The production isn't coming from volume, and that rarely lasts.

Lundell's numbers are quieter. One assist through three games won't move anybody, but he logged 17:33 in Anaheim and finished plus-1.

At a $5,000,000 cap hit, the Panthers didn't pay the Finnish forward to be a nice depth story. With Barkov out, this stretch is where that number gets earned.

The heavy lifting is still landing on familiar shoulders. Matthew Tkachuk led all Florida forwards with 23:28 Sunday.

Next up is Tuesday night in Los Angeles, the first meeting of the season with a Kings team that's 0-1-1 and has allowed 13 goals in two games.

Maurice's words cost him nothing Sunday night. Tuesday, the bench card will show whether he meant them.

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