2024-25 Playoff Focus: Anton Lundell (GM6 vs. EDM)
Baby's all grown up
Anton Lundell may have set a new career high in points this postseason (18 in 23 appearances), but his game is more about three-zone details than raw production. As Paul Maurice told reporters a few days ago:
“He doesn’t cheat the game; he stays on the right side of it.”
The 23-year-old’s on-ice maturity puts him in consistently sound position, which facilitates Brad Marchand’s offense, enhances Eetu Luostarinen’s forechecking and amounted to a team-leading 24-8 goal margin for Florida’s 3C throughout the playoffs. You could argue that they formed not only the Panthers’ best trio but the single best 5-on-5 unit in the postseason.
Tuesday night was no exception, yet through an individual lens, Game 6 may have been Lundell’s finest performance of the Stanley Cup Final. He was exactly where his teammates needed him to be in all situations (FLA 15):
Ever notice how Florida always seems to hold a numbers advantage around the puck? That support is baked into its structure—and Lundell’s DNA.
If you require an extra pair of hands in the DZ, he’s got you. Ditto for an outlet on the breakout or a release valve on the cycle. Meanwhile, Luostarinen has established himself as a top-flight F1 on the forecheck because the F2 (often Lundell) is primed to pick up the scraps.
It gets better. At the age of 23, he’s already struck a keen balance between OZ support and defensive responsibility. He excels at sniffing out possession changes and retreating home in time to muzzle any inkling of a counterattack:
Although Lundell isn’t the most graceful skater, his understanding of when to cut his losses enables him to gain defensive depth so early that his teammates can attack the puck without fear of weakening the club’s posture. In a nutshell, he keeps a lid on the opposition’s pace—and it goes without saying that’s quite important vs. the high-octane Oilers. They were out-manned through and through on Tuesday night.
Watch him extinguish Leon Draisaitl’s (EDM 29) threat in transition:
You can’t fault Gustav Forsling’s (FLA 42) intentions here (keep-in), but he punts the puck directly to the German with a forward (Luostarinen, FLA 27) installed as the de facto LD. This could prove sketchy.
Lundell nips that thought in the bud. And in a hurry. Hustling to immediately attach himself to Draisaitl persuades the star center to sacrifice speed in favor of puck protection (free arm). Florida’s 3C then maximizes his length by dipping his frame even lower than his counterpart’s, gaining access to a puck most defenders would deem out of reach. Danger averted.
At least in the pro ranks, stout defense has been his calling card for years. What continues to improve—particularly following Marchand’s arrival—is his ability to stack his two-way contributions, swiftly converting his airtight tendencies into back-breaking offense.
Consider this 200-foot masterclass from late in the first period:
Draisaitl does an outstanding job of winning the puck on the wall and splitting defenders (FLA 5 and 27) to give himself a look into middle ice.
See Lundell at the far left of the screen, though? He’s screaming back to the NZ in an effort to contain Connor McDavid (EDM 97). His presence doesn’t merely force a saucer pass either. He relies on his skate rather than his stick to guarantee that the puck doesn’t squeeze past him.
Seconds later, Evan Bouchard (EDM 2) attempts a zone entry. This time, the Finn crushes two options at once, pointing his feet inside to stop the offensive defenseman’s progress while obstructing the near-side lane with his stick (inverted surfing?). Edmonton goes 0-2 on McDavid touches, and Florida’s off to the races:
Now the selflessness comes into play. Instead of trying to uncover a sweet spot between two defenders on the rush, Lundell gets on his horse and beats the last man back (Bouchard) to the crease. With his heels tickling the blue ice, he crowds Stuart Skinner’s (EDM 74) sight line (watch him peek stick-side) and makes the goaltender guess on Matthew Tkachuk’s (FLA 19) wrister. 2-0.
That won’t end up on sizzle reels, but it may have been the finest shift by any Panther in the playoffs.
Pitch-perfect two-way hockey.
And that was far from the lone instance in which Lundell’s dependable routes, inside track and anticipation generated offense on Tuesday night. He probably should have potted two goals as a byproduct of his complete game:
By adding a counterpunch to their tenacious forecheck and impregnable defense, Lundell, Luostarinen and Marchand powered one of the scariest third-line runs in postseason history. Despite fairly difficult usage, they outscored opponents 13-4 and finished first, second and third in 5-on-5 scoring rate.
The Rat King deserves every bit of the adulation he’s receiving. Luostarinen has earned his flowers too. However, Lundell represents the unit’s two-way foundation. The right-place, right-time keystone on which the operation is built.
And that’s just Line 3:
2C Sam Bennett scored 15 goals to win the Conn Smythe.
Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart headlined the Selke conversation.
The Panthers tied the NHL record for players with 20-plus playoff points.
Thanks in part to Lundell’s growth, the Panthers basically trotted out three top lines. That’s ALL-TIME GREAT depth, and as this spring showed us, there was no stopping it.
On the night, he registered 1 assist, 5 scoring chances, a 60.4 xGF% and the Panthers outscored Edmonton 2-1 during his shifts.
Here are the full highlights: