Dave Hyde: Buckle up for emotional Florida Panthers series with Boston

SUNRISE — All practice long, you could watch Aleksander Barkov work with Matthew Tkachuk. Man, it was beautiful. They didn’t talk much. A head nod from Barkov. A word, maybe two, from Tkachuk as they skated by each other before working on the power play.

What’s to be said by now, even among new linemates? Tkachuk planted himself in front of the net and tipped a pass from Barkov into the goal. A minute later, Barkov sped to the net from the side and tipped in a shot.

“Man, I was right there!” Tkachuk shouted once, almost to himself, when he couldn’t get the puck in the net.

Yes, it was something to watch the biggest names on the Florida Panthers marquee, Barkov and Tkachuk, work on the same line Sunday on the eve of Game 1 against the Boston Bruins.

That’s because it’s something you only saw this year in the previous game, the Game 5 finale against Tampa Bay.

“This is something new for both of us,’’ Tkachuk said. “I know we played together with (Carter Verhaeghe) at the beginning of last year and had a lot of success. Maybe this is some they’ve been saving for now. Hopefully, we can have some games like in Game 5.”

So, what’s old is new again as last year’s most emotional and violent playoff series on the Panthers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final begins Monday night in Sunrise. Panthers coach Paul Maurice kept saying during the Tampa Bay series that it wasn’t as physical as others framed it. Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper called the opening games a, “pillow fight.”

There will be no pillows Monday night in Sunrise for Game 1. No questions about what’s at stake, too. Boston, coming off a Game 7 win against Toronto on Saturday, remembers the Panthers broke their historically strong season last year in the opening round last year.

The Panthers remember coming back from a 3-1 deficit to define this team in a way that resonates today.

“It showed we could beat anyone,’’ Tkachuk said. “It gave us a lot of confidence no matter who we played, no matter what building we’re in, no matter what the atmosphere was that we have a chance to win.

“It brought us super close together, that series.  The effects are still being shown now.”

The roles are switched this time. The Panthers are the favorites, the deeper team with stars in their prime who have rested for a week. The Bruins have a player who can steal the series in goalie Jeremy Swayman, who gave up 1.49 goals with a 95 percent save percentage in winning four of six games against Toronto.

“He was our best player in the series and it’s not close,’’ Boston coach Jim Montgomery said. “I think his confidence and swagger permeated the group.”

That underlines the importance of the Panthers line changes. Sports is about matchups, and Maurice had two lineup cards in his suit pocket before that Tampa Bay finale. Some of that was fallout of center Sam Bennett’s injury in the first game of that series (he’s still out for Monday).

Some of it was Tampa Bay switching its top stars to one line and Maurice answering with a speedy line of Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen (who will remain together against Boston).

The decision involved separating Barkov and Reinhart, considering Reinhart has 60 goals between the regular season and playoffs. Then again, Reinhart led the league in power-play goals where he’ll still be with Barkov and Verhaeghe (and Tkachuk).

Barkov’s strength was rewarded Sunday when he was named a finalist with Toronto’s Auston Matthews and Carolina’s Jordan Stahl for the Selke Trophy as the league’s top defensive forward. The defining stat there how the Panthers outscored opponents 53-23 when Barkov was on the ice in five-on-five situations.

Barkov, like Tkachuk, saw no concerns with the line change.

“(Tkachuk) is one of those players that when you want to get the puck to him because he’s going to make the deciding play, gonna make those big plays that open things up so much and create a lot of good chances,’’ Barkov said. “You know where he’s going to be at all times. That’s why it’s easy to play with that type of player.”

Come Monday night, nothing will come easy. Boston beat the Panthers in all four regular-season games, for whatever that means. Three were one-goal wins.

“They definitely got us in the regular season,’’ Tkachuk said. “I think if you ask them they’re probably using it for confidence going into the season. We’re like, ‘Regular season doesn’t matter, we got to the playoffs.”’

No pillows necessary.