Players to target: Thomas Vanek, Vincent Trocheck, and Jon Audy-Marchessault
This is a brand-new line that will have an intriguing matchup against the New York Rangers.
With Reilly Smith and Jussi Jokinen moving to Nick Bjugstad's line, Vanek and Marchessault should get to showcase their offensive abilities with the talented and young Vincent Trocheck centering them. The individual Corsi For per 60 minutes numbers show Vanek (13.0) and Marchessault (12.6) shoot the puck considerably more than Smith (11.6) and Jokinen (9.7).
This new-look second line for the Florida Panthers should see advantageous matchups with Bjugstad and Jonathan Huberdeau's lines seeing most of Derek Stepan and the Rangers' top line. They will likely face off against Mika Zibanejad and company, which is leaking defensively and allowing 69.8 Corsi Against per 60 minutes and only a 44.7 Corsi For percentage.
As a bonus, Vanek and Trocheck will stay together on the power play headed by a skilled offensive defenseman in Aaron Ekblad. The Rangers are averaging 36 shots against in their last four games, and we should expect Trocheck's line to have a lot of opportunities to score.