What has changed for Ekblad. And what Maurice expects if both Panthers, Heat make Finals

Two-time All-Star defenseman Aaron Ekblad didn’t score his first goal of these playoffs until the series-clincher against Toronto last Friday. His point total was down significantly from a year ago (57 to 38), as the Panthers transitioned to a more physical, less free-wheeling style that has proven to be more conducive to playoff success.

But coach Paul Maurice said Ekblad’s numbers can be deceiving.

“His numbers are down, but his impact on the game is much higher than it was,” Maurice said.

Former Panthers defenseman Ed Jovanovski recently credited Ekblad for sacrificing some of this offense this season to accommodate the team’s altered style of play.

And Ekblad, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2014 draft, has been very effective in these playoffs. He’s tied for fourth on the team in playoff plus-minus, at plus-6 (compared with minus-14 during the regular season). He’s third on the team in average postseason ice time.

“He’s had a really interesting year to the point I feel he’s peaked now,” Maurice said before the team flew to Raleigh for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday against Carolina (8 p.m., TNT).

“He and [Gustav] Forsling draw the No. 1 pair. They’re playing against the other team’s very best. He’s come on and off the power play and it hasn’t affected his game. He goes back on the power play against Toronto and scores an enormous goal, the kind of goal you talk about for the whole season.”

That goal gave Florida a quick 1-0 lead less than four minutes into Game 5, which the Panthers won in overtime.

In Panthers history, no defenseman has more points or appeared in more games than Ekblad.

His goal count this season (14 in 71 games) was only slightly behind his 15 in 61 games last season. His assists were down, from 42 to 24, despite playing 10 more games this season than 2021-22.

“I think you would see as this team evolves, a lot of the high-number guys, their numbers may come slightly down as they develop a true appreciation for how important it is to put in as much energy at defending,” Maurice said. “I’m not saying he didn’t do that, that he didn’t care about defense. The team was built heavily and skewed heavy to offense last year, offense generation.

“The challenge for some of those guys is to value their game even when the points aren’t there. It’s also true of fans. This guy [or that guy] hasn’t scored in four games. Who cares?”

THIS AND THAT

Maurice said “analytically, Carolina is the best team in the league. That’s just a fact.” But “we feel as confident as you can be.”

He said both teams “will have more energy, more jump. This series will look more in terms of defense like the Boston series, the grind-it-out series. There will be a lot of hitting.”

▪ In retrospect, Maurice said there wasn’t as big a disparity, as some might have suspected, between the teams with the highest regular-season point totals and the lowest.

“The gap between Boston and us wasn’t as big,” he said. “They were deep for sure. If one of those teams from the bottom eight get one or two pieces of their game going, they can close that gap. We all have talented players. Nobody ever said you don’t have enough high-end talent. It was all about depth. Our depth has been really, really good for us. There have been two or three pieces of our game that have kind of closed the gap.”

▪ Maurice wore a shirt with the Heat’s logo during his Wednesday news conference and made clear he’s rooting for their success, too, as both franchises begin the Eastern Conference finals.

Both teams entered postseason as heavy underdogs and had to knock off the best team in East to advance to the second round.

“I know about as much about basketball as I do about goaltending,” Maurice cracked. “I know it’s fun to watch. I’m not sure what the hell they’re doing. There’s a connection now between the two teams. It’s a great story and it’s fun to be a part of. We’re both trying to do our half. Wouldn’t it be unbelievable in two weeks if we were both still playing? [There would be] craziness in this town.”

▪ Maurice, on star forward Matthew Tkachuk: “He is a great pro but he’s a great person. It’s the way he treats all the people that he doesn’t have to treat with the respect he does — the bus drivers, the trainers. I’m not lying to you. Over 28 years, there have been some [jerks] in there.

“I wouldn’t come out and say [one of those jerks is] the greatest guy ever. [I could say] he’s a real good guy to somebody [but] I haven’t met that person yet.”

Tkachuk, conversely, “is an exceptional guy,” Maurice said. “Even during the course of the year, he’s grown into that leadership role. He’s one of those guys that can touch everybody in the room. He plays a gritty game and also plays a highly skilled game. He can connect with everyone in the room.”

▪ Asked what it has been like to be ‘out and about’ during this playoff run, Maurice cracked: “I opened my garage after the [last] series and took the garbage out and four people walked by and said congratulations. That would be the first time. My wife knew who they were.

“I spent about 10 years in the Canadian market, and it’s a different thing [here]. I feel I get to enjoy this now. I like the anonymity of being able to walk around. People are great no matter where you are.”

▪ Maurice said every Panthers player will be available for Game 1. Winger Ryan Lomberg has been out since Game 5 of the first round against Boston, reportedly because of a hand injury.