Journeyman Defenseman Nate Schmidt Surprisingly Leads Panthers in Scoring in the Stanley Cup Final

Panthers’ ‘Baby Barkov’ has emerged as big-time contributor during playoff runs

FORT LAUDERDALE — Panthers star Aleksander Barkov is the quintessential defensive forward, and the three Selke Trophies he has won in his career are a testament to that. Fellow first-line forward Sam Reinhart has been getting credit for his defensive performance, too, finishing second to Barkov in this year’s Selke voting. But plugging away behind them on the third line is 23-year-old center Anton Lundell, who has previously been dubbed “Baby Ba…

Panthers HC Paul Maurice drops sarcastic three-word response as captain Aleksander Barkov remains point-less against Oilers

Aleksander Barkov has had a very poor outing during the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final, but it hasn't hurt his team that much.

Panthers' Nate Schmidt: Dishes pair of helpers

Panthers' Nate Schmidt: Dishes pair of helpers

Journeyman defenseman Nate Schmidt surprisingly leads Panthers in scoring in the Stanley Cup Final

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers’ leading scorer through two games of the Stanley Cup Final is not Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov or Sam Reinhart.

Florida Panthers' Nate Schmidt reminding everyone, including himself, what he can do

Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt has four assists through the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final vs. the Edmonton Oilers.

How Gophers alum Nate Schmidt ‘found his fun again’ as he helped energize Panthers

FORT LAUDERDALE — Nate Schmidt arrived in Florida uneasy about starting his tenure with the Panthers. Florida, coming off the franchise’s first Stanley Cup title, needed to replace a pair of defensemen it lost in the offseason, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Brandon Montour. Schmidt, who had played under coach Paul Maurice briefly in Winnipeg, was here to fill that void. “I thought I had it pretty difficult the first couple weeks,” Schmidt said, “bein…