A veteran of five different NHL teams, Schmidt sees something special for the Panthers.
“To say I wasn’t nervous at the beginning of the year would be wrong because I was like that,” he said with a smile. “I don’t know how to help a team like this, but there’s no need to come from the personality that this team has, the game style, the standards we have, the staff. It’s coming from the bench. It’s coming from the guys in the room.”
Schmidt, who is looking for his first Stanley Cup, joined the defending champion on a one-year contract last summer, said Florida locker room really sold him during free agency.
“It was a long way to go to South Florida,” Schmidt said. Schmidt has already arrived to the team in 76 career playoff games. “One of the things I heard about this team is that they treat each other and see it every day. That’s something I longed for.”
With early confidence in round one of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Schmidt helped the Panthers win the Tampa Bay Lightning and a 6-2 score on Tuesday night.
On the ice at 15:51, No. 88 registered two goals, three shots, two hits and one block shot.
According to NHL statistics, Schmidt has been the fourth defensive man in the past 30 years, finding the back of the net twice at Amalie Arena, and scoring multiple goals in his playoff debut with the franchise.
