With his beard, hits and mentorship, Panthers’ Gudas showing his value in Stanley Cup Final

If Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice is to be believed, defenseman Radko Gudas brings a secret weapon with him on the ice every night.

“Radko’s beard,” Maurice said, “actually is part of him hitting. He has weights tied into the beard. It weighs 103 pounds. Now that I say that, there’s probably a chance the refs are going to go through his beard now.”

OK, so maybe there’s some hyperbole coming from Maurice, although it should be noted that Gudas’ beard, which is plump yet well groomed during the season, has taken on a life of its own during the Panthers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final that continues with Game 4 on Saturday at FLA Live Arena as Florida tries to even the series with the Vegas Golden Knights.

What’s not hyperbole is Gudas’ impact on this Panthers team.

Gudas, a 33-year-old Czech defenseman, is known for his bone-chilling hits — he was second in the NHL during the regular season with 312 and has added an NHL-leading 83 more in the playoffs — but is value extends beyond what is shown of him on the highlight reels.

He’s key to setting up the defensive structure when he’s on the ice and has paired soundly all season with Josh Mahura, whom the Panthers acquired off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks just before the start of the regular season.

It’s one of the reasons the Panthers were able to breathe a sigh of relief when he was cleared to play in Game 3 against the Golden Knights on Thursday after leaving Game 2 early with an injury.

“Radko Gudas is a far more technical player and systematically great player than people understand,” Maurice said. “And I don’t expect them to because all of the highlights are of him blowing someone up — and that’s fun to watch, so why wouldn’t you? But if you watch his game and understand the systems that we’re running, he just doesn’t make a lot of mistakes.”

That extends beyond his individual game, which in its own right was solid this season. In addition to the hits, Gudas logged 15 assists and 17 total points — both his highest since the 2018-2019 season — along with 124 blocked shots and 20 takeaways despite missing 10 games with injury.

“He’s a wonderfully consistent mentor,” Maurice said, “because he plays at the same intensity level every night. You don’t get to sit beside Radko on the bench and be like ‘Maybe I’ll just go half speed tonight. I’m not feeling it tonight.’ Radko is not going to allow that, but not in a ‘Hey kid, I’ll club you if you don’t get moving’ [kind of way]. He has this very strong technical play but also a very strong personality.”

But even with his natural high-hitting way, Gudas knows there’s a balance to it. He can’t just go out to get hits for the sake of getting hits if it’s going to cost the rest of the team in the long run.

The Panthers realized that as a whole in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final, when they logged 80 hits in the two losses. They only had 14 hits in Game 3, a 3-2 overtime win, but were more structurally sound.

“We still play physical,” Gudas said. “Maybe not as forceful hits as they were before, but they’re still pretty solid. It’s trying to stay as physical as possible throughout the whole game. It’s not a message to play physical or non-physical. If it’s there, then yes, take it. If it’s not, don’t get out of the way and get thrown out of position. I think there’s a smart way of looking at the physical side of the game as well. We’re all learning that as we play.”

This and that

▪ Center Eric Staal on his shot block during the start of overtime to help the Panthers kill a penalty before Carter Verhaeghe’s eventual game-winning goal: “It’s about doing whatever you can. That was a moment where I had to get in the way. Obviously not long after, a big goal by Carter.”

The Panthers blocked 17 shots on Thursday.

▪ The Panthers committed eight more minor penalties on Thursday, bringing their total in the Stanley Cup Final to 23 through three games. Vegas has been called for 18 minor penalties.

“For me, it goes both ways,” said Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad. “If we slash a stick and it breaks in half, it’s going to be a slashing penalty. If I hold a guy, it’s gonna be a hold. It’s just the game of hockey and it’s important for us to stay out of the box. That’s a challenge for us. It’s something we’re always harping on.”