Playoff Q&A: Nosek talks Stanley Cup, teammates & more!

FORT LAUDERDALE – Another shot at Lord Stanley.

Seven years removed from his last Stanley Cup Final appearance with the Vegas Golden Knights, forward Tomas Nosek will get his second opportunity to potentially lift the Cup.

While the Florida Panthers brought back many players from last year’s Cup-winning squad, Nosek is one of seven players on the team’s playoff roster hoping to secure their first ring.

In some ways, it’s those players that drove the team to a third straight trip to the Cup Final.

“Those new guys who came in, did bring the energy,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “What’s interesting is towards the end [of the regular season], they became our identity.”

Helping the Panthers to an 8-2 record since he drew back into the lineup for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Nosek has recorded three assists, a +5 plus/minus rating, and has already tied his career playoff high of 25 hits.

A big piece of the penalty kill, he’s also helped Florida to a league-best 87.9% success rate in the playoffs.

Following Saturday's practice at Baptist Health IcePlex, I had the chance to talk to the Czech forward about chasing his first Stanley Cup, his Panthers teammates and more.

DARRAGH: What are some initial feelings of being back in the Stanley Cup Final?

NOSEK: It feels pretty good. I think it’s been seven years already. Feels like yesterday, but it’s a good feeling for sure to be back and to be able to play at this stage at this time of the year. I couldn’t ask for anything better.

DARRAGH: You played for the Cup in 2018. Are there different feelings a second time around?

NOSEK: I was just thinking about it yesterday, that this time is totally different. I’m way older and probably smarter too (laughing). I have kids now. It’s a totally different scene. I want to enjoy it way more than I did when I was younger. I was more nervous back then for sure, and now I want to enjoy it. It’s going to be so much fun.

DARRAGH: How does that experience prepare you for this one?

NOSEK: Hopefully good because I lost my first one (laughing). Hopefully I learned a lesson and hopefully it’s the right lesson so this time has a different ending.

DARRAGH: Edmonton has a pretty dynamic power play. As a penalty killer, what’s the key to slowing that down?

NOSEK: Their power play is one of the best in the world, so we can’t give up any easy chances. If you want to give up something, give up an outside shot or from the blue line. Be tight and don’t give up anything from the slot or around the net.

DARRAGH: With this much time off, how do you balance recovery and staying game ready?

NOSEK: Both teams have pretty much the same time off, so that’s a good thing. We’ll get a couple of days on the ice, so for me it’s just every practice try to prepare every time and do my best to be ready for everything.

DARRAGH: Your line has made a big impact in these playoffs. What’s been working so well for you guys?

NOSEK: I think we’ve played a pretty good forechecking game. We’ve been able to get pucks deep, get pressure on their D, and play physical. We’ve played defensively as well and tried to not let any goals get through.

DARRAGH: A.J. Greer and Jonah Gadjovich are two guys that aren’t afraid to play physical. How has it been playing with them?

NOSEK: They’re pretty good forecheckers. I try to use that to my advantage because they’re so fast and play physical. I know if they hit somebody, the puck is usually going to stay there or be limited, so it’s an easy read for me. I played with A.J. in Boston, and we were pretty good there, too, and Gadjo fits perfectly. We’ve built some good chemistry over the course of the season.

DARRAGH: You played with Nate Schmidt in Vegas and with Greer and Brad Marchand in Boston. How special is it to be on this run with teammates that you played with elsewhere?

NOSEK: It’s great. It’s one of the things that when you look back, makes you feel older and seems like the time flies by. All those guys I’ve played with or against, it’s so much fun. With Nate, we were just talking about that this feels a little bit different than Vegas because the Vegas Final was a little bit more like a fairy tale. Nobody was expecting us to be that good, so this is a different feeling. It’s been a blessing to be able to be with those guys in the same room again.

DARRAGH: When the Panthers added Vitek Vanecek at the deadline, how excited were you to see another Czech join the team and how’s it been hanging out with him?

NOSEK: He’s awesome. I loved it. It’s always nice to have somebody from Czech on your team and you can also use a little bit of Czech humor in the locker room. It’s nice. We always try to keep the Czech words only if we are together, not around the guys, so we try to be respectful and talk English when we are around a lot of the guys. It’s been great, for sure.

DARRAGH: It’s going to be a long flight to Edmonton. How do you usually spend the time during flights?

NOSEK: Probably play cards with the boys. There’s Nate (Schmidt), Jonesy (Seth Jones), Kuli (Dmitry Kulikov), Mikksy (Niko Mikkola), A.J. (Greer), and Samo (Mackie Samoskevich), and we’re playing seven up, seven down.