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Keith Yandle didn’t just keep ironman streak going, he scored his 100th goal

Keith Yandle didn't just keep ironman streak going, he scored his 100th goal

TORONTO, ONTARIO - JULY 29: Keith Yandle #3 of the Florida Panthers laughs during a break in action of an exhibition game between the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on July 29, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images)

NHLI via Getty Images

There was a lot of drama swirling around the Florida Panthers possibly ending Keith Yandle’s ironman streak with a healthy scratch. Maybe that explains why Keith Yandle celebrated his goal against the Chicago Blackhawks so boisterously on Sunday?

Keith Yandle scores 100th goal, ironman streak continues

Granted, that goal was also Keith Yandle’s 100th in the NHL. So there’s that. Enjoy the goal, but most of all, that celebration:

The bottom line with any ironman streak is that you still need to earn your spot in the lineup. Even if Rick Pitino disagrees.

Now, it’s no secret that Yandle’s defensive game draws criticism. It has for years, and sometimes with players like these, the narrative eventually becomes true (we’ve seen this with Phil Kessel lately).

The main question was always: is it worth it? Can Keith Yandle bring more to the table than he took away from it? With 45 points last season, and 62 in 2018-19, the instinct might be to say “of course.”

Again, though, you have to weigh the good vs. the bad. Take a look at how his defense graded out last season, based on Evolving Hockey’s handy player cards:

yandleplayercardevo

So, yeah, there’s some reason to wonder if Keith Yandle could justify keeping his ironman streak going.

Then again, the Panthers’ defense was pretty bad across the board lately. There’s even some evidence that Aleksander Barkov’s two-way play might be a little overrated.

On a better defense, it would be that much tougher to force Keith Yandle’s streak to keep going. But on Florida’s? He might be worth keeping in the mix. At least if he’s scoring. (Act like you’ve been there before though, eh?)

Of course, there are factors outside of where he ranks in the Panthers’ defense. Management might want to move on from Yandle’s contract, and may have noted that the previous regime’s softer techniques didn’t get the veteran to budge. For those who crave drama, there could be more to come with Yandle and his ironman streak.

Oh, and as a reminder of the give-and-take with Yandle, note that the first Blackhawks goal came after a Yandle penalty. Just saying.

James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.