Panthers See Stars
It was a Mike Ribeiro hat trick and a second period stellar show from Dallas – which had the Floridians wheeling back and seeing stars. They were outfought and outworked on the night, by a plucky Texan side – which were looking forward to a Bahamian vacation under the mango trees. This stimulus no doubt spurred the cowboys on, as they dismantled the hosts piece by piece.
It may have started well for Florida, with a rare Karlis Skrastins goal on a Panther breakaway; pouncing to tuck in Kamil Kreps rebound shot. But, the Stars were not to be denied.
Prolific goal scorer Mike Modano, evened up the score on a nice power-play move in the second period. Mike Ribeiro then got his first of the night; with merely seconds remaining before the buzzer called an end to the period. It was a lucky redirection which handed him an open net to claim the lead for the Texan visitors.
The goal may have been fortunate, but Dallas deserved the go ahead score on the board.
Having been out- fought, worked and skated, in the second period, the Panthers desperately tried to get something to show for their own considerable efforts in the third. But, in their push forward the Cats forgot about Mike Ribeiro, who needed no further encouragement when the puck dropped nicely for him in the neutral zone – behind the Panther defense, and effortlessly he tucked away the puck behind Vokoun’s top right mantelpiece. It was a devastating blow.
To the Panthers credit they never gave up and tried to stage another spectacular comeback, as seen recently in other games when trailing. The Dallas players battled hard however, and wouldn’t give the Cats any free chances or room to maneuver in. Instead it was Mike Ribeiro who could celebrate his first NHL hattrick; by slotting home the closing 4-1 goal in an open net: A well-earned victory for the Stars.
It felt like this simply was one of those games were you have to applaud the opponents. The defeat wasn’t due to a lack of trying or effort. The Panthers did what they could to get a claw in, but on the night it was Dallas who had more gas left in the tank.
Now follows a few days to recover for most players, as we head in to the All Star break. Jay Bouwmeester and Michael Frolik will spend that time in Montreal and no doubt wear the Panther colors with pride. Both of them have had a stand-out season respectively and are well-merited for the honor.
Yesterday however, it was Dallas’ binary-Mike-stars that outshone the Panthers. Marty Turco also played well in goal; negating Florida’s dump and chase pucks with his sweeping stickhandling and absorbing saves. Veteran Star Modano summed up the night well when he said: “I felt like we pushed them back on their heels.” They did. And not because the Panther didn’t try or work hard throughout the game, but because Dallas worked even harder and wouldn’t budge once they got a grip on the Panthers.
So, we concede defeat in this battle, but now have time to lick the wounds and again come back strong and make that final post-All Star-push for the playoffs. Florida is still in the driver’s seat, with fewer games played than the competition, and matters are still firmly in our own hands. And let’s face it; if we have to lose games, and all teams do, it is better to lose to a Western Conference team – than to our Eastern rivals.
It was an elusive first period – the Panthers outplayed and outshot Dallas for sure, but they must have gotten a shake up in th dressing room; they came out on fire for the second period. I thought the Panthers looked a bit slow and startled by the opposing team’s aggression, but in the third they played a fair game, and as you said, were simply outplayed. It happens. And I still stand by the fact that if we have to lose, this was the game to do so – by not giving the competition any points.
I hope they enjoy their break for the All Star activities, and come back filled with ambition to improve their game and hunger for points.