Roblogg’s Panthers Portal

Coming off a terrible homestand, losing four of five games, the Florida Panthers are taking to the road. Tonight they will suit up in Buffalo and tomorrow it’s in Philadelphia; before a quick swing west takes the Cats to Dallas on Saturday before returning home. A tough schedule by any standard or time of year. In midst of a hectic, battling, playoff race – it’s do or die time. Win a couple and return to South Florida with renewed hope — or start planning the summer vacation.

To be fair the Panthers are very lucky to still be in the playoff chase. After the post-trade deadline run of defeats and goalscoring woes; the Cats are fortunate to only be two points out of the alluring Stanley Cup playoffs. Montreal have gifted us a lifeline by being even worse; losing five games in row, but yesterday they finally got their act together and beat Atlanta 6-3 (while the NY Rangers won yet again).

The misfiring Habs stars – Kovalev, Koivu and Tanguay – were pieced together on the first line and the goals duly started trickling in behind the visiting goaltender Kari Lehtonen. Alex Tanguay got five points on the night and hope was reignited amongst the centennial celebrators.

It seems the funeral eulogies of hockey’s old boy were somewhat premature. With the Canadiens now seemingly back on track, the pressure to perform is mounting on the Cats.

Florida will need to win, probably, a couple of more games than Montreal down the stretch and seeing as both teams have a mere 9 games left to play – it will be easier said than done. In fact, at this point in time, you’d have to be a brave man indeed or a blinded optimist to predict the Panthers making the playoffs this year. Yes, hope is the last to desert the true fan, but it doesn’t look good by any standard right now.

True. The Panthers have played well in their last two games, versus Columbus and Carolina, and their efforts were more deserving of four points than the one received. But the hard truth is that nearly is not good enough, neither is a very good effort or a point of tepid solace from crunch games against fellow playoff hopefuls. There is no time for losers at this time of year, no matter how well they play when losing, this is professional sports and no consolation prizes will be handed out to the teams that don’t make the post-season.

The aim was clearly to make the playoffs this year and evidently nothing else is good enough. Or why is it we kept Bouwmeester when we could have strengthened the franchise for the future? It was to win now! And it’s time to start producing…

The Cats need to keep this in mind when entering the ice in Buffalo tonight. There are no excuses. Just win. And then win again. And again. That’s what will get the playoff circus to South Florida; not mere good efforts, which are commendable, but clearly not good enough in the end. It’s crunch time and we need results, not words of false hope.

After having, temporarily, been hooked off from the playoff race; the Panthers are right back in the mix again. Beating Toronto, to sweep that series for the first time in franchise history, 3 goals to 1, the Cats could also count on crucial help from GM Jacques Martin’s former club in Ottawa. The Senators, who beat Buffalo in their last game, handed another defeat to the drunk-punch Montréal centennial celebrators. Ottawa won 5-4 and handed Florida another lifeline.

The Florida Panthers remain in ninth, but are now a mere point behind both Carolina and Montréal, whilst trailing Rangers two. The Cats have the same amount of games remaining as the NY Rangers and Canadiens, but one in hand on the Hurricanes. To add to the equation is that the Panthers will play both Carolina (Monday) and Buffalo (Wednesday) in crunch games that could very well decide the playoff fate of Florida. The Sabres are now four points to our rear, but have one game in hand on us – and could still get back in to the chase from their current jettisoned position in tenth.

Last night’s home fixture against the Maple Leafs was, despite what coach Peter DeBoer may have claimed to the contrary, a must win game. Lose that match and they would effectively have lost sight of the other teams ahead of them. That did however not happen and Florida swept away the visiting Ontarians once again. It was the Toronto native Stephen Weiss that, once more, proved to be the vital difference between the two sides.

Stephen Weiss is having a record point year and has developed into a key player for the Panthers, especially against his native Toronto. He has 8 points in 4 games against the Maple Leafs.

The Panthers started slowly, but when Radek Dvorak was erroneously put in the box for holding; the Cats woke up with a vengeance. None more so than Weiss, who took the puck past the Toronto defense with a speed and guile – that left the Maple Leafs defenders sprawling on the ice. He finished off the move with a backhand in the top corner behind the unaided goalie Martin Gerber.

The visitors came back at the end of the period however and punished Richard Zednik further for an undisciplined high sticking retaliation – to a clean hit from Jason Blake. Mikhail Grobovski was left all alone between three Panther players in the deep slot area (however that is possible!?) and made no mistake; ushering in the tying goal, just two minutes before the break.

Florida came out flying in the second period and looked determined to take the game to the visitors. And that they did. Richard Zednik made amends for his lapse in judgment in the first period and slotted home the leading goal, 6:21 in to the period. He displayed the coolness of a clinical goalscorer and found a tiny passage beneath Gerber – and the puck obliged him by merrily trickling in over the line.

The home side now had their tails up and 1:27 after Zednik’s goal, Radek Dvorak danced around scrambling defensemen to feed Ville Peltonen, who meanwhile had camped out just to the left of the crease, and Ville unperturbedly collected the puck with his skate, stickhandled his way past a dizzied Jeff Finger and somehow found a hole by the post to beautifully slot home the 3-1 goal. Martin Gerber couldn’t have been happy to let that goal in and after that he played much better and didn’t let any more pucks pass him by.

Tomas Vokoun on the other end had a quietly solid game, not letting up any rebounds and making some big saves in the third when the Maple Leafs pressed forward. Overall this was a well performed game by the Panthers, but in truth, this was also a game you would expect them to win. Toronto is in the midst of experimenting with youngsters and rebuilding for next year. If Florida couldn’t win this game, let’s face it, they would have no right to claim a playoff berth in the first place.

Nonetheless, it was a crucial victory and hopefully one that finally instills some sense of calm and confidence in to the squad. Yet, we are still on the outside looking in and there are no let-ups. The games will be coming increasingly hard and frequently at the players and they need to be, or get themselves in-to, playoff mode – already. The stretch will be a tough one for all teams involved in this race and any slip-up could ultimately come back to haunt the clubs at end of regular season.

Next for the Panthers is a rare visit by the Columbus Blue Jackets tomorrow. Columbus is equally in a playoff chase, but find themselves in a very enviable position at the moment. This because they have been playing some very good hockey of late and it looks increasingly like the Blue Jackets will be making a first playoff appearance in franchise history this spring.

It will in other words be a tricky game for the Panthers, but we have done well against Western opposition so far and hopefully that can continue on Saturday. It should be a good game anyway!

David Booth came alive on Saturday and scored his second hattrick of the season; helping Florida to a much needed 5-3 home success over the St. Louis Blues. Due to the teams around us in the playoff race continually winning their respective games, the match against the Blues suddenly had become a must-win contest. And what do you know; despite that victory we again face a similar situation and will need to leave Pittsburgh with at least a point – if we are not to drop out of the top eight of the Eastern Conference!

The Panthers will face a Pittsburgh side that is finally starting to look like the team that won the Eastern Playoff last year and gave Detroit a run for their money in the Stanley Cup Final. The despondent, emotionally uninvolved Penguins have gone and with new Coach Dan Bylsma it is a reinvigorated side that looks playoff bound. And as they return from a record winning trip, six consecutive victories, the Pens will be a formidable foe for the Cats tonight.

Many battles for the puck in round #3 of the Penguins vs. Cats match-up, will be expected tonight.

Life doesn’t get any easier at this time of year, in that hectic playoff race, either. The teams around us not only strengthened their squads at the trade deadline (except Montreal, but most noticeably in New York with the Rangers), but have also have found their own winning concepts and are hitting a confident stride.

Meanwhile in Montreal, the centennial celebrations took a sour turn as Head Coach Guy Carbonneaux got the sack. General Manager Bob Gainey thinks he can do a better job and has taken over the reins. This may come as a shock to most of us, but you have to admire Bob’s arrogant sense of self-belief, don’t you…

The Panthers on the other hand are coming off a very difficult February schedule and need to get out of the .500 mire quickly and start hitting higher notes if they want to stay in the thick of things. Winning one and then losing one is not good enough (yet, that doesn’t mean I think Pete DeBoer should get the sack, so Jacques, just because they do that in Montreal – doesn’t mean you can do the same… ok?)

Having had a long road trip in the February-March divide, Florida returned to Sunrise for two games; the first one a 1-4 defeat to the Penguins and the other a 5-3 win against St. Louis. Now follows a short road trip where we face two rivals in the form of Pittsburgh tonight (again) and then Buffalo on Thursday. These two games could decide the Panthers season. With race being so tight, it is these match-ups between playoff rivals that become crucial.

On the one hand you could say that winning against Atlanta or Pittsburgh equally will only give you two points for the effort, but on the other hand – when defeating a playoff rival you are not only gaining two points – but also taking two points away from the opposition. Hence, these games essentially become four point contests.

So, if Florida wins both these games we’ll only get four points for the effort, but we’ll also be taking away vital points from Pittsburgh and Buffalo. And at the end of the season this may very well be the decider. Furthermore, if we win these games we’ll finally be breaking out of that .500 jog and getting the necessary sprint in the Panthers legs; to make the post-season.

However, if we lose these two games we’ll be in a very tough spot indeed; we’ll quickly find ourselves on the outside looking in. It won’t be impossible, but certainly very difficult to squeeze back in. Then again, we win one and lose one – and we’ll be back in current limbo at the end of the week too.

The Floridian Injury Bug

This task ahead of the Cats is a momentous one and it doesn’t get any easier when two key players go down with injury in the Blues game and can’t accompany the team on this crucial trip.

Bryan McCabe was hit by a puck in the face and fractured his orbital bone and underwent surgery on Monday. Despite this injury McCabe played some 20+ minutes in the game after the accident, which goes a long way in showing the immense character of the man. He’s the leader on the team and the crucial veteran presence we’d love to have for these two upcoming match-ups.

There is no news as of yet how long the injury will keep Bryan out of the line-up, except that he’ll miss the next two games.

Bryan McCabe is an inspirational veteran in defense and quarterback in the power-play. He'll be out with injury for the crucial two game road trip.

The good news is that we have a very good defender that’s ready to jump in on McCabe’s spot; Nick Boynton. After his disciplinary problems, he’s been a healthy scratch of late, but before that Nick’s been a very solid defenseman on the Panthers team. McCabe will of course be missed on the power-play that he usually quarterbacks, but it will probably give new signing Steve Eminger a bit more of a chance to show what he can do in those situations.

Nathan Horton, who after a slow start in his new position as a centerman has really worked hard as of late, will now also be out through injury.

Apparently Nathan suffered a severed tendon on his left ring finger in the St. Louis game and had an operation to repair the injury. Reports say he’ll be out between 2 to 4 weeks; which could pretty much be the rest of the pre-playoff stretch, in a worst case scenario. But as coach Peter DeBoer said: “I’d think at this time of year it’s closer to two weeks, but it depends on complications.”

Nathan Horton will miss 2 to 4 weeks after surgery and his points (38 so far) will be sorely missed by the Panthers down the stretch.

Horton will be sorely missed. He is third on the team with 38 points and has been centering the first line for most of the season. He also scored against St. Louis and looked like he was in good form. Anthony Stewart will be the player entering the line-up in his place, after having been a healthy scratch in the previous match, but it will be Brett McLean that’ll be moving up to center the line with Booth and Zednik on the wings. If McLean doesn’t work out in that position, coach Pete DeBoer could always try Kamil Kreps or Gregory Campbell in that spot, but it is expected that Brett will be given the chance first anyway.

Penguins vs. Cats, Round #3

The first two games between Pittsburgh and Florida have both been rather lopsided match-ups; although the first one was arguably more of a beating than the second one…

Back on January the 3rd, the Panthers travelled to the steel city on the heels of a disappointing loss to the NY Islanders. They left Pittsburgh with an inspiring 5-0 win and started the impressive January run that put the Cats in a favorable position now in midst of the March madness of playoff-race hockey.

Pittsburgh at that time looked like a punch-drunk fighter reeling on the ropes. It may very well have started the countdown on former Head Coach Michael Therrien’s job. He made some badly masked comments upon Sidney Crosby’s leadership ability prior to the game and things just got worse from that moment on for the Penguins. However, they managed to somehow stay in contention and with a new face behind the bench – they are now one of the hottest teams in the NHL once again.

With the appointment of Dan Bylsma as Head Coach, Pittsburgh travelled to South Florida the day after the trade deadline, and with new wingers Chris Kunitz and veteran Bill Guerin on either side of Crosby, they ran riot in the third period in Sunrise. It was 1-1 going in to that third, but then the Floridian wall fell in and the Penguins merrily tip-toed around on the ice and won the game, 4-1 (see below post for details).

Now the third round in this contest is set to follow tonight – with another game in Pittsburgh.

Hopefully the visitors-advantage will continue in to this game, but unfortunately the Cats probably can’t hope for any more gifts from the Penguins this year. It will be a tough game for sure and we’ll probably need some luck to get away with a couple of points; but with hard work and determination it is definitely possible.

Either way, this will essentially be playoff hockey – already – and a game to look forward to with equal measures of hope and anxiety for Panther fans.

The Florida Panthers players, staff and fans are in the midst of gearing up for an epic combat in Raleigh this evening. The eighth spot is up for grabs and whoever wins the contest will set themselves in pole position, as we enter a hectic and very thorny stretch of games here in February for the Cats and the other playoff hopefuls.

Neither combatants saw action last night, but there were skirmishes elsewhere with massive implications for the Eastern Conference playoff race. Let’s take a look at the results and standings to see what the repercussions are for Florida.

New York Islanders @ New Jersey Devils 2-4

The Islanders put up a good fight, especially their goaltender MacDonald saved any potential blushes with an impressive performance. However, the Devils proved too good for the New Yorkers and especially Langenbrunner and Parise continued their goalscoring ways with two each; winning the game for New Jersey 4-2.

This shouldn’t have too much bearing on Florida as New Jersey look far too classy to ever get involved in the playoff race, they are more comfortable up-front among the Divisional leaders.

Washington Capitals @ New York Rangers 4-5 SO

The big story here was that Washington defenseman Mike Green continued scoring (2) to tie the record consecutive goals scored for a defenseman in the league. Nonetheless it proved not to be enough for the Caps as the Rangers – for the ninth time this season – prevailed in the shootout. If they ever do make the playoffs they owe a debt of gratitude to goalie Lundqvist who keeps winnings those shootout challenges for his team. Another positive for Rangers was that they finally managed to score some goals(!)

Disappointing for the Cats as we would have hoped a dejected Rangers side would show up here in Sunrise tomorrow and that we then would be able to rise past them in the standings. Yet, by getting another shootout win in New York, it should see their confidence levels markedly increase and it will now be another tough game for the Panthers. No one seriously doubts at this moment in time that Washington won’t win the Southeast Division and qualify for the playoffs, but they can nonetheless not afford to start relaxing quite yet.

Chicago Blackhawks @ Atlanta Thrashers 3-1

The Atlanta Thrashers are of course dead and buried as far as the playoffs are concerned, but they did put up a massive effort against the Hawks and only an stupendous string of saves from Khabibulin could stop them from winning this game. Chicago are not as comfortable away from home, but have now strung together some nice victories on this latest 8 game road trip they’ve been on.

Blackhawks will grace the Bank Atlantic Center ice next Thursday, and looking at this result it will be a tough game for the Panthers. They are young, hungry and aggressive – it will certainly be a good test for Florida to see how well we match-up with the better Western teams. As for Atlanta the best they can wish for at the moment is getting that No.1 draft pick this summer…

Ottawa Senators @ Buffalo Sabres 3-1

The Sabres were let down by their bungling power-play and could not get enough pressure on the Ottawa net to score plural goals and win this game. The Senators meanwhile had a good game as their top-line was in the mood to play. That is not always the case, but when they are – Ottawa win more often than not. Shame for them it happens at a point in the season when it doesn’t really mean that much; the playoffs remains firmly out of the Senators reach.

Ottawa win one for the books and Panthers fans will be delighted. This means we are merely two points behind the Sabres with two games in hand! Also, it must be mentioned, the loss of top-scorer Vanek for several weeks will be a very tough blow to Buffalo’s hopes of making the post-season. But then again that is the risk you take as a club if you are too dependent on one or a couple of players to perform. Maybe Ottawa should take some notes here…

San Jose Sharks @ Pittsburgh Penguins 1-2 SO

After affirming their Stanley Cup credentials against Boston (5-2), the Sharks came up empty handed against a more desperate Penguins side. It was a goalie match-up that went all the way to a shootout; were Crosby scored the winner on Sharks goaltender Boucher. Both netminders had spectacular games between the pipes, but it was Fleury that claimed the bragging rights at the end of the tiebreaker.

Not good for Florida as the Sharks again let us down badly. They have now in short time lost both against Carolina and Pittsburgh and San Jose have certainly not been helping us in the playoff-scramble one bit. (Maybe it is there revenge on us for beating them earlier in the season…) Anyway, Pittsburgh win and put themselves within a point of the Panthers, but with more games played. The Penguins may prove to be a difficult team to shake off; which makes it all the more important to beat Carolina and catch up with Buffalo tonight.

Montréal Canadiens @ Edmonton Oilers 2-7

Montreal’s woeful trip to the Northwestern parts of Canada continued with another hammering; this time against Edmonton. In truth the Oilers just had one of those days were all the pucks bounced their way and the Canadiens couldn’t get any breaks whatsoever (especially not the poor goaltender Price). Nonetheless a disturbing loss if you are a Montreal fan – hoping for centennial celebrations at the end of this year. The Oilers meanwhile put themselves back in to the playoff contention in the West with this win.

Losing seven straight games on the road is not the way to get yourself in to the playoffs, and indeed, Montreal may now be on the way of not only getting embroiled in the playoff race – but also slide down to the wrong side of the standings if nothing changes dramatically and soon. This is good news for the Panthers as it means we have another team locked in sight that we can catch up with – and pass – down the stretch.