Toronto Springs Comeback Special against the Cats in Sunrise
I bet a few people don’t think me so crazy now.
Maybe if I had been GM we’d have won the game against Toronto yesterday… 
I would have gone in hard to acquire Niklas Hagman, at a heavy cost if necessary and he would not have been a two-goal scorer in this game as a consequence.
Yeah, I know. Wishful thinking at best. But you have to admit he’d have been a nice addition to this club that finds it so hard to score goals.
Sure, the Panthers did get four on the board against the defensively challenged Maple Leafs, but that was to be expected. That the Cats would surrender six however, was probably not according to anyone’s plan.
After going two-goals up in the opening exchanges, one could have been forgiven for thinking this contest was as good as over. However, the Ontarians had other plans on the night.
After expensive signing Phil Kessel found the net in the first period it was game-on and a wild contest was ready to unwind before us.
Kessel and Hagman were the offensive juggernauts that the Panthers defense couldn’t handle in this game. Both scored two goals to help Toronto claim both points and secure Florida’s first regulation loss since Washington.
Dmitry Kulikov kept the Panthers in the lead with his two goals on the night, but, immediately after the 4-3 go-ahead-goal by Dmitry; the Leafs came back and equalized.
This quick answer seemed to tip the balance ultimately in Toronto’s direction and they ran out 6-4 winners, with the last goal scored in an open net.
Panthers GM Randy Sexton had said on FSN Florida prior to the commencement of the final period that “the team that wants it the most will win it”. It was apparent on this night that the team that wanted it the most was the visitors.
Apart from stellar individual performances above all from Dmitry Kulikov, Nathan Horton, and Steve MacIntyre—in the enforcer department, the Cats looked rather tame for most of this contest.
Especially on the blue-line.
The defenders that had been so unyielding of late did not impress and ultimately could not handle Kessel, Hagman & Co. Keith Ballard and Jordan Leopold in particular had games to forget.
Perhaps it was a Thanksgiving hangover, but whatever it was, the Panthers will have no time to ponder upon this loss for too long. It’s off to Nashville tonight for a tricky game against another in-form team: the Predators.
We can expect to see Scott Clemmensen in goal for this game. After his solid performance in Detroit he deserves another start and Vokoun could certainly do with some rest after a hectic schedule.
It will be important to bounce straight back and win tonight’s game.
Florida remain in thirteenth spot in the East and lost vital points against most teams above us last night, and that’s not even mentioning Toronto behind us in fourteenth—who are starting to string together some impressive performances and points.
Nevertheless, one game doesn’t determine a season and the Cats will need to find their way back to their stingy away-game tactics tonight.
It is obvious this style of playing suits this team much better than the more expansive home-game tactics—that regularly comes back to bite us in the .
