Only once in Panther history has a shootout gone longer. In 2007, the Panthers won an 11-rounder against these same Capitals in Washington. Back then it was Stephen Weiss beating Olie Kolzig for the game winner. Tonight it was Tomas Kopecky beating young Philipp Grubauer for a 3-2 win that should not have been close.

The Panthers outshot the Capitals 41-25 and carried the play for most of the game. It was likely the best offensive performance of the year for the Panthers, who consistently held the puck in the offensive zone for long stretches, creating many offensive opportunities.

The play of the game was Erik Gudbranson's hit on Martin Erat. The officials determined the hit to be illegal because it appeared in real time to be a shoulder into the head. But slow motion replays clearly showed first impact was to the chest area so it will be interesting to see if any further discipline is handed out. Certainly the Panthers have been on the short end of the stick when it comes to league suspensions. Gudbranson was given a match penalty on the play.

The Panthers ended up giving up 2 goals after that, one at even strength 4 on 4, then shorthanded as Gudbranson's 5-minute major time remained. Rookie Aleksander Barkov scored in between the two Capitals goals, mitigating the damage.

Even with their defensive unit depleted, the Panthers continued to play a very solid game and limited Alex Ovechkin to only 2 shots and a -1 rating.

Once the game went to the shootout, logic would dictate the Capitals had the edge. Scott Clemmensen, who got the start after Tim Thomas suffered what is considered a mild lower body injury during practice yesterday, had yet to record a win this season in limited time.

"The shootout is not my forte' to say the least," said Clemmensen. "After you get past those first 4 shooters everyone looks to be a little surprised where they are at at that particular moment. It's easier on the goalies at that point when you're used to being in those types of situations and you're getting on down their bench."

Both goaltenders gave up goals to 3 of the first 4 shooters they faced, including Brad Boyes' goal in the third round to keep the Cats alive. Then both goaltenders shut the door until Kopecky's tally in the 10th round.

The locker room was all smiles and head coach Peter Horachek was in an especially good mood afterwards. "The work was really there, and I was really happy with that," he said. "We had a lot of opportunity and a lot of offensive zone time."

The Panthers embark on a 4-game Canadian trip starting Sunday in Montreal. Should the Panthers come out of that swing at or above .500, there might just be a little momentum building to make a push for a playoff spot.

One thing is for sure. This team likes playing for this coach. They like the system. They like the north/south style. It is showing on the ice and the overall attitude in the locker room is happy and upbeat. Individual players like Dmitry Kulikov and Scottie Upshall, who used to be in the doghouse from time to time, are starting to show their true talents and value to this team.

Yes it is certainly too early to make any predictions on how well or poorly this team will play moving forward, but just a few weeks ago winning 4 out of 5 seemed completely impossible. Yet here we are...

Dan Spiegel...
Florida Panthers Media

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