Jesse Winchester broke his hand December 15th against Montreal. After missing 14 games, it is clear he might be a very important piece of this team moving forward.
His 3 assists were integral to Florida's whipping of the Penguins at CONSOL Energy Center 5-1 Monday night.
He plays a tough game along the boards and behind the net, yet always has his head to make a play. His sweet pass from behind the net to Drew Shore for his second tally of the night was a thing of beauty.
The Penguins hadn't played in five days, and they looked sluggish most of the evening. Still, no one gave the Panthers a chance to win this game on the heels of two rather uninspired losses to San Jose and Carolina.
But after the game the Panthers said they know they are good enough to beat any team in this league and they wanted to make a statement against one of the best teams. That they did.
It is hard to decide what is more surprising. The Panthers dominating the game, Drew Shore scoring two goals for the first time in his career, or Winchester having 3 assists in his return. Regardless, it is another notable win against top competition.
The Panthers won the season series 2-1 against the Pens.
As Florida continues to try to dig out of the hole that was only 4 wins in their first 20 games to start the year, their 19-23-7 record is remarkable, especially with enduring a coaching change in mid-November.
Game Notes
- The Panthers snapped the Pens' 13 home game winning streak
- January 3rd, 2009 is the last time the Cats won here in Pittsburgh, and is the first win in eight games.
- This is the first time Dan Blysma has lost to the Panthers on home ice
- Underrated and undersized defenseman, Mike Weaver, was an astonishing +5, followed by Dmitri Kulikov at +4(with a goal)
- With Tim Thomas ill, Scott Clemmensen was called upon and came through with another outstanding game, stopping 35 of 36 shots, with an assist!
If this team works its way back to .500 or better, it's hard to think that interim coach Peter Horachek's temporary designation is removed. The players like playing for him, and his even keel demeanor seems to resonate well with this club.
Dan Spiegel...
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