Tampa has not been kind to the Florida Panthers over the last few years. Simply put, the Lightning are flat better. At the end of this season that should be very evident. That is why a 3-2 overtime loss at Amalie Arena had the Panthers and new head coach Gerard Gallant feeling good about their effort opening night.
A loss is a loss and no one is happy about it. There is nothing worse than having to blame the officiating over the outcome of a game, especially on opening night. But no matter what team you were cheering for almost everyone was in agreement that the officials were flat awful throughout this contest. It got to the point where Denis Potvin, Florida's TV color commentator, asked "Did the officials get a training camp?"
The main two calls in question were Brenden Morrow's slew foot on Willie Mitchell and Radko Gudas' disgusting elbow/shoulder up high on Scottie Upshall. Both appeared to be intentional. Since there is certainly precedent for Gudas' cheap style of play, it's astonishing the NHL has said no suspension is coming in this concussion-sensitive world. The impression was the NHL was trying to crack down on obvious head shots that are seriously hurting players. Perhaps the Florida Panthers don't get the same treatment as other teams. Rick Nash tried to knock Tomas Kopecky's head off last year with the same result. No call. No suspension. In both instances the players hurt themselves by being tough enough to return to the game, taking light away from the opposing player's obvious intent. I'll be addressing this uncensored on my personal site.
For Panther fans, three things stuck out as the most encouraging signs of where this team is at the moment. Erik Gudbranson needs to step up this year in all aspects of his game. He has admitted he needs to become more of an impact player. For him to score the first goal of the season for the Panthers is a very good sign. He's always had a very heavy shot and his blast from the high slot was rewarded as Sean Bergenheim set an excellent screen.
After winning the Calder Trophy two seasons ago as the NHL's Best Rookie, Jonathan Huberdeau may have had the worst season of his life last year. His conditioning wasn't up to par as he slowly recovered from offseason hip surgery and just never got it going. Now 100% and feeling great, he also came through with a goal that had to be a huge confidence boost for the very talented player. He could barely buy a goal last season. To record a tally in his first game, on the road, in a hostile environment bodes well for what is to come.
Aaron Ekblad's first NHL game was a smashing success. Not only did he not look out of place, even going up against Steven Stamkos for a lot of the game, but he also recorded his first career point assisting on Huberdeau's goal. His parents were in attendance and it had to be a great experience for the entire family. Ekblad was decisive and played tough. He had no apprehension in utilizing his offensive game, shooting the puck often. Officially he had 2 shots on goal, 1 hit, 2 blocks, and a +1 rating. Not a bad night for the 18 year old who has a very bright future.
Since the Panthers were battling the guys in the striped shirts as well, Gallant was especially happy with the Panthers' resiliency. They kept fighting and earned a valuable point on the road.
Gudas and Morrow have set the stage for some chippy matchups when these teams meet again. Somehow new Panther forward Shawn Thornton will find a way to be quite active in those contests.
The Panthers have their home opener Saturday night against the New Jersey Devils and look to build on a solid performance in Tampa. If they continue to look good 5-on-5 and the game isn't taken over by the refs, the Panthers have a great chance of making opening night a success.
Dan Spiegel...
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