I hope everyone had a great holiday season!
Between work and the holidays, I was rocking the jammed schedule, so my apologies for missing the past two game blogs.
But we’re back…
And just in time because the Panthers are on a four game heater heading into Arizona tonight looking for their fifth win in a row when they take on the Coyotes.
At 19-14-2, the Yotes are playing a better brand of hockey lately. While still plagued by the never ending new home/stadium talks, AZ has not let this zap their mojo.
I actually think they’re a very fun team to watch. Driven by youth and skill, these guys are dangerous in the offensive zone. Watching Clayton Keller is a treat, and as Cats fans, it stings just a bit seeing Lawson Crouse’s success, as pointed out by our friends at
Litter Box Cats:
“
The much-improved Coyotes are also coming into the matchup on roll, having won six of their last seven games to close out the calendar year. After posting four straight wins following a four-game losing streak, the Desert Dogs took the second segment of a home-and-home against the Colorado Avalanche in overtime before shutting out the Anaheim Ducks 2-0 at Honda Center on Friday. Clayton Keller leads the Coyotes in scoring with 31 points while former Panthers draft pick Lawson Crouse tops the team with 16 goals.”
A big contributor to the FLA hot streak is certainly due to the defense. There has a been a noticeable difference in the effort to battle out front and clear the net, something even Stolarz has called out:
“
Guys are doing a great job of boxing guys out, letting Bob and I see the first shot, and then it’s just kind of up to us to control it."
They’ll need to do a lot of this tonight, as Arizona boasts a roster of shifty forwards who like to work their way to the front of the net, and/or cut across the middle for high-danger shots.
I wonder if we’ll see something similar to yesterday’s practice lines in tonight’s tilt:
I’d like to see Lousterinen stay hot and get that third line churning for some scoring depth.
Looking forward to tonight…
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Go Panthers!
PS
Did anyone watch the Winter Classic? I tuned in for a bit, but it just felt very “ehh” for some reason. Kind of tough having two teams in it that have very little history in the league, or a solid rivalry.
What we’re your thoughts?
Florida Panthers Blogger • 
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