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Panthers and Flyers: Tippett Back in the House |
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The Cats are back in action tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers after a thrilling All-Star weekend…
The first part of that sentence is true, but the second part is not at all.
Seriously.
While I’ve never been a fan of the ASG and its festivities, this year’s was especially awful (IMO). I know it’s geared towards kids, but the product is so bad. I imagine majority of the players don’t want to be there, as evident by Kucherov’s (serious lack of) effort. Has to be tough shelling out the ticket price for your kid to see their favorite player dog it.
Now, granted, I’m a self aware Larry David about it. I know that. But I just think the league needs to move on from the ASG. C’mon…what are we really doing here? Give that week for players to rest/heal, spend time with family, go on vacation, whatever it might be, instead of participating in a pee-wee showcase.
Anyways…
The big draw in tonight’s tilt will be seeing former-Panther golden boy hopeful, Owen Tippett, back in South Florida.
I’m happy Tippett has found his game in Philadelphia, even earning a really big pay day a few weeks back. While fans are split on his trade, I still believe it was the right move at the time. Tippett seemed to struggle finding his way on Florida’s roster. He showed flashes, but couldn’t “stick.” I felt at the time that the trade was beneficial for both sides — more so for Tippett, as evident by the success he’s found on the Flyers.
Per
Bill Meltzer:
“
The Flyers winger, who recently signed an eight-year contract extension to preempt restricted free agency this summer, was on an offensive tear before suffering a lower-body injury early in the third period of the team's 7-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on January 20. Tippett was subsequently placed on retroactive Injured Reserve and missed the games against Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Florida and Boston.
The weeklong hiatus provided a physical respite for Tippett and other players who recently dealt with injuries (Sean Couturier) or illness (Jamie Drysdale) that forced them to miss two or more games. For the rest of the team, it was a much-needed mental break. Collectively, the entire team needed a reset.
When the Flyers resumed practice on Sunday and Monday in Sunrise, Tippett was on the ice with his teammates. He said after the first practice that he was feeling much better, and the break was a big help.
Tippett, of course, began his NHL career with the Panthers before coming over to the Flyers along with a 2024 first-round pick in the deal that sent longtime Flyers captain Claude Giroux to the Panthers as a rental on March 19, 2022. Tuesday's game will be Tippett's first game back in Sunrise since the trade to the Flyers.
Due to a concussion suffered in the 2022-23 regular season opener, Tippett missed the Oct. 19, 2022, road game against the Panthers. He played in the Oct. 27, 2022, and March 21, 2023, home games versus Florida, recording one point (0g, 1a).”
I’m looking forward to a fast/skilled and physical game with the second half of the season starting up and the playoff picture really developing.
Stolarz in net and Cousins back in the lineup.
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Go Panthers!
Florida Panthers Blogger • 
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