The Panthers were crushed by the Montreal Canadiens last night 6-1. That blowout, combined with loses to the Leafs and Bruins, combined for 20 goals allowed in three games...
Insane.
Tuesday's beating subsequently ended the (extremely slim) hope of Florida making the playoffs - as they're now mathematically eliminated from any post-season action.
So where do they go from here?
No big secret, but we all know the defense is in desperate need for improvement.
Combine that with some coaching tweaks, too. They're just not getting it done.
How does a team that has multiple guys having career years wind up in the position the Panthers did? It just doesn't make sense.
These last few games were hard to watch. Lazy play, lack of effort in their own end, turn overs, failure to clear the front of the net and the zone are just brutal to sit through.
The guys suffering the most (besides us on our couches)?
The goalies.
Hard to find success when you have the effort they're getting in front of them. I can't even imagine how frustrating and disheartening it must be having to step into the blue paint every night knowing the scales are probably balanced not in your favor.
I remember getting out of college and getting on my first mens league team. The roster was composed of 90% turnover machines, but they were all good guys. The majority of our games were spent in our zone. I probably faced upwards of 40-50 shots a game. Haha. It got so bad that it's what made me transition to skating out as a defenseman - where I've been the past 10 years.
Now...you can't compare beer league to the NHL (obviously), but if I was feeling the pressure of being shelled in a meaningless league that had three fans turn out on a good night, I can't even image what it must be like at the highest level. The stakes are as high as they get in the NHL and you're under a constant microscope from both the media and fan bases.
Don't get me wrong, the masked men have had their share of ups and downs, too, but I credit Lu, Reimer and Monty for hanging tough as of late.
Summer
At this point, I'd love to see the backend get blown up.
What do you guys think about some of the below quick thoughts?
Probably not a popular opinion, but I'd be down to move Yandle and see what you can get for him. Yes, he's strong on the PP, but I really don't care...I'd rather have a guy that doesn't see PP time and instead brings a strong defensive game.
What do you do about Ekblad? I like him, but I wonder what you could get back if you moved him? I feel like his game has changed a bit. Maybe some guys like it, but I don't quite understand the constant need to pinch in down low. Why put a forward in the position to have to drop back all the time and worry about covering the line? I think he's part of the Panther DNA and like one fan said before, he seemed to have his best years when Campbell was around. Maybe he needs a veteran presence like that to focus his game?
In a weird twist, I bet Matheson would be/is on team's radars. Not so much for his defense, but his skating ability is pretty unbelievable. I could see a lot of teams having interest in him for that alone. The guy can fly and I'm sure teams think that in the right system, things could start to "click" for him.
Keep Brown and Pysyk and assess other guys like Weegar, McCoshen, etc. as depth players.
Of course, all of this probably hinges on whether or not a new coach and his staff are brought in, since they would most likely look at the current pieces and have input as to what they need/want moving forward.
But it's obvious that the current system in place, along with some players on the backend, just aren't quite working.
The Panthers found success early in their NHL inception by having teams that lacked "star power" but made up for it in blue collar, hard-working guys. I believe this is what they need defensively. There's a lot of "pretty" guys on the backend that like to look good skating the puck, making fancy passes, etc... but there's a lack of "ugly" guys - the dudes playing a tough game, using their body, going into corners, winning board battles, clearing the zone, selling out and doing whatever it takes to prevent the opposition from getting chances.
I'm not saying every defensemen you have has to be a Norris finalist, but you need a balance of styles and players that compliment others. Right now there's too many guys from the same mold, playing the same game and have the same mindset.
I don't know...just my opinion.
We'll be back at it tomorrow against the Senators...
Go Panthers!