Cats are back at it against the Blues again tonight after downing STL in a shootout of an exciting afternoon game this past Saturday. I had a lot of fun watching and chatting with a couple of you guys on here during the action.
Some potentially exciting news coming out of Florida ahead of tonight with Jameson Olive reporting:
Forsling could be back as early as Tuesday, per Bruno
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) December 6, 2021
Did you know Forsling is third among Panthers defensemen with in assists (12)?
Barkov could be back Tuesday or Friday, per Bruno
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) December 6, 2021
Anthony Duclair and Olli Juolevi also hit the ice for the morning skate today. The Duke is still tied for first in goals for the Panthers with nine. He’s missed the last five games and should be chomping at the bit to take over in the goals department.
The top team in the league, getting Barky and the others back will just be a huge boost to this already-strong lineup. Watch out, NHL!
Per the Cats’ site:
“Prior to suffering a lower-body injury after a knee-on-knee collision during a 6-1 win over the Islanders on Nov. 16, Barkov, the league's reigning Selke Trophy winner, had been off to a very productive start while leading the Panthers in scoring with 17 points (nine goals, eight assists).…
With Barky and others sidelined, Huby has really stepped up and become “the… guy for the Panthers. His play has been very impressive and rightfully deserved of the NHL’s 1st Star of the Week honors. The guy has been a machine lately.
Look for him to continue his multi-point efforts tonight.
Tonight
I’m really looking forward to this game. Saturday was fun, back-and-forth action, and I’m expecting tonight to be more of the same - minus any bogus “embellishment… calls hopefully…
You know who I’m looking at being the difference-maker tonight?
Maxim Mamin.
What a beast this guy was on Saturday. A Blues killer in a panther sweater. The announcers made multiple comments about him using his size/skill to his advantage and I couldn’t agree more. That was his best game and I’m hoping to see that play continue. A pair of clutch goals, one being in dramatic fashion to keep the Cats alive? I’ll take it!
I’m liking how Florida is looking/playing heading into tonight, save for one thing…#44.
I’m in agreement with you guys on the news of Connauton being sent down. I don’t agree with it. I guess I don’t get what his role is on this team. To me, he’s a less-mobile guy (which is OK), but sturdy/strong, with a heavy shot and is pretty good in all zones and responsible defensively. I think he’s a nice fit for this Florida blueline, yet, he seems to be relegated to a role where he only gets inserted here and there. It’s not even like he covers for injuries because he’s not always a call up when guys go down.
I mean, I’m curious to see how Olli Juolev plays if he gets in, I’m just not sure what’s up with the coaching staff’s feelings towards Connauton.
Hey…check this out. Guessing this stems from them using an emergency goal a couple nights back? Interesting.
Relevant news 👇 https://t.co/EpiinglE6z
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) December 7, 2021
Here’s the forward lines from this morning (maybe Barky is back tonight?)
Verhaeghe - Barkov - Mamin Huberdeau - Bennett - Reinhart Vatrano - Lundell - Tippett Lomberg - Luostarinen - Hornqvist
And the D pairings:
Weegar - Ekblad Forsling - Gudas Carlsson - Montour ________________
Expecting some fireworks from too strong teams…Go Panthers!