Slow/sluggish start? Bad defense? Awful special teams?
Nothing new for Florida Panthers fans.
As the Cats battle for last place in the Atlantic Division (tied with the Sabres at 2-3-0, and 4 total points), the Panthers faithful wonder how a team that went to the Stanley Cup Finals a few months ago, could look so out-of-sorts to start the season.
A big part of Florida’s current situation is self-inflicted.
Simply, they are undisciplined and take a lot of penalties. What’s more, they lack the ability to effectively kill off a number of the penalties they take. A good example of this was their most recent loss to Vancouver. The Canucks are a pretty good team (sitting second place of the Pacific Division) and do not need the extra advantage of a Power Play — especially against a struggling PK unit. While the cats didn’t take an abundant amount of penalties (only three), Vancouver capitalized and went 2/3 on the PP, giving them the edge, and ultimately, the 5-3 victory.
NHL “Red Zone…
Today marks a unique experience in the NHL, where all 32 teams will be playing in one night. Puck drops will be spaced 15 minutes apart, with every game being covered on an NFL Red Zone style format that many are calling the “NHL Frozen Frenzy.…
The Panthers draw a favorable opponent for the Frenzy in the struggling San Jose Sharks — a team sitting at 0-4-1.
If ever there was a game to boost the confidence of a team suffering from early-season struggles, Florida has found it tonight.
But I must admit, I’m a bit nervous. The Panthers haven’t had a game where they showed complete dominance. While it looked like that was going to be the case in New Jersey, the Cats blew their 4-0 cushion and barely hung on to win 4-3.
I’d like to say tonight is in the bag, but the reality is that it’s not.
Florida has a lot to work out and it should start tonight (hopefully)…
Let’s keep this guy going:
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Go Panthers!