The Cats are back on the ice tonight against the Seattle Kraken, and one Panther in particular is looking to stay on fire.
Matthew Tkachuk has been on a tear lately. He’s in one of those zones where the puck is just finding him and he’s capitalizing like crazy. He might have the best hands in the league!
Tkachuk on his current heater: “At the end of the day it doesn’t matter if you’re producing or not, you’ve just got to be as dialed in with your preparation as you can and help the team no matter what they ask.…
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) December 8, 2024
Another guy on a hot streak is head coach Paul Maurice, who became Florida’s all-time most winningest coach:
Maurice on becoming FLA's all-time winningest coach:
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) December 8, 2024
“It’s been a lot of fun. The intensity and the ups and downs and the success has made it. These guys are fun to coach. We’ve been in some wild games and incredibly difficult situations and found a way. We reached the summit."
The Kraken website has a nice little summary of how the Panthers have gotten to this exciting point in their play:
“Forget the so-called “Cup hangover… for Florida. The Panthers started the season 4-3-1, then reeled off a seven-game win streak. They hit a speed bump after that, losing six of their next seven, including twice at home to New Jersey over three nights, plus falling to Chicago (?!) on the road. But since then, Florida has collected six wins in the last seven games, including a pair of blowout wins over Atlantic Division rival Carolina. Plus, look out, clutch playoff star Matthew Tkachuk was just named the NHL’s First Star for the week ending Sunday: Five goals, six assists, and two power-play goals as part of his current six-game point streak. It should be an engaging night for former Panthers D-man Brandon Montour.“
Tonight feels like a similiar game as the Sharks one this past weekend. The 14-14-1 Kraken sit towards the bottom of the Pacific Division (6th place) and Florida has an opportunity to continue working on tightening up their game and building confidence.
Look for former-Panther Brandon Montour to be fired up playing against his old team… ___________________
Go Panthers!