A nice 4-2 win for the guys in the cat head sweaters on Monday. They’ll look to repeat their win tonight when the two teams meet again in a (tiring) back-to-back tilt.
This will be the eighth game the Cats and Jackets meet, with Florida holding a 6-1 record this season against Columbus. It’s been a tough go for CBJ as they are 2-13 in their last 15 games, so the Panthers should look to keep these guys down.
But the big news tonight seems to be the possibility of the much-anticipated first game for Spencer Knight. The reason I say “possibility… is because Q hinted at him getting in soon in last night’s post-game presser:
Coach Q on Knight's impending NHL debut:
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) April 20, 2021
"He's handled some big situations and handles it like it's the next challenge in life. He's done everything he can do to prepare for this opportunity. As an organization, we're looking forward to it as well." pic.twitter.com/3SPCKyafNt
And then George Richards just Tweeted this:
The #FlaPanthers don’t have many traditions: Rubber rats and good goaltending is about it. Spencer Knight joins the club tonight when he makes his NHL debut. https://t.co/9GDPpHXjLH
— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) April 20, 2021
However, the Panthers, Jameson Olive, etc. have not made the “official… announcement yet.
Hopefully he does make his debut tonight. Everyone is very excited to see what he can do at the NHL level, and I think breaking him in against CBJ makes a lot of sense. The Jackets struggle offensively and if the Cats can suppress those struggles even more, it can be an ideal situation for a young goaltender to make his first start.
Knight was the 13th pick in the 2019 NHL Draft and proceeded to go on a tear at the collegiate stage in Boston and the world stage in the World Junior Championship where he was named Best Goaltender and selected to the All-Star Team - leading in wins, GAA and save percentage.
Oh, hey...check this out...maybe the highly-coveted Spencer Knight is in fact the starter tonight!
Starter net this morning @slknight30 expected to start his 1st NHL game #FlaPanthers @BallySportsFL 📺🖥📱tonight on Bally Sports Sun pic.twitter.com/gEmIN8I348
— Steve Goldstein (@goldieonice) April 20, 2021
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How about a strong one from the fellas to help out the new guy in the blue paint? Go Panthers!