Oily Cats (FLA)

The Panthers uncharacteristically dropped two home games in a row and gave up 12 goals in the process.

Yikes.

The first game was a 6-4 loss to the Nashville Predators in which the Cats did everything in their power to constantly let the Preds gain the edge (in my opinion) through sloppy play.

The second loss came Thursday night after the Blue Jackets put Florida down by a score of 6-3. We saw Double J get the nod in this game and there was some good and bad. Yes, he should have had a few of those goals, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for now since he’s gone an awfully long time with no action. But the reality is that Florida’s big need this deadline (outside of a top pairing defensemen) is a legitimate backup for the playoffs, and Thursday night’s performance reinforces that. It also didn’t help that the Cats blew it on the man advantage, going a brutal 0/4.

There’s a great article from Pro Hockey Rumors that does a really nice job detailing the Panthers current situation in terms of cap space, draft picks, trade bait, needs, etc.

The only thing I would disagree on is the ordering of the “Team Needs… section. Agreed that #1 is a top pairing defenseman, but I would swap #2 and #3. I think the need for a backup is more important than forward depth. Don’t get me wrong, you can never go wrong with forward depth - especially heading into the playoffs - but I’m actually very confident with this current forward group and its depth. It’s the blue line and blue paint, with the latter actually being more concerning to me, come post-season time. I just keep worrying about what happens if Bob hits the skids or gets injured. The line behind him with Double J and Knight is not ideal.

And so the Panthers look to bounce back today against an Oilers team that has had their fair share of highs and lows this season.

The Oilers are 28-20-3 and have been working their way out of a slump/drama that had both the hockey-crazed Edmonton fan base/media, and hockey world as a whole, wondering what was going on in Edmonton.

Looking at a high level, it seems like one of Edmonton’s biggest issues has been in goal. Koskinen and Smith both own a GAA over 3, but could also be suffering a bit from the defense in front of them? I’d love to hear from any Oilers fans that might be able to elaborate/give their opinion of the Oilers’ current situation in goal.

If it is a case of struggles in net, this bodes well for a potent Panthers offense that will be looking to pounce after losing two in a row.

Whatever the case may be, it’s always fun when these two teams play because we get to see the two of the best players in the league (McDavid and Draisaitl) operate. The speed and skill at which these guys play is really fun to watch. It also doesn’t hurt that the top three scorers in the league will be hitting the ice this afternoon: McDavid, Draisaitl and Huby.

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While afternoon games historically don’t go well for the Panthers, they need a big bounce back win here. Let’s get it done…Go Panthers!

Enjoy this little bit of history:

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