The Panthers looked like a more cohesive unit in their 3-2 win over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night.
The defense was improved and Bob was fantastic, turning away 30 of 32 shots.
The PP unit was perfect, going 1/1. They also managed to successfully kill off the lone penalty they allowed Seattle. Though it’s not much, it’s certainly something to build on considering how awful that special teams usually is.
Tonight they will face a 7-0-1 Bruins team who looks to be picking up where they left off during the 2022-23 regular season.
Boston will most certainly be looking for some revenge tonight after suffering one of the biggest upsets in playoff history when the Panthers knocked them out of the first round last season.
It will be a challenging one, but I think it has the potential to be a really fun game if the Cats can keep pace with the Big Bad Bruins.
But it’s not just pace…the big hurdle for Florida tonight will be generating offense against the league’s best defensive team. As Bruce Boudreau said on the NHL Network this weekend, it’s the teams who roll four lines (and not just in the playoffs) that are successful.
An obvious statement from Boudreau, yes, but the Cats are a bit top heavy right now in regards to their lines. I think when Bennett returns (now listed as a game-time decision), that will knock Lousterinen to the third line and Lundell to the fourth. Or you slide Lou to Lindell’s wing - which is also cool.
Let’s get this one underway..!
Go Panthers!