The Panthers gutted it out in Pittsburgh last night to get the 3-2 SO win over the Penguins. Reinhart stays red-hot, burying two in the win.
The game was marked by chippy play after Barkov left the game briefly from a questionable hit by Penguins defenseman Kris Letang. Barky would end up being OK, but it was great to see the Panthers continuously going after Letang in the wake of the hit — a good sign of the bonding amongst this group that we talked about yesterday.
The wildest stat of the night? Florida’s PK was stellar, going 1/8 after the Cats were sent to the sin bin continuously.
Reinhart to @KatieEngleson on the Barkov incident:
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) January 27, 2024
"We're always going to respond. ... That's the way we play. We're a tight group. We're alwys going to stick up for one another."
Maurice: "You've got to be careful about letting your emotions get the better of you, but I'd rather have a night of that than trying to wind guys up to play hard in the sport of hockey. You don't have to wind these guys up. They come wired to the game."
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) January 27, 2024
And so the Cats have a quick turn around when they take on the New York Islanders this evening. Of course, the big news with the Isles was the surprise signing of Patrick Roy to be their head coach earlier this week.
Look for Stolarz to get the nod. __________________________
Go Panthers!