The Panthers play a Kings team that has had their share of highs and lows this season as their rebuild continues to plug along.
Normally I would think a 12-10-5 team sitting in sixth of the Pacific Division would not pose much of a threat against this current Florida team, but after the Senators embarrassed the Panthers Tuesday night, my confidence isn’t so high.
We can go on for a long time about Tuesday’s thumping that ended in a men’s league score of 8-2 (with the Cats on the losing end) but there’s really not much to say other than they were bad.
I saw a number of people upset with Brunette - claiming he has contributed to shattering Knight’s confidence. I don’t fully agree. In fact, I’m kind of split on it.
I think there’s certainly value in pulling him during that game for the exact reason people mentioned: his confidence.
But I also think there’s merit in leaving him in to take his lumps. It sounds cruel/wrong, but this is the NHL.
Once the wheels started coming off Tuesday night it was clear to me that the Panthers weren’t winning that game regardless of who was in net. The issues were everywhere. I’m guessing Brunette thought of pulling Knight (what coach wouldn’t) but I’m betting leaving him in was a strategic move (maybe Brunnette showing some savvy?) for both Knight and the team.
I’ll explain my thoughts…
Starting with with Knight. Plain and simple: Let him experience a lesson in a bad night in the NHL and head back to the AHL hungry to make sure it doesn’t happen again. It’s obvious he doesn’t have “it… right now. He should benefit from more reps and seasoning. Maybe work on his concentration? Might just be me but I feel like he looks distracted out there sometimes.
When it comes to the team, there’s no doubt about it that this a very good Cats group - probably the most talented since their inception. But do they have the ingredients to make it through the long, tough road of the playoffs? While it’s probably a combo of slugging it out as the season grinds on, injuries, etc., these guys are a different looking group since Q left.
They have been at the top of the division and league for good reason, sure. But there’s underlying weaknesses that have been covered up. These deficiencies were exposed by the Sens - the third worst team in the league - in a big way.
The players and coaches can say all the generic, “you’re gonna have games like this,… and, “we haven’t really had this before,… statements. The reality is that they got crushed by a team they should have crushed.
When things started going south for Florida, the Cats got on their heels and had no answer for Ottawa’s game. The defense let the Sens skate all over. Special teams was awful for Florida, going 0-6. The scoring dried up and the rookie goalie struggled mightily. In fact, nothing more accurately captured Florida’s night better than the sixth goal for OTT that saw Knight struggle to play the puck, the defense fail to clear it and Knight, tangled up with the net/players, flop over (arms extended) in complete desperation and dejection trying to stop the eventual goal.
The second and third period truly were ugly scenes for the Cats and maybe the idea by Brunnette was to drive that point home.
Get the picture, boys? Could it be your coach left your rookie goalie in to send a message: Even the best teams can’t take a night off.
And so the Panthers enter tonight with the potential of a very different looking roster with news that the COVID bug has hit Florida’s locker room:
Brunette hasn't ruled out Ekblad and Vatrano yet for tonight, just said they couldn't skate this AM. Not a whole lot of updates.
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) December 16, 2021
Sam Bennett, Radko Gudas, Ryan Lomberg, Brandon Montour and Carter Verhaeghe are all out tomorrow. https://t.co/H9YBLTHbab
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) December 15, 2021
Looks like Johansson is getting some work in. Curious to see if he gets the nod soon.
Johansson and Bobrovsky are the two goalies on the ice this morning. pic.twitter.com/LU6z4NUCWW
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) December 16, 2021
The game plan tonight is about as easy as it gets: Don’t play like Tuesday night. ________________________
Need a solid response tonight, fellas…Go Panthers!