With Sasha Barkov out 2-4 weeks with a wrist injury and Jaromir Jagr a bit nicked up with what is believed to be a groin injury, the roster has gone through some shuffling.
For the first time maybe in franchise history, scoring has not become a problem. In fact it's been outstanding.
Florida is tied for 6th in scoring with 30 goals, including 10 goals over the last two games.
Jagr left the game in the 1st period after having trouble breathing because of pain the spread from his groin to his rib cage. However, he has been practicing and could be a go for tonight's game at home against Boston. He will certainly be put to the test with Washington visiting tomorrow night.
Logan Shaw was called up from Portland just in case.
The good news on Barkov is surgery was not needed after his wrist was injured after blocking a shot in Chicago last Thursday. It was feared he would be gone much longer. Jagr and other teammates have said the 20-year-old Barkov is simply the best player on the team for his complete 2-way game. Talk about a bright career ahead...
Even thought shorthanded, players like Vincent Trocheck, Reilly Smith, and Nick Bjugstad have come up big to carry the load for the Panthers. Aaron Ekblad scored his first goal of the season last Saturday and Brian Campbell scored his first Tuesday night so everyone is chipping in.
In year's past losing Jagr and/or Barkov for any extended period would have resulted in the team taking a nosedive offensively simply because there were so few players that could bury the puck. But GM Dale Tallon has had 5 years to build the much needed depth this organization needed to withstand the inevitable injuries of an NHL season.
At 5-3-1 the Panthers are off to a better start than in year's past. If not for a few bad breaks and absolutely horrid officiating they might only have one loss.
After these two games they have a few days off before starting a 3-game west coast trip in Anaheim. Two more wins against the Bruins and Caps will have them feeling really good about themselves before trekking across the country.
The Panthers have shown they are very balanced offensively and each line has the ability to cause problems for the opposition. That is not normal for Florida. If they can hold the fort until Barkov comes back and Jagr's ailment proves itself to be minor, there is no reason to think their momentum won't continue to build going into the holidays.
Dan Spiegel Florida Panthers Media