Follow @SpiegelSports After being caught up for weeks in Chicago Cubs bliss, it's time to talk about the opposite end of the spectrum. The Florida Panthers are last in the Atlantic Division after dropping a 4-2 decision in Washington Saturday night.
The game was indicative of what has been plaguing Florida so far this season. Injuries are forcing lots of youth to play, and that youth is making game-deciding mistakes that are often costing games.
All teams deal with injuries, so they are no excuse. But team depth is certainly being tested, and when you see all the positional breakdowns against the Capitals it shows that lots of work needs to be done to get the entire team on the same page.
Sadly Roberto Luongo's best effort of the season was spoiled by said breakdowns. If not for him, the Panthers would have been blown out of the building.
Jaromir Jagr leaving the game with what was described as a cramping groin after only 4 minutes of ice time did not help matters. Sasha Barkov suddenly had none of his line from last year, and is off to a terrible start with zero points over the last 8 games.
Jagr's injury is not considered serious and he is day-to-day.
The Cats knew the early part of the season would be a tough stretch without Nick Bjugstad (broken hand) and Jonathan Huberdeau (severed achilles). With Jussi Jokinen out for the last few weeks with a knee injury, all of Florida's top three lines have been directly affected, forcing head coach Gerard Gallant to mix and match lines as best he can to try to weather the storm.
The good news is Jokinen and Bjugstad could return this week during their week-long homestand against the Lightning, Sharks, and Islanders. Having Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday off over this stretch will also help get everyone conditioned and on the same page in practice.
Obviously Huberdeau is months away from returning, but continuity and chemistry should improve quickly amongst the forwards when Bjugstad and Jokinen return. Jonathan Marchessault should remain on the top line with Barkov and Jagr. Jokinen will likely be reunited with Vincent Trocheck and Reilly Smith. Colton Sceviour will be with Bjugstad and whoever is playing best at the time of the remaining forwards not named Derek MacKenzie.
Being one game under .500 at 5-6-1 considering all the adversity isn't the end of the world. The difference between last place and second(Tampa) is only four points so there is no need to panic. It just may take a little longer to get things to gel as the roster starts to look like what GM Tom Rowe envisioned this summer.
This will be an important week for the Panthers to get on the right track, albeit against very strong competition. Just as important is getting the defense on the same page after a terrible performance in Washington in the final two periods. Unlike injuries, all of these issues can be fixed in practice. We shall see if the team gets the message Monday night.
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