With the astonishing run the Florida Panthers are on, winning their 11th consecutive game last night 3-2 in Ottawa, NHL fans everywhere are wondering where this team came from. Florida diehards also have to be shocked at this run that continues to shatter franchise records and vaulted the Panthers to the top of the Atlantic division with some cushion.
But as is the cynical world we live in, there are some that just won't let this franchise enjoy the moment. A recent article by Puck Daddy goes through a painful splitting of statistical hairs trying to convince the masses the Cats aren't this good. The article goes so far as to call them a fraud(nice of them to give a little credit that Florida might be a good team by saying "for now"), and is critical enough to where people that are disgusted with a southern team going on such a run will stand proud with the article in their hand and say, "See! I told you they still sucked!"
In response the Panthers just keep on winning.
There is no denying the Panthers have won "ugly" on more than one occasion during this streak. Last night was a perfect example. The Sens doubled them up in shots and dominated most of the game, but at the end of 60 minute the most important evidence was the scoreboard. Such has been the case for 24 days.
Every team knows they need to score. Sure GM Dale Tallon and head coach Gerard Gallant would like to see more pucks in the back of the net. During this streak they are +24 in goal differential, which is impressive, but articles like the one on Puck Daddy are taking the entire season into account.
Sasha Barkov, arguably Florida's best all-around player, missed 3 weeks earlier this year with a broken hand. Although the team kept winning, Nick Bjugstad missed all December games while dealing with migraines. Big Nick won the team scoring title two seasons ago and finished 3rd in 72 games last season. Surely missing these two key pieces in the lineup for that long has affected overall team stats on which sites like Puck Daddy can pounce. Apparently this type of winning streak is great, but HOW they are winning is bothering some(not all) people.
Since this is a TEAM game, defense is important as well. Many fans league-wide might like to see more scoring, but defense often times wins championships. Florida has simply been sensational in this department in the second quarter. Here are some segmented stats for this season that were posted on the Panthers website:
Key Team Statistics for the First and Second Quarter of the 2015-16 Season
Statistic First Quarter Second Quarter
Record 8-9-4 (21st) 16-3-0 (1st)
Offensive Statistics
Goals per Game 2.57 (16th) 2.74 (12th)
Shots per Game 28.8 (22nd) 27.7 (25th)
5-on-5 Shot Attempts per Game 38.7 (24th) 36.8 (29th)
Shooting Percentage 8.9% (16th) 9.9% (7th)
Power Play Percentage 22.1% (4th) 11.3% (27th)
Defensive Statistics
Goals Allowed per Game 2.62 (15th) 1.58 (1st)
Shots Allowed per Game 31.8 (28th) 26.8 (5th)
5-on-5 Shot Attempts Allowed per Game 42.3 (17th) 40.3 (7th)
Save Percentage .918 (8th) .941 (1st)
Penalty Killing Percentage 76.5% (25th) 86.9% (4th)
Total Statistics
Goal Percentage 49.5% (16th) 63.4% (1st)
Shot Percentage 47.5% (27th) 50.8% (14th)
5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage (SAT) 47.7% (25th) 47.8% (20th)
What do these stats say? The Panthers have been a very tough team to play against. They don't give up a lot of Grade A scoring chances and their goaltending and penalty killing have been "Spacey in Space" outstanding. Shots on goal and power play percentage have been dreadful, and if those two categories get back to first quarter form, watch out.
The Panthers are receiving the most press and publicity since 1996. This streak has pulled back the curtain to what Tallon has been working on over these last 5 years. However, this isn't a magic trick or some flash in the pan. Yes there is a long way to go this season and one 5-game losing streak could take a lot of steam out of what has been accomplished over the last 4 weeks. But there is no denying the organization is more talented from top to bottom than ever. The product on the ice is showing it.
There are naysayers and skeptics out there that don't think the Panthers are winning "good enough" to warrant such success. There is SOME merit to their claims, but just how important is that to ultimate success? Was every Stanley Cup champion 1st in goals for and against each season? Of course not. Are such rankings the only measuring sticks of good teams? No. There are many intangibles and nuances to each team and season that don't show up in statistics.
But for the sake of argument let's take a look at the last 15 Stanley Cup winners in the goals for and against categories. Yes we could break down a whole bunch of other stats but for the sake of keeping it simple let's just keep it basic because these two categories are often telling of the big picture.
Stanley Cup Winners Since 2000 (sorry for the slight formatting issues)
Goals For/Goals Against
2015 Blackhawks 17th/2nd 2014 Kings 26th/1st 2013 Blackhawks 2nd/1st 2012 Kings 29th/2nd 2011 Bruins 5th/2nd 2010 Blackhawks 3rd/5th 2009 Penguins 6th/17th 2008 Red Wings 3rd/1st 2007 Ducks 8th/7th 2006 Hurricanes 3rd/19th 2004 Lightning 3rd/10th 2003 Devils 14th/1st 2002 Red Wings 2nd/3rd 2001 Avalanche 4th/3rd 2000 Devils 2nd/7th
As of right now, the Panthers are ranked 11th and 2nd this season. Could those numbers drastically improve or worsen? Yes. Are the Panthers a few key injuries from the bottom falling out? Probably. But to this point is this really a fraud? Is this current streak and their record-setting December just an aberration or finally a glimpse into the potential of an up and coming team that has been clearly inevitable by those that were paying attention?
Should the Blackhawks return their Stanley Cup last year because they were below average offensively? Should the 2012 and 2014 Kings teams return the Stanley Cup because they were even worse? Should the 2006 Hurricanes return theirs because their defense was shaky at best for the majority of the year?
Whose to say the Panthers won't become much better offensively as Bjugstad gets back into game shape and the new lines become more cohesive? If and when Roberto Luongo comes back to earth, would that better offense then continue this team on its winning ways? But the point is it doesn't matter what the statistics say. It's all about scoreboard.
There are a lot of dominant teams on the Stanley Cup list. Of course all teams are striving to be the best in all areas of their game. But there are also teams and/or goaltenders that caught lightning in a bottle at just the right time for the playoffs and won the Cup.
In a tightly contested league and Atlantic division, have the Panthers not shown enough that if they were to get into the playoffs they could be a very tough matchup for anyone? Perhaps their reputation precedes them. Perhaps it is still hard to believe that a team that is more famous for empty arenas and glorified AHL rosters can actually make some legitimate noise in this league.
When the fruits of bad hockey for a decade plus result in draft picks like Aaron Ekblad, Sasha Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Dmitry Kulikov, Erik Gudbranson, Vincent Trocheck, Quinton Howden, Logan Shaw, Alex Petrovic, with several more to come, doesn't good fortune eventually have to shine on an organization that deserves it? Perhaps that is all that is happening here, regardless of how "impressive" each win might be.
While only a few of those names are recognizable to many NHL fans, that list is the lovable core for the many, many Panther fans out there. They have known this is coming. Maybe not 11-wins in a row coming, but at least it was clear this team was eventually going to break through.
Would it surprise anyone if this team were still to miss the playoffs after positioning themselves in the best way possible in 2016? Probably not. In years past, that might have been inevitable.
But this team is obviously different. It's not just the maturing of this group physically and on the ice, but mentally as well. This might be the first team in 20 years that actually BELIEVES they can beat anyone. They have done nothing to prove that belief is absurd, especially now.
So while it is easy to say the statistics prove that their current streak and winning ways cannot last, the Panther organization obviously doesn't care. They know how they need to play within their system and personnel to win hockey games. When they do there is only one thing they care about...
Scoreboard.
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