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Woof!, Tampa Tonight, Paul Laus

March 16, 2024, 6:19 PM ET [1 Comments]
Matt Ross
Florida Panthers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Yikes.

Not much you can say after that 4-0 blanking at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes. It was a highly anticipated matchup that ended in a major stinker from the Panthers side.

Chalk it up to a bad game and move on, because we have another big tilt on the agenda this evening, and guess who’s in town…

The Tampa Bay Lightning.

Not to mention that former-Cat Anthony Duclair is now on the opposite end of the Battle for Florida rivalry.

Per Litter Box Cats:

The Lightning come into the game on a two-game winning streak that has helped them solidify their hold on a wild card spot. After opening a three-game homestand with an ugly 6-3 loss to the Calgary Flames, the Lightning destroyed the Philadelphia Flyers by a 7-0 count and then doubled up the New York Rangers 6-3 on Thursday. Brayden Point (3G/3A) had a hand in all six goals to tie the franchise record for most points in a single game. Nikita Kucherov contributed a goal and four assists in the win over the Rangers and is second in the league in scoring with 112 points.”

The Panthers get some good news heading into tonight’s game with both Rodrigues and Bennett back in the lineup.



Interesting about Cormier riding Florida’s bench (with backup goalie towel on neck, no doubt). But it doesn’t sound like anything serious with Stolarz. Maurice says he’s just under the weather.

Since the Cats don’t have an AHL affiliate (weird), Cormier has been with the ECHL Florida Everblades. The 6’3”, 200 lbs goaltender is 8-6-3, with a 2.88 GAA and .906 SV%.

I wonder how Knight is doing..? Is it weird he didn’t get the call? Is there something in his contract that prevents it? Maybe this is more of a reward for Cormier?

I expect (hope) a big response from the Panthers after being shutout, and, frankly, embarrassed, on Thursday night.

Montour hit the nail on the head the below quote ahead of tonight. I just hope Florida follows through with the sentiment:

Games against these guys are always loud and aggressive. You’re going to get both team’s best. It’s going to be good.”

The Last Panther

I keep forgetting to bring this up, but I recently came across a mini-documentary on Paul Laus. It looks like it came out about seven years ago, not sure how I missed it…

Either way, if you haven’t seen it, and you’re a fan of hockey history/nostalgia (especially Florida’s), you should dig it.

Short and sweet!


______________________

Let’s get back into the win column - Go Panthers!
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