After an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Canucks, the Panthers bounced back and took home the OT win in Colorado.
And that’s kind of the essence of the Cats, isn’t it? An up and down, Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde routine. Although, Q seems to be the medicine that’s beginning to balance this team out (slowly but surely).
With that in mind, I wanted to take a look back at the opening month of Florida hockey and give a grade based on some observations and the ol’ eye test...
The Games
10/3/19 - Loss to TBL 5-2
10/5/19 - Win over TBL 4-3
10/8/19 - Loss to CAR 6-3
10-11-19 - Loss to BUF 3-2 (SO)
10-12-19 - Loss to NYI 3-2 (SO)
10-14-19 - Win over NJD 6-4
10-18-19 - Loss to COL 5-4 (OT)
10-19-19 - Win over NSH 3-2 (SO)
10-22-19 - Win over PIT 4-2
10-24-19 - Loss to CGY 6-5 (SO)
10-27-19 - Win over EDM 6-2
10-28-19 - Loss to VAN 7-2
10-30-19 - Win over COL 4-3 (OT)
After 13 games, Florida currently sits at 6-3-4 with 16 total points and tied for third with the Candiens in the Atlantic Division.
There’s no doubt the Panthers have faced a tough schedule - possibly the toughest in the league thus far - but their inconsistent play is maddening at times and knowing they should have won more games has brought them down a letter grade for me in the grading evaluation.
Under Boughner, the Cats were wildly up and down, but, strangely, some things worked; ie the Power Play. Since Q took over, they’re slowly evening out, but things like the PP that were once so successful, seemed to have gone a bit dormant.
While it’s unrelaistic to expect their past issues to be corrected in the matter of a month, we’re seeing improvements that they’re building on in desperately needed areas like the defense. Q seems to be slowly chipping away at the problems on the backend and getting some results through this first month. As excellent as that is to see, perhaps the the best improvement through this young season is the overall fight of this team. True, they have had some lazy efforts, but for the most part, we’re seeing a much more tenacious and desperate team then we have in years prior.
Something that stands out to me is that offense/goals seemed to come at will in previous years, whereas now we’re seeing a tiny slow down inthat category and I believe that’s all part of Q’s system.
Stay with me for a second...
In the past couple years, it seemed Panthers forwards were free to focus 100% on offense. There was very little backchecking or effort to get back and help out the weak/shaky defense and that’s part of the reason we saw games where the Cats put up multiple goals and still ended up losing. This was due highly to a lack of overall team defense.
Under Q, the forwards
have to be responsible defensively. Q expects everyone on the ice to contribute defensively. So much so that it’s one of the reasons he put Pysyk at forward - to bring a defensive mind to the forwards group. His approach strengthens overall team defense, but might affect goal production a bit until guys get comfortable with the added responsibility and so forth. That’s just my take on it right now.
The Good
Weegar:
#52 has stepped up in a big way and become “the” guy in the blue line for Florida. I’m most impressed with his improvement defensively and knowing when to join/start the rush or pinch in offensively. He’s rarely out of position and seems to have developed those intangibles that make up a strong defensman. Also impressive is his ability to succeed regardless of who his partner is.
Huberdeau:
15 points in 13 games as a dominant offensive weapon for the Cats. He seems to be capitalizing on opportunities he may have missed in years past. Impressive to note that 12 of Huby’s points come at even-strength. He seems to be moving about the ice confidently and with seven goals and eight assists, who wouldn’t be?
Stralman:
Ahh, yes...the quiet one. Old Man Anton is exactly what I hoped he’d be: a wise, veteran prescence on the backend. Sure, a little bit of an overpayment, but Stralman is sort of the Ringo Starr of the Panthers defense - you don’t think about or hear his name a lot and that’s not a bad thing. It means he’s doing his job. Stralman knows his role and plays it perfectly. He’s there to clean up his partners mistakes and to join the offensive efforts when necessary. He brings a calming energy to the blueline and that’s exactly what this team needs.
The Fourth Line (Hunt, Acciari, Sceviour):
I talk about them all the time, but this is a fantastic line and probably the best on the team - change my mind. Easily the hardest working and most willing line the Cats have, they spend time digging in corners, battling on the boards and putting pressure on the opposition. Not only that, but they can score, too (Acciari)! No matter what, you can count on these guys to give maximum effort and that’s what Q (and I) like.
Monty:
Take away that start in Vancouver and Monty has put together a solid start to this season. He plays noticeably more confident and is on top of his crease challenging shooters. He has given the Cats a chance in games that they should have otherwise been out of - Nashville being a great example.
Malgin:
The forward I’ve been most impressed with this season. Denis the Menace has figured out how to use his smaller size and speed to his advantage. He’s shifty on the ice and can do a lot in small spaces. I really like what I’m seeing. Q magic at work..?
Barkov:
What a wild one this is...there’s clearly something “off” with him, maybe a lingering injury/injuries? Who knows...yet, he has 14 assists and hit the twine in the last game against the Avs, giving himself 15 points so far. If he can do this in his current condition, can’t wait until he’s feeling good!
Boyle:
A late addition that has made an impact (IMO) in the few games he’s played. A big body down the middle that’s willing to throw himself around is always a good thing. The fact that he can score (2 G, 1 A) is a major bonus. Teams have to take notice of him when he’s on the ice.
Hawryluk:
Sort of a generic “pest”, he knows his role and plays it.
Vatrano:
“Shoot first, ask questions later” is the mindset Frank lives by and I love it. Too many guys get caught up in trying to make the “sexy” play. Frank is straight to business. I never realized the speed he possesses until this season. Keep it up, Tank!
Quenneville:
Comes in with a winning pedigree and brings a tough approach that these guys need. No more lazily skating through the season. The country club days are over. Q cracks the whip and these guys are starting to fall in line.
The Bad (but not really, just streaky)
Hoffman:
He started off hot and even had a hat trick early on, but since cooled a bit. He excels on the PP, but I’d like to see him score more consistently at even-strength. He currently has 10 points (6G, 4A) and has been been a boost since coming to Florida, but rumors since last season of him not wanting to resign and possibly being traded out have kind of soured me a bit.
Dadonov:
I’ve always liked Dadonov because he can be lethal while flying under the radar. He’s reliable and a guy that goes hard to the net, which they need. With 6 goals and 5 assists, he’s become Mr. Third Period - leading the league in third period goals with six...need him to start spacing those out a bit though...
Connolly:
I thought after breaking out in that comeback against New Jersey, Connolly would be lighting the lamp on a nightly basis. With four goals and five assists, we need to see his numbers pick up a bit. Let’s face it, they signed him to score goals.
Matheson:
The man has been quietly improving, folks. He has some serious talents in his wheels and shot. If he can continue to hone his defensive game, those other qualities will pay dividends. He’s also willing to sell out and I see him do it frequently. Curious to see how he bounces back after this injury.
Pysyk:
He doesn’t bother me on defense as much as he seems to with other people. I think his time spent as a forward was done in part to bring a defensive-minded approach to the offense for a couple games, as well as help him understand the game from that perspective in order to strengthen his defensive game and help his vision and understanding of the flow of the game a bit better. I think he’s improving on the blueline as time goes on.
Trocheck:
Sidelined with an injury recently, he’s appeared in eight games with six points (1 G, 5 A). He’s always good in the lineup and last year he was an incredible boost coming off IR. Will he be the same this year when he comes back?
The Ugly (more improvement needed)
Yandle:
I’ve just never really been a Yandle guy. I know he’s apparently good in the locker room and keeps the fellas loose, but I’ve just struggled to like his game. I’ll give him credit in that he’s looked better this year, but I’d rather have him trade in his offensive abilities for more defensive ones. He can control the puck well on the PP, but in his own zone it’s a different story. The turnovers...
Brown:
It pains me to put my guy here, but he’s had his struggles. Could it be that he’s a product of his environment being paired with Yandle..? Who knows, but he needs to find that simple game with good positioning that I know he can bring.
Bob:
I struggled mightily with the contract that was given to Bob and a lot of you pointed out that that was the price of doing business, which is right, but it’s still a tough pill to swallow. I believe he will pay off, but I’ve had my ups and downs with him so far and whether you like it or not, he hasn’t lived up to the $10 M a year deal. There’s been games where he’s looked great and others not so much. There’s flashes of brilliant play and you can see his mind at work in how he reads/anticipates plays, but it’s just not as consistent as we’d like it.
Bob came with a certain degree of hero worship from fans when he signed with Florida and I was a bit worried about that. He’s an incredible goalie, but has had his troubles over the years. Like any player, he’s not perfect. Fans seemed to assume he would put a goose egg up every game and shut teams out - wishful thinking, but unrealistic.
Sure, some of it could be chalked up to poor defense at times, but I was always under the impression that Bob was brought in as someone who could hold down the fort as they worked through those issues and when they were able to ultimately (hopefully) right the ship.
Borgy:
He needs to soak up everything he can in the A and build his confidence. At the NHL level, he’s a ghost - completely unnoticeable. There seems to be a lot of potential with him and it’s just a matter of figuring out how to unlock it...but if he can’t, I feel there’s a very realistic chance he gets moved in some kind of trade.
Overall Grade
I give the Panthers start a C+.
It might sound harsh to some, especially since they’re sitting in a good spot in the Atlantic, etc...but there’s a lot of room for improvement and things they need to address. For example, there were a number of games they blew the lead in and/or games they should have won, but lost. These are the types of things that seperate the good teams from the great ones - the “C” team from the “B” and them from “A” teams out there.
I look forward to seeing what they do going forward and the cool thing is that if they can keep up this pace, they’lol continue improving.
Tonight
The Panthers are back in home action tonight as they take on the struggling Red Wings.
Detroit is a rebuilding team and they have some defensive problems - sound familiar? They’ve given up five goals per in seven games throughout the month of October. This would be a great opportunity for some of Florida’s guys to find the back of the net, build some confidence and put together back-to-back wins in the process.
The Wings recently acquired Brendan Perlini in a trade with the Blackhawks. Perlini is an interesting player in the sense that many people are split on him. Some think he doesn’t belong in the league, others think differently. I was actually a bit surprised Chicago wasn’t playing him more, opting instead to go guys from their AHL team, the Icehogs. Perlini is very streaky, but possseses a good amount of speed/motor and a nice shot, however...he might be one of those guys who is all speed and no hands/touch. While he put up some goals for the Hawks sporadically, he was never consistent and I think that’s what got him shipped out. I’ll be curious to see how he does against the Panthers.
The Cats handled the Wings well in their final meeting of last year, coming away with a 6-1 win. Let’s hope they can do the same this evening.
The game plan should be to take advantage of Detroit’s weaker defense by swarming and going hard to the net. Get them on their heels early and try to keep them there. They also need to keep their eye on Andreas Athanasiou. I’m always impressed watching this guy play because he has killer speed and hands that can match his wheels. I think he’s really fun to watch and is probably a handful for defenses. I see that he has five assists and no goals so far. I don’t follow Detroit, so I’m not sure if this is a surprise or not.
—————————
Also, with November now I gear, it’s offically Momvember season. Looking forward to seeing all the lip dusters on the ice!
[Image from CBSSports.com]
Go Panthers!
Florida Panthers Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»