The Panthers look to get some revenge against the Stars tonight after Florida was caught a bit flat-footed the last time these two teams met and Dallas came out on top with a 6-5 SO win.
The Cats own an impressive 6-0-1 record since coming out of the COVID hiatus and have a chance to push their point streak to eight games tonight. Even crazier than that is the fact that Florida is 19-3-3 at home…wow!
The loss to Dallas (who had previously been on an extended COVID hiatus) must have struck a chord with the team and coaching staff because I’ve seen a lot of quotes from said groups talking about the importance of being ready for tonight. Partly generic pregame talk, but more so “we know we should have beat these guys last time” talk.
The Stars are kind of a sneaky team in terms of having talented guys on the roster - despite their less-than ideal place in the standings - who can turn it on at any time, but they have struggled with consistency issues.
Just as the Cats have a number of guys firing on all cylinders, so do the Stars:
- Jason Robertson: 11 points (5G,6A) in 7 games
- Joe Pavelski: 13 points (6G,7A) in 6 games
- Roope Hintz: 8 points (3G,5A) in 6 games
- Miro Heiskanen: 6 points (1G, 5A) in 5 games
Perhaps the most shocking thing about Dallas in recent days was when news broke that star Defenseman, John Klingberg, requested a trade…
Hey, Zito…might not be a bad idea to chat with the Dallas GM tonight. Just sayin.’
The Good Keep Getting Good(er)
Some encouraging news out of Pantherland yesterday with Noel Acciari hitting the ice to participate in full practice with the team. Interesting to note is that he spent little time playing the forward position, and most of his time on the blue line playing defense.
But don’t worry, he won’t be turning into a defenseman. The Cats just have so much forward depth right now, Brunnette wanted Acciari out there and moving around - even if that meant he wasn’t able to get regular reps with the forward group.
Hornqvist is back in the lineup tonight and will be replacing Heponiemi.
Bob looks to continue his solid play by getting the start yet again. With Double J placed on the COVID Protocol list, Knight will back up #72.
Bob has been incredible as of late. Its one of those things where you know when a guy is playing great, but when you see the numbers laid out for you, it’s even more impressive, and per the
Cats’ site, hee are said stats:
“
In 25 appearances this season, Bobrovsky has posted an outstanding 17-3-3 record with a 2.55 goals-against average and .919 save percentage. Starting six of seven games for the Panthers since coming out of the pause, he's gone 5-0-1 with a .923 save percentage while making at least 30 saves in four outings.”
Sergei Butterovsky is on a roll!
While Bob has been great, the goalie situation is another area Zito will have to address if Double J isn’t a capable backup. Or regardless if he is, maybe you move him out and try to bring in a more seasoned guy for a legit playoff push.
This goal against VAN (from my favorite Cat) has been getting me psyched for tonight.
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Let’s get that W tonight…Go Panthers!
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