The Panthers are doing their best Dusty Rhodes impression this season after hitting some “hard times” (daddy!) throughout the first 20-something games thus far.
After a disappointing home stand, the Cats hit the road with hopes of putting the poor play on home ice in the rear view, only to find more woes on the road. Florida gave up 10 goals in two games after losing 4-3 to EDM and then 6-2 to Calgary the next night — though I’m not putting that one all on Bob like many others are.
Losing by a men’s league score like that, in conjunction with a sizable stretch of struggles, and it’s understandable that the fans are frustrated and concerned.
How does the previous season’s Presidents Trophy winning team have such a fall from grace? These guys are barely treading water above .500, and just one point ahead of MTL in the Atlantic Division with 24 points in 23 games.
It seems like we’re starting to see the league settle a bit, and a lot of teams who were overachieving in the beginning of the season are now coming down to earth and slotting into their “rightful” positions in the standings.
The scary reality is that we’re seeing the Panthers take their place in the middle-to-lower half of the division given their current play.
Who’s to blame?
Maurice? Zito? The cap crunch? The players?
I believe it’s a combo of all four elements…
Florida is in such a tough spot with the cap that it forces Zito to have to search for cheaper options. Some of them have panned out, others haven’t. While I still love the Tkachuk trade, signings like the Staal brothers, Thornton last year, and so forth, just haven’t had the impact one would hope for.
Then there’s head coach Paul Maurice. I’m not seeing the defense-first mentality and close/tight game wins that we were led to believe would happen. There’s been games where the overall team defense looked great, even suffocating at times, but those were fleeting. The ability to sustain this style and level of play is just not there each night.
When it comes to the players, I don’t know…this actually feels more like a team in a downward transition, than one making temporary adjustments (until the cap clears up) before rising to the top again. Last night’s game was a good example of the discombobulated play of these guys — with so much scrambling and players out of position.
I think you give things a few more games, but if they don’t turn it around by the conclusion of this road trip, some real changes might be in order…
Heading into Vancouver against a Canuck’s teams that’s 9-11-3, it’s time to take things one shift at a time. Give Bob the start to see if he can rebound and show you have faith in him. I personally think he needs the nod. Clog up the middle of the ice and disrupt attacking forwards in the neutral zone. That two-on-none that happened in Calgary should never happen in the NHL. That’s peewee stuff. And please stop letting the opposition get behind the defense. Why does the Florida defense seem to love letting guys sneak in and swarm the net?
Florida needs a wakeup call and they need it fast! This is a talented roster that needs to get clicking, and that takes effort from the coach and players.
3-2 Cats or a players-only meeting is needed…ha!
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Go Panthers!
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