The Panthers survived Game 7 of Round 2 to face the Carolina Hurricanes tonight in Game 1 of the Eastern Confrence Finals.
But before we get to that…
GAME 7 THOUGHTS
Sunday night brought a lot of anticipation and nervousness for fans of Toronto and Florida.
I didn’t know what to expect from the Cats. The truth is I was leaning towards them fumbling the game. It just felt like the Leafs had all the momentum after their Game 6 win.
I was wrong. Florida locked in and took the win, handedly. But not entirely without some pushback. In fact, the first period was a wild one due to its flow, or lack there of.
What I mean is the Cats controlled majority of the period (especially the first 10 minutes), but Toronto found their spots and had legitimately deadly chances. It felt like either the Panthers were in control in the offensive zone, or the Leafs were striking with a breakaway, odd man rush, and so forth. Lots of scary moments for Panthers fans on those Leafs opportunities.
From the second period and on, Florida really controlled the game. They won the psychological warfare aspect by breaking the spirit/will of the players and fanbase.
I was surprised to see all the criticism of Woll throughout and after the series. I thought he did a good job all things considered, giving the Leafs a a chance in games. From my perspective, Woll was not the reason for Toronto ultimately being knocked out. As Panthers fans, we understand the frustration when your big guns don’t show up. We watched for years as the likes of Barkov, Huberdeau, Bob, etc., disappeared in the playoffs. To have success in the postseason, you need everyone stepping up, unlikely heroes grabbing the spotlight, some luck, and your superstars to come out. The latter is no doubt where the Leafs suffered the most.
I believe it will be and interesting off-season for the Leafs…
TONIGHT
Florida takes on a familiar foe in Carolina this series. With both teams playing top notch hockey, here’s a little blurb from
Litter Box Cats:
“
The Hurricanes have gotten standout performances from Andrei Svechnikov, who has eight goals in ten games, and goaltender Frederik Andersen, who boasts a miserly 1.36 GAA and .937 save percentage. The two teams met at this juncture in 2023, with the Panthers winning in a tightly-played sweep that saw all four games decided by one goal.”
I feel the Panthers hold a little bit of an advantage in this first game.
Why?
Carolina wrapped up their first round pretty early and have enjoyed some extended time off. While the Panthers are more likely banged up from going seven with Toronto, they are theoretically more “in the zone” game wise.
Could the Hurricanes come out blazing after being fully rested (or at least close to it)? Of course. But I’m banking on their timing and so forth being a little off.
Either way, it’s bound to be a great game.
I predict a slugfest this series!
___________________
Go Panthers!
Florida Panthers Blogger • 
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