Happy game day, folks!
It’s a big one for the Panthers today for a couple reasons.
First, and most obvious, is a win means they sweep Tampa and move on to round two.
Second, and more significant, is a sweep would mark a shift in the Florida rivalry that has been dominated by the Tampa Bay Lightning for the majority of its history. TBL has certainly always had the better run organization, more talented teams, and more success.
A sweep today will tip the scales in the Cats direction as “the” Florida team going forward. As someone pointed out in the comment section of the last blog, it feels like Tampa doesn’t have an answer for the Panthers. Cats fans will understand this notion because for years the Panthers have not had an answer for the Lightning. Whether it was in the regular season, or postseason, any time Florida faced Tampa, Panthers fans knew it was going to be tough, and deep down, we all felt it would go TBL’s way (and it did majority of the time).
And so the Cats have an opportunity today to make a statement against their in-state rivals. Win and send the Lightning to the golf course like they have done to us so many times.
But it’s easier said than done. Close out games are the toughest ones to win and there’s no way Tampa is going down without a fight. Let’s not forget that TBL is a post/crossbar away (they’ve hit a bunch of them) from changing these games. The Panthers have not won these games solely on skill. They have had Lady Luck on their side, too (which is what you need this time of year).
Maurice has said there will most likely be no lineup changes. I think that’s a good call. Game 3’s lineup was strong, coupled with Bob’s continued stellar play, and these Cats are tough!
But one of Florida’s biggest strengths this far has been special teams. As
Jameson Olive points out:
“
The penalty kill continues to step up for the Panthers.
After going a perfect 4-for-4 in Game 3, they've now now successfully limited the Lightning, who ranked first in the NHL on the power play at 28.6% during the regular season, to just a 16.7% success rate with the man advantage in the series.
A full team effort, nine different Panthers have skated at least 2:50 on the PK thus far.
Over the 18:23 the Lightning have spent on the power play, the Panthers have surrendered just 13 shots on goal as faceoff wins, good sticks, clutch clears and blocked shots have all been key.
Of course, you always hear that you best killer is your goaltender.
For the Panthers, Sergei Bobrovsky has been just that, stopping 11 of 13 shots against Tampa Bay’s loaded power play, with five of those saves being considered high-danger, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
If you ask the players, they'll tell you that success on the PK can be boiled down to one thing: hard work.”
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Let’s get it done and head to Round 2!
GO PANTHERS!
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