The Cats looked solid in their 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. Carter Verhaeghe continues to show just why he was such a good pickup for this team - scoring two goals, earning first star of the game and getting a nice writeup via
Sports Illustrated/The Hockey News. The guy has an incredible sense of where to be on the ice at the right times.
As the article dares to say, he might be “
one of the best value signings we’ve seen in some time.”
Adding:
“The Panthers had a tough task trying to replace two of the team's best wingers in Dadonov and Mike Hoffman. Both have struggled in their new homes, but, man, the Panthers scored big in snagging Carter Verhaeghe for two years at just a million each. With 15 goals and 28 points in 35 games, only Jonathan Huberdeau (40) and Aleksander Barkov (37) have more points for a team currently sit tied with Tampa Bay and Washington for first in the league.”
And furthermore:
“
Just how good has Verhaeghe been? At 5-a-side, per Natural Stat Trick, Verhaeghe is 12th in scoring with 12 goals and 22 points, with Mitch Marner (25 points) being the only player from one of Verhaeghe's clubs to beat him out so far. Among players with at least 10 goals, Verhaeghe's 16.44 shooting percentage is good for eighth in the league and his 1.34-goals-per-60 is 11th, just good enough to edge out Auston Matthews, one of the league's best goal-scorers. Verhaeghe's expected goals-for percentage is an outstanding 62.69, trailing only Barkov and MacKinnon and his high-danger Corsi-for of 65.28 is fifth.
What does that all mean? It means he definitely deserves to be making more than a million bucks, that's for sure. Per CapFriendly, Verhaeghe's cost-per-point of $35,714 is the 10th-best in the league – but he's the only player in the top 10 25 or older. He's a bit of a late bloomer, but one that many have predicted to play a big role in the NHL at some point, and that's now.”
I encourage you to read the whole article because it really nails just how impressive #23 has been for Florida.
Back to Tuesday night...
Let’s be honest and say that 4-1 win could have been a lot closer than it was had it not been for Bob. I thought he played fantastic. Credit to the Wings for creating a lot of really good chances too, but Bob managed to close the door. It was a little concerning how many opportunities Detroit had for redirects and centering passes down low, but #72 was up for the challenge - going 35/36 in the saves department.
With the recent “luck” the Panthers have been having in the injury department, it only makes sense they wouldn’t get out of the game unscathed. After being tripped up in Greiss’ paddle, Duclair went shoulder-first into the boards and will now be out 7-10 days.
I don’t think the Cats need to change too much when they face off against the Wings again tonight, but tightening up in front of their own net (broken record) is key. Oh, and coming out in one piece will be nice!
Knight Signed
Big news this evening with Knight signing a three-year, entry-level deal. Kind of felt like it was coming, but great to see it’s a done deal! Interesting to note that Knight also said he talks to Lu at least once a week and they text all the time as part of the “Goaltending Excellence Department.”
It’s Moller Time
Sweet shoutout to Big Rand from the Virtual Vault. Love that first picture where he’s stretching. The Cooper gloves and 90s haircut just screams my favorite era of hockey!
_________________________________
Let’s get after it - Go Panthers!
Florida Panthers Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»