Good afternoon, Cats fans! Hectic Easter weekend here with family obligations, but wanted to get a quick little something out there for today’s game...
What a week it’s been for the Florida Panthers. They won their fifth game in a row last night after defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 at home, while looking good in those Reverse Retros might I add.
It was an especially sweet win for former-Jackets Wennberg and Bob. Both guys played great as they haunted their old team. Bob turned away 44 shots, while Wennberg went on to get his first career hat trick - the guy that many questioned in the beginning of the season seems to have found his game with Florida and owned the hot stick last night.
“He had a heck of a game, did a lot of good things besides scoring three. ... We're happy with his game. He's adding some speed to his game as well. The puck was following him around a little bit. A couple great shots." - Q on Wennberg
Aside from celebrating Bob’s 500th game, the big item last night was recently-signed defenseman Matt Kiersted making his debut. Pretty wild, the Panthers let him know before morning skate that he would be playing that night.
I really liked the game he brought - gotta love a new guy setting a team-high four blocks in his debut. I thought he played pretty sound positioning and brought some energy/a new look to the blueline after the rough loss of Ekblad. He seems to have a knack for getting his stick in lanes. He also broke up a number of passes with the old active stick. It’s always exciting to see the young guys finding some success out there (even if it is only one game). Hoping to see him continue to get time with the big boys.
Here’s what Q thought. We might have a thinking man on the backend, which is never a negative:
"I thought he looked really comfortable, looked poised. He did a lot of good things. I like the way he sees and processes the game. He's positionally aware and has a good stick. A really good game for him to start."
The obvious question now is: when does Knight get in? He was practicing with the team yesterday, so I guess the Spencer Knight watch is officially on...
As for Tonight
Honestly, there’s not a whole lot I can think of. It seems like the Panthers are in “if it’s not broke, so don’t fix it” mode right now. They are making the little adjustments game-to-game while continuing to play that tougher brand we have come to like this season.
The one thing I will say is that we all know CBJ is an offensively struggling team. Giving them 46 SOG is helping them out too much. Even if a lot of those shots were seen all the way, I would like to see Florida suppress CBJ’s looks tonight. Cut that 46 in half. They shouldn’t have that many opportunities.
Other than that, the Panthers have a serious chance at continuing this thing and making it six in a row, and with the Wings up 4-1 on Tampa right now, the #1 spot could be up for grabs...
Let’s get it done!
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I leave you with the greatest Easter scenes in a movie (Mallrats). Happy Easter and Go Panthers!
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