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Cats and Devils

November 9, 2021, 10:46 AM ET [10 Comments]
Matt Ross
Florida Panthers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Panthers fell 4-3 in the Windy Apple (Simpsons reference) after outshooting the New York Rangers 45-18.

Florida found themselves reverting to the Cardiac Cats of past seasons when they went down 4-0 with only 20 minutes left to mount a comeback last night - and they almost made it happen but fell just short.

Brunette summed it up best, "We just weren't completely sharp at different times of the game when we needed to be "

That seemed to be the theme of the night for the Cats. They just weren't crisp enough through 60 minutes. A good example of that was the first period where they allowed two goals on nine shots - surrendering to the NYR special teams both on the Power Play and Penalty Kill. There’s nothing worse (or more frustrating) than giving up a goal late in the period and that's what the Cats did on that second goal with 5.9 seconds left in the first.

As Brunette put it, "Really disappointed in the goal at the end of the period. I think we've let in some late goals here, so that's a little bit of an area of concern that we have to recognize. Our brain was shut off a little in the first period at different times."

That last line - as alluded to earlier in this blog - really was the difference between the two teams.

The Cats were just "off," lax, and out of position for parts of the game, yet, somehow managed to grossly outshot the Rags by a 45-18 margin. Props to Rangers' goalie Igor Shesterkin for his effort that earned him the #1 star of the game. Though they pulled it together in the third, it was just too little, too late for the Panthers.

And so they turn their sights just down the road to Newark where they will face off against the New Jersey Devils tonight in the second of the dreaded back-to-back games. The positive for tonight is that history should be on the Cats' side as they went 13-3-3 after loses in the 2019-2020 season.

The Devils are 5-3-2 and sit seventh in the Metropolitan Division. What's wild is that the Penguins are in eighth…wow.

If you remember a few months ago New Jersey won the summer sweepstakes after landing FA
defenseman Dougie Hamiltion when they signed him to a seven-year, $63 M deal. They also added RvanGraves, Jonthan Bernier, and others to help bolster a lineup of upcoming talented youth.

Unfortunately for the Devils, this squad has been hit with the injury bug as of late. Star center Jack Hughes (IR), defenseman Christian Jaros (IR), Dougie Hamilton (day-to-day) and talented winger Miles Wood (IR) are all out with injury.

The Panthers should try and pounce on this Devils group to bounce back from their loss to the Rangers but they shouldn't take them lightly either. New Jersey has some talented young guns that are fun to watch and they've been playing good defensively. Per Winners and Whiners:

New Jersey will likely have Jonathan Bernier guard the cage in this one. The veteran
netminder was in net in Saturday's victory and overall is having a solid year, reporting a 2.55
GA and a ,910 save % accompanied by a 4-1 record. The Devils are only averaging 2.5 goals
on the season, landing them 26th in the NHL. They are allowing an average of 2.9 goals,
positioning them 19th overall.

Furthermore, the Devils are playing well defensively. They have allowed three or fewer goals in six of their ten games on the season. Jonathan Bernier features a 4-1 record in his five starts."


With New Jersey only averaging 2.5 goals the Panthers should look to lock them down
defensively and while they pad the back of the net with pucks via their high-powered offensive game.

No updates on Marchment other than an upper-body injury.

Let’s carry that third period energy/drive over to New Jersey and get back in the win column.



________________

Time to hunt…Go Panthers!
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