After all was said and done, the Florida Panthers came out and delivered in a big way with a 3-1 victory over the New York Islanders to kick off the 2022-23 season.
One thing that was very noticeable was the relentless attack throughout all three periods and across all four lines. Guys were driving hard to the net and making sure to hang out in front of it, rather than fly by. This was a departure from the typical Florida scheme of working the puck around the perimeter and hoping lanes will open up. Game #1 saw the Panthers with their daggers out, making their own lanes, crashing the net and generating offense through hard work.
The other aspect that stood out was the Panthers started the game on time. In the past, it was not unfamiliar to see Florida have a sluggish start and play catch up. The Cats were flying right off the opening faceoff and kept the wheels moving through all 60 minutes.
Florida was bested in pretty much all the major categories…
Shots on Goal
FLA - 29
NYI - 33
Faceoff %
FLA - 41.4
NYI - 58.6
Power Play
FLA - 0/5
NYI - 1/3
Hits
FLA - 15
NYI - 37
Blocks
FLA - 13
NYI - 25
Takeaways
FLA - 5
NYI - 8
…but they still managed to get that W. A lot of that can be attributed to Bob’s 32 save performance. In fact, it looked like Bob picked right back up from last season. No rust, just right in the zone. That was great to see. He should have been one of the three stars of the game in my opinion.
First Impressions: Matthew Tkachuk
Sure, it’s only one game, but damned if Matthew Tkachuk wasn’t dynamite out there! For all the heat and criticism he took from Calgary fans heading into the season (again, it’s only the first game), he came out and delivered beyond my expectations and was the player I noticed the most throughout the game.
The multiple dimensions to his game made an immediate impact. This guy has the hands and skill of a pure scorer, but will do the dirty work of hanging out in front of the net, generate offense, lead rushes, and then go mix it up with Matt Martin and a couple other guys.
He was ripping rubber towards the net at a feverish pace and was rewarded with an empty-netter and second star of the game.
He definitely backed up his pressers about being eager and excited to be a Panther.
Stuck in New York
The Panthers will carry their Game 1 mojo over to Game 2, where they’ll play another New York team in the Buffalo Sabres.
The Sabres are coming off a big 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators this past Thursday and looking to make a little bit of noise in terms of respectability this season. Adding goaltenders Craig Anderson and Eric Comrie last season helped them out quite a bit, as the team as a whole played well towards the end of the season and it looks like that play is carrying over to the present.
Buffalo is rebuilding/tweaking on the fly and have talent in guys like Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch (the big piece that came over in the Eichel trade), Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, etc., flanked by some solid veterans.
The Sabres are 4-1 in their last five Saturday games, and with the Panthers struggles during weekend afternoon games, they’ll have to be mindful of the Sabres machine - who can easily steal a game here if the Cats come out flat.
I wouldn’t expect too many major changes to the lineup. Let’s keep this Maurice Era off to a good start.
Should be a fun one today…
_______________________
Go Panthers!
PS: I loved this goal from “old man” Hornqvist
Florida Panthers Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»