The red-hot Panthers will take on a strong New Jersey Devils team tonight when the two clubs clash tonight in South Florida.
After some shaky play early in the season, Florida finds themselves on a seven-game winning streak.
Tonight will be interesting…
Panthers (11-3-1): 1st place in Atlantic Division
Devils (10-6-2): 2nd place in Metropolitan Division
As
Litter Box Cats say:
“
While the Panthers are in first place in the Atlantic on their own merit, the Devils high standing in the Metropolitan Division is partially due to playing more games than Hurricanes, Capitals and Rangers. New Jersey dominated the San Jose Sharks in their last outing on Sunday, but went down 1-0 thanks to a stellar 44-save performance from discarded Devil Mackenzie Blackwood. Jesper Bratt leads the team in scoring with 19 points with Jack Hughes right behind him with 18.”
Regarding the Cats’ current heater…I think Ekblad hits the nail on the head:
The above is the type of play we have seen from the Panthers the past few seasons, and one that’s a far cry from the pre-Maurice era.
Prior to Maurice getting his hooks in this team, Florida played a run-and-gun style. This style served its purpose for entertainment and finding some success, but never a sustained success.
It took Zito reshaping the roster, and Maurice’s demand/expectations for a 200-foot game out of each guy, to find that sustained success. Now that they have gotten there and won the Cup, the hard work continues.
It’s this mindset that has the Panthers where they are now. You can’t manufacture wins (as Ekblad said) without working hard each night.
The old Panthers were figuratively a “one and done” team. They put in some effort, but if the game tilted in the other direction, they were done.
The new era Panthers work hard to grind teams down and feel each night is their win.
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Stay hot and make it eight…Go Panthers!
Florida Panthers Blogger • 
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