After a SO win in a wild game against the Rangers at MSG, the Panthers find themselves closing out this three-game East swing tonight in Beantown against he Big Bad Bruins.
Florida split their games in the Windy Apple, losing to the Islanders 2-1 and overcoming the Rags 6-5.
[Image from Frinkiac.com]
I thought the Cats played well in both games, though the Islanders one was far tighter. One of the big issues there was they ran into a great performance by Greiss and couldn't find the back of the net enough.
A major positive from the NYR game was at the dot. Florida had a 75.9% faceoff percentage. They really dominated compared to the Rangers 24.1%. This is such a key area for the Cats to continue to try and strengthen. Winning at the dot helps you control the puck, which helps control the game and puts you in a better position to win.
Nice to see the PP able to get on the board again, going 1/3. Would ideally like them to take advantage more when having the extra man, but for now, it's baby steps as they work on timing/flow, etc. in order to get they get that special teams unit firing on all cylinders.
The Rangers game was yet another exercise in having to battle back (multiple times). There's a disturbing trend in Florida when it comes to leads and the inability to hold said lead. It's gotten to the point where once the Panthers go up, I have little confidence they'll be able to maintain it. I sort of assume they'll change hands with the lead a few times a game.
I don't know if it's them taking their foot off the gas a bit once their up or if it's something else, but it's obvious that being able to maintain when ahead is not their strong suit. Their bread and butter play comes from desperation, and that's great...but shouldn't be what's relied on as we've talked about before.
Tonight and Addition by Subtraction (?)
No surprises here, but Boston is a good hockey team. They're atop the Atlantic Division with an 11-3-3 record. However, the Panthers have a chance to capitalize tonight as Boston is currently on a three-game skid.
From Fox Sports regarding the last 10 games for each team:
“Panthers: 6-2-2, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.2 assists, 3.4 penalties and 8.5 penalty minutes while allowing 3.3 goals per game with a .887 save percentage.
Bruins: 6-2-2, averaging 4.1 goals, 6.3 assists, 4.3 penalties and 11.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game with a .909 save percentage"
*Don't sleep on those 16 points that Barky has notched over the past 10 games, too!
The oft-shaky defense will be without their leader, MacKenzie Weegar, who went down on Sunday after taking a puck to the face/melon. Hopefully he'll be OK and back on the ice soon.
Speaking of down...
Yesterday it was announced that Dominic Toninato was loaned back to Springfield. In three games with the Cats, he registered one goal. I really liked what I saw in Toninato. I thought he filled in for Acciari nicely in that fourth line role and brought some really good play and energy. In fact, that line seemed to never skip a beat after Acciari went down with injury. I also like Dommy's response to the borderline hit on Ekblad against the Rangers.
With Toninato down, I'm thinking that means Acciari is back in. Q said the other day that he "could play" in Boston. It would be perfect timing for him to come back and play against his old team. Looking forward to having his skill, particularly at taking the puck away, back in the lineup tonight. Expecting a big game from him if he's back in.
On the topic of big games...Boyle has carved himself out a nice little role on this team and has proved his worth every night. As of now, he leads the team with a plus-4 in the nine games he's played and he had that nasty redirect in NY to tie it up. This is one of the best signings they've had in awhile.
Heading into Tonight
Florida will need to figure out how to neutralize David Patrnak and Brad Marchand. Pasta leads the Bruins with 30 points (15G, 15A) and (everyone's favorite) Marchand has been on a tear with 18 points in 10 games. That's a couple of dangerous guys that the Cats will need to be aware of and keep an eye on when they're on the ice.
Losing three in a now and being on home ice, I expect the Bruins to have the tempo ramped way up. As such, the Panthers need to have Q's buzzword (pace) on full-display tonight.
Sunday's game saw the Cats cough the puck up 22 times to the Rangers 15. These giveaway numbers need to start going down, as they've no doubt lead to offensive opportunities for the opposition. You can get away with this a little more against struggling teams, but not against the good ones that can really make you pay for it.
Bob needs to be big. Monty struggled a little bit under the big lights of MSG, but I thought he battled back nicely - even earning some praises from Q. Boston is a big stage and Bob will undoubtedly face a hot crowd tonight. He'll need to be zoned in and ready to go from the first horn.
Barky is looking stronger and stronger each game. This is excellent to see. How about him, Huby and Daddy make some noise tonight, ehh, boys??
Vatrano has been hot lately. Getting the nod to be first man out in the SO against NY ruled. Even cooler when he buried it. Like Acciari, the Tank faces his old team tonight and I hope he comes out firing (which we know he will).
Lastly...keep it simple.
Stray Cats Find A Home
I was happy to see this Tweet from Jameson Olive. Been a fan of both these guys...though I'm not pumped to see they signed with STL...
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Puck drop at 7PM. Be there and be square.
Let's get another two!
Go Panthers!
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