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Winnin' Ugly, Storm Warning

November 23, 2019, 11:40 AM ET [8 Comments]
Matt Ross
Florida Panthers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Cardiac Cats strike again!

On Thursday night the Florida Panthers completed their second four-goal deficit comeback to become the second team in NHL history to achieve this in a season. The first team to do this? No surprises here, but it was the Gretzkly led Oilers of the '80's.

I shouldn't go here, but I will...

I'm not taking away from the win. It was very exciting. But let''s be real...the Panthers had no business winning that game - though I'm obviously glad they did. They came out slow, sluggish and had no energy. What was even worse than that, at least in my opinion, was that they seemed to refuse to put the puck on net - even when they had prime offensive opportunities, they instead chose to try and make a cute pass (that didn't work) or hang onto it and have it striped away.

The reality is, the Ducks are a .500 team sitting third from last in the Pacific Division. The strong teams in the league won't let this happen. Some folks will point out the fact that the Cats came back against the Bruins, one of (if not) the top teams in the league. Yes, that was an incredible win, but a lot of things fell into place for it to happen. My point is that they can't rely on these types of victories on a regular basis. The Panthers currently sit in a playoff spot. If they maintain and make it in, the teams they'll face will most likely shut the door in situations like that. So they need to get their consistency corrected now and figure out how to win without having to dig themselves out of a hole.

If winnin' ugly is this team's identity for the season, than so be it, but I'd rather not have a cardiac event each night...HA!

Tonight

The Carolina Hurricanes are 13-8-1 and seem to be a thorn in the Panthers' paw - winning four straight against Florida. Speaking of fours...the Canes recently saw their four-game win streak come to an end after losing to the Flyers, while the Panthers look to make it a four-game win streak tonight.

Carolina is one of those teams that decided to build from the blue line out. I've been impressed with their team for a few years now. The mix of youth and speed is exciting to watch and the fact that scoring seems like it can come from throughout the lineup can be dangerous.

The question mark in the crease the Canes faced in the offseason seems to be solved (maybe?) with Petr Mrazek carrying the bulk of the load and playing well with a 10-4-1 record, 2.68 GAA and .902 save percentage. I would love to see Remier get the nod tonight...

Hoping BINGO chimes in as usual for Canes games - love the Carolina insight he brings.

The game plan has to be simple for this one:

1. Come out strong. Do not start sluggish against this Canes team on the road. There's some bad boys on that roster that can make a slow start very painful for opponents.

2. Take advantage of the opportunities you have. The Ducks game was an exercise in insanity watching the Cats pass up prime scoring opportunities and opting to pass or have the puck taken away. It's not being selfish to take a shot when you have the lane or opportunity - put the biscuit on net!

3. Florida's comeback was made possible by capitalizing on Duck mistakes (like giveaways) and playing with that desperation we've see all year. They need to look to take advantage of mistakes throughout the game tonight and not save it for the third period with their backs against the wall.

4. Keep winning at the dot.

Cats to Keep an Eye On

Ekblad should be flying high coming off a two-goal game Thursday, one of which was the OT. I'd like to see him build off of that confidence booster for this contest.

Toninato continues to impress. I love this guy's energy and what he brings to the fourth line. He's sturdy on his skates and solid on the forecheck.

Connolly has been red-hot, scoring the first two in the Ducks come back. He has 10 goals and 7 assists on the year.

I'm guessing Bob gets the night off, but a lot of the credit for these last three wins can be attributed to him and his ability to shut it down late in the game.

Trocheck...he needs a breakout game soon.

Yandle had a number of poor decisions with the puck last game. Whether it was turning it over along the boards/in the corners deep in the Cats zone or trying to pass through the middle, they were just tough looks from #3. I'm expecting (hoping) him to come back with a simplified game tonight. Make the smart pass and/or go off the glass.



________________

Let's make it four-in-a-row, boys...

Go Panthers!
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