Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Thank You, Thank You Very Much

January 2, 2020, 10:48 AM ET [14 Comments]
Matt Ross
Florida Panthers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Panthers were beat by Elvis on Tuesday night.

Not the jumpsuit-wearing Elvis with awesome chops and great hair, but rather, the backup goalie for the Columbus Bluejackets who hadn’t won a game all year until the Cats came into town.



To be honest, I didn’t think Florida looked too bad in the 4-1 loss. Even though trailing, they were playing pretty good and it seemed like a goal here or there could have shifted the game. While there were definitely some of those trademark Florida issues, I think it came down to one thing...

Emotion.

It was certainly an emotional game for Bob. To spend your whole career in Columbus, and then to come back for the first time as the enemy, had to be very strange. From Bob:

"All the emotions are weird. It's tough to describe. To be on the other side of the bench here is different. We're going to play more hockey against them."

But there was probably emotion on the CBJ side, too. Here comes their old teammate/friend, turned enemy. I’m sure they wanted to bury him, too. I felt like Bob was Generally kind of rattled by the whole night.

Let’s not discount CBJ’s effort either. They played really well. Werenski was nasty and scored himself a hat trick - all three from the same area of the ice, too.

Then there was Elvis Merzlikins, the 0-4-4 backup goalie heading into the night. If you remember my game day blog, I wrote that the the worst thing the Cats could do was be the team to lose to a guy that hasn’t won a game this season. We know in pro sports that that any team can be beaten on any night (regardless of record). Elvis proved that Tuesday. Credit to him for stopping 36 of 37 shots. You might say he harnessed the emotion of Joonas Korpisalo going down and the need for him to step up and be the #1.

Sens Tonight

With their two-game streak snapped in Columbus, the Cats eye tonight as another bounce back game against a weaker opponent in the Ottawa Senators.



The Sens have only two wins in their last seven games. We know them from the couple meetings this season, and over the years, that they’re a team in what seems like a long transition/rebuild. Working out kinks in the front office and at ice level. There’s some good, young pieces in guys like Duclair, Tkachuk, Chabot, etc...but they’re a ways away from building around that nucleus.

While I don’t feel like another 6-1 win is in the cards, I do feel the Cats should win this one. Look for Huby to continue adding to his all-star resume tonight, too.

I’d probably roll Bob back out there. Give him a chance to wipe that Tuesday night loss out of his system.

I think Q summed up tonight best:

”Let’s bring some energy and let’s be respectful of this team [Ottawa]. Let’s get our momentum going again, we had a good run and let’s get back to it.”

He’s right. There’s not guaranteed wins in this league. As I said earlier, anyone can be beat by anyone on any given night.
______________________

Let’s get that win tonight, boys...go Panthers!

Join the Discussion: » 14 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Matt Ross
» Struggling Panthers vs Struggling Islanders
» Panthers vs Flyers
» Florida vs Nashville: Apex Predator Mascot Showdown
» Woof!, Tampa Tonight, Paul Laus
» Pre-Postseason Taste: Cats vs Canes