Big tilt against a division rival in the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight.
This is the game Shynes57 has circled on his calendar...haha.
Since the Babcock firing, the Leafs have gone 15-5-2 to earn themselves third place in the Atlantic. Lead by the highly skilled Austin Matthews (54 points so far), Toronto seems to finally be executing that fast paced, skilled game they have seemed destined to unlock.
I think Trocheck said it best at yesterday's practice in regards to the remainder of this season:
"Five hundred's not going to get us into the playoffs in the second half. We have to go on a little bit of a run and string some wins together."
The Cats are trailing the Leafs by three points in the standings and it would be great to steal two points this evening. Florida will certainly have their hands full against the guys in blue and white. As Q said, this is a very dangerous team.
Look for Acciari to continue his stellar play as of late. What a guy!
I like these lines from yesterday's practice, too...
Huberdeau - Barkov - Dadonov
Connolly - Trocheck - Acciari
Vatrano - Toninato - Hoffman
Hawryluk - Boyle - Sceviour
Bob Out?
According to Q, Bob left practice early yesterday for something that was deemed "not serious" but could affect his availability for tonight.
What do you guys think? Would you rather see Bob or Driedger in net tonight? Keep in mind that Bob played pretty well in that 5-2 voctiry over Vancouver.
Jonathan Hub-istory
Everyone's favorite winger has a chance to set the franchise records for points.
From the Miami Herald:
"He could very easily pass Olli Joniken’s mark of 419 points in a Panthers uniform on the back half of this four-game homestand, which continues Sunday against the Toronto Maple Leafs and concludes Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings.
The 26-year-old Canadian winger acknowledges the rare company his name is joining after his breakout production over the past two seasons. However, his hope — his expectation — is that he is remembered for something much bigger in South Florida by the time his hockey career comes to an end.
“With the points, it’ll be nice to make history,” Huberdeau said, “but that’s just an extra for my game. I’d rather win the Stanley Cup than be first in the points.”
I love the line about preferring to win the Stanley Cup. A true team guy, he added:
"I want to play here for the rest of my career."
Start getting the deal done, Dale!
____________________________
Same game plan as the win against Vancouver: pucks to the net, keep them to the outside and watch out for #34.
Go Panthers!
[Image from Miami Herald]
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