What can you say about the current state this Florida team finds themselves in that we haven’t talked about ad nauseam?
Since February 1st, the Cats have gone a brutal 5-10-2, falling to five points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for third in the Atlantic, and five points behind the Blue Jackets for the second Wild Card spot.
Being shut out by Calgary on Sunday was good enough to tie a franchise record of seven straight losses at home and helped remind fans that this team is a far cry from what most people thought they would be.
I guess you could dwell on all the issues, or, you can take a look at this beautiful Kirk McLean mask I randomly stumbled upon the other day...what a beauty. I really love the profile of the snarling panther on the side and the balance of red, gold and white is perfect.
OK...back to reality...
This team finds themselves in a tailspin and about to take on one of the best teams in the league (and a legitimate powerhouse), in the Bruins.
Boston has been nothing short of spectacular this season. They grabbed hold of the #1 spot in the Atlantic and never looked back. They beat the Lightning on Tuesday night to make it eight wins in 10 games.
Florida has split the two previous matchups with Boston. Back in November when the Cats were playing better hockey, they had a thrilling 5-4 SO victory. They then dropped their next tilt with Boston in December with a score of 4-2.
With the way Florida has been playing lately, it’s hard to imagine them being able to contain the Bruins. That first line is one of (if not) the best in the league.
According to Sports Illustrated’s most recent NHL Power Rankings, they have Boston at #1:
“1. Boston Bruins | 42-13-12 | Previous Ranking: 2
Odds to reach the Stanley Cup finals: 16.4%
After a mediocre 7-6-7 stretch, the Bruins have rebounded with 18 wins in their last 24 games while receiving an influx of goals from third-line center Charlie Coyle. Deadline additions Anders Bjork and Nick Ritchie should give coach Bruce Cassidy new tools to wield and give the Bruins more depth after its first two lines and, as usual, Rask is capable of carrying Boston as far as he wants. The goaltender leads the league in both save percentage and goals against average.”
Note that second sentence. Interesting how a team as good as the Bruins is, still wasn’t out and was active at the deadline. C’mon, Dale...
With 16 games left, it’ll be an uphill battle for the Cats. While they’re not out of it yet, it’s certainly not looking good. I’m not being a “hater”, but rather a realist. The current configuration of this team and their dynamic just isn’t working. If they don’t get it figured out fast, they will probably go down as the most disappointing team in franchise history.
I’m reminded of something Eddie Olyzck once said of slumping teams. He said you can’t think about the playoffs. You can’t think about next month, next week, or even the next period. You literally have to focus on the next shift. You need to take the game one shift at a time and build off the positives from them. It’s a long process, but one you have to do.
The Cats are absolutely in this position and can start building off little “wins” by the news of Chris Driedger being recalled from Springfield.
Driedger helped provide a spark for this team through sold/confident play prior to his injury and I think he can do it again.
[Image from NHL.com]
The Panthers have been so inconsistent that you can never predict what will happen. They can lose to bottom-feeders they should beat, then come out and win against a top dogs. While the odds are certainly stacked against them, I wouldn’t be surprised if they miraculously squeaked one out tonight.
With a number of days off, Florida should have the advantage in the rested legs department.
If they want any hope of winning, they’ll have to do what Weegar says in this video and somehow do it against a guy (Rask) that’s 25-7-6 (!) and holds a 2.13 GAA and a .928 SV%. Not only that, they’ll need to hold the line on defense against a very strong offense led by Pasta.
Let’s see what they can do...
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This is a prime opportunity for these guys to show they're capable of being a playoff team by going toe-to-toe with a well-oiled machine. Their confidence is way down, but could go way up if they get that W.
The question: do they have the guts to play the kind of game that’s needed to go the distance with one of the best teams in the league?
We shall see...
Go Panthers!
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