Happy holidays, Cats (and hockey) fans!
I think we all received the best gift yesterday when the NHL made it official and announced the league will be starting on January 13th, 2021.
via GIFER
It didn’t take long before teams started releasing their schedules.
What a unique season we have ahead of us, and with the divisions confirmed, the Central has a nice mix of talent in it. Add to that the amount of two-game series between these teams and we have a lot potential for some new rivalries - and a chance to reignite with an old Southeast Division foe in the Carolina Hurricanes. In case you forgot, the Central is now made up of:
Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets and the defending Stanley Cup-champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
This upcoming campaign will see 56 games crammed in over 116 days...so the Panthers better be ready. Camp opens January 3rd and the Cats will have 10 days to prepare before the season officially starts for them on 1-14-21 against Dallas - a group of guys who went all the way and fell short, so they should be gunning to get back at it.
To add to the uniqueness of the new season, some tweaks have been made to the playoff format. Per the Panthers website:
“Throwing wild cards out the window, the top four teams from each division (North, West, Central and East) will qualify for the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs. With the goal to limit travel and contact once again, the first two rounds of the playoffs will take place within each of these new division.
That means that in the opening round the No. 1 team in a division with play the No. 4 team, and the No. 2 team will play the No. 3 team. From there, the winners of those two series will then face off against each other for a chance to win their division and advance on to the semifinals.
In other words, the Panthers need to beat out just four teams to qualify for the postseason.”
I would say those are pretty good odds for the Cats, IF they take the next step. But with their track record, that’s a pretty big “if” right now.
Hey...’Wild’ Bill Zito was putting ink to paper again and resigned Monty to a one-year, two-way contract. So theres some depth for the upcoming frenzied season.
Of course, with all the great hockey news of late, there has to be some not-so-great news to balance it out..and that news came in the form of the league’s adoption of the sponsor logos that will be slapped on player’s buckets this season.
To be fair, some of them I have seen so far aren’t too bad. The Devils decal for Prudential Financial looks OK with the white of the logo contrasting nicely against the black helmet.
A couple hours ago, Elliotte Friedman announced that the Cats will be the first team to rock two different sponsor logos on their helmets: Baptist Health and Ford.
I don’t mind the Baptist Health sticker - actually looks kind of nice - but woof to the Ford one. I’m just praying these decals are a way to generate some revenue for this season since it will undoubtably be down due to COVID. It would be sad to see the NHL start to go the route of the European leagues in terms of corporate logos on the helmets, sweaters, pants...
The Holidays
We know Florida’s glaring issues: Culture, defense, inconsistent goaltending. We’ve talked about them frequently. While these things won’t change over night, I put together a last minute list for Santa of some things that I think can help this upcoming :
Less Passing, More Selfishness:
I actually like all the moves Zito made up front and am eager to see how it comes together, but
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE PUT THE PUCK ON NET WHEN IT MAKES SENSE INSTEAD OF FORCING PASSES!
Florida was actually above the league average in SOG (2253/2192) and shooting percentage (10.1/9.5), but they always seemed to squander high-scoring chances by choosing to pass, over-pass, force passes, getting too cute, etc., with the end result being a missed opportunity.
It would be nice to see guys get selfish and take advantage of those prime chances more this upcoming season.
Commit to the Defensive Zone
With a defense as weak as Florida’s, I’m asking for an all-hands-on-deck approach in the defensive zone. The defensemen have to be better (duh), but forwards need to help out too. I want to see guys picking up the slack and hustling back to help out.
Whatever it takes, the Cats HAVE to figure out a way to make it more difficult for the opposition in their zone. Even a little improvement will help.
THE Guys Take Over
This is pretty straightforward...Barky and Huby are the guys you need (and pay) to be the difference-makers. They are the players you need to find that next gear and take over a game. However, they often disappear when those times come.
I’d love to see these two become the one-two punch on a consistent basis and carry this team when they need it.
And here’s my final, most important thought...
This time of year can bring up a range of different emotions for folks, and with the year we have had, these feelings and emotions could be even more varied.
However you choose to spend your holidays, if it’s with family, friends, solo, checking out the WJC, watching old hockey games or the new season of The Mandalorian (both great options), I hope you guys have a great time.
Hey...the New Year is on the horizon and the hockey season is not far behind it.
Look up. Look forward. Be ready and get excited. As alway,...Go Panthers!
[Image from Panthers Vault] 
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