Though rare, sometimes the sequel is better than the original. Aliens, The Empire Strikes Back, The Godfather Part II, Hot Shots! Part Deux, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, etc., all (narrowly) edge out their predecessors in my option.
So I have very high hopes for The Battle of Florida 2…
Catching many by surprise, the Battle of Florida was easily the most entertaining and exciting series of last season’s playoffs. I don’t think it’s far-fetched to say that not only were Panthers and Lightning fans hoping to see a rematch this postseason, but the hockey community as a whole was ready for more.
And so the hockey gods have blessed us it’s just that!
Having met their cross-state rival four times during the regular season, the Cats went 2-1-1 against Tampa.
This is certainly a different Florida team heading into the Sunshine State Slugfest than they were last season. The Presidents’ Trophy winners and smashers of both personal and franchise records, the Panthers seem poised to finally vanquish their in-state foe.
But hang on just a second….Tampa is still Tampa. They are the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions for a reason. Their talented roster is filled with skill, finesse and grit, on top of knowing how to win. Despite the Round 1 Jekyll and Hyde performance against Toronto, the Lightning ultimately got the job done and stayed alive.
Perhaps the one thing Cats and Bolts fans have in common heading into this series is that both fanbases felt very uneasy watching their teams have to go to a Game 6 (FLA) and Game 7 [TBL) in the first round. I certainly didn’t expect either of them to be in those positions. Both clubs had played uncharacteristically “off” at numerous points in their respective series, but both found a way back to one another for round two.
Certainly one of the main things the Panthers need to do heading into this series is to stay out of the box and capitalize if given a man advantage. Last year’s Battle of Florida saw the Lightning completely shred the Cats with their potent PP. Florida went an embarrassing 0-18 on the man advantage against Washington and that is simply unacceptable.
Per
Jameson Olive’s latest piece:>
“
After taking care of business against the Capitals last week, Huberdeau chuckled when asked about what the team could work on leading up to their second-round meeting with the Lighting.
"Should probably work on the power play," he grinned.
Closing out this morning's practice, that's exactly what they did.
Following a 0-for-18 performance against Washington, the Cats spent a good amount of time working on their execution with the extra attacker in their last on-ice session before Game 1.
At one end of the ice was the top unit of Aaron Ekblad, Aleksander Barkov, Giroux, Reinhart and Huberdeau, while the second unit of Brandon Montour, Bennett, Duclair, Patric Hornqvist and first-round scoring leader Carter Verhaeghe set up shop at the far end of the frozen sheet.
Finishing fifth in NHL on the power play (24.4%) during the regular season, the Panthers are confident the pendulum will swing back in their favor soon enough given the wealth of talent on both units and the fact that they tallied 26 scoring chances on the man advantage in Round 1.
Like everything else in the playoffs, the slate is wiped clean from round to round.
"I think you reset it at zero," Brunette said of the power play. ‘Nobody overly cares when you win a series if the power play scores or not as long as you win. This is a new series. We have an opportunity to get better at it. We've been great at it all year. We just had a little hiccup that series and it kind of compounded as we went. Hopefully we have a fresh mentality going forward here. I think, with our skill guys, they just need to make a play and that'll loosen it all up.’”
While I agree that a new round in the playoffs is a “clean slate” of sorts, I disagree with Brunette’s comment about people not caring if the power play was a success as long as you win. Sure, winning cures all, but let’s not look past the fact that 0-18 on the PP is an atrocious stat. It’s actually almost impossible that you wouldn’t have scored on at least one of those opportunities. I mean, the odds are in your favor on the PP, and to get 18 chances at it and not convert on one…
The power play is a huge advantage in the playoffs and can literally be the difference-maker in a game - or entire series. I don’t think lightly brushing it off is the way to go about it. The reality is, had the Panthers lost to Washington in Round 1, that 0-18 stat would have been a very big topic of conversation.
Regardless…we’re here for Round 2 and ready to get after it.
Monday’s lines and combos looked like this:
Verhaeghe - Barkov - Giroux
Huberdeau - Bennett - Duclair
Acciari - Lundell - Reinhart
Lomberg - Luostarinen - Hornqvist
Chiarot - Ekblad
Forsling - Weegar
Montour - Gudas
Bobrovsky
Knight
A key piece in Brayden Point could be out for Tampa. If so, Florida will need to take advantage of this while they can. I think luck was on the Cats’ side with Tom Wilson being out after Game 1 of Round 1, and they could be catching a bit of a break here, too…
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A big hello to those Lightning fans that will be joining us in the comments section. I had a lot of fun chatting with GalacticStone, stammerman, etc., during last season’s Battle of Florida. Looking forward to it again!
This series is going to be hot - Go Panthers!
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