The Panthers got a huge win in a tough road barn to even the series at 1-1 Wednesday night.
Yes, it was certainly a great feeling waking up Thursday! But the work is far from done. The Game 2 victory showed that Florida can hang in this series. Boston will undoubtedly come back strong after being knocked down 6-3. The Cats have to be ready by bringing the same energy, grit, and game plan for Game 3 that they had in Game 2.
The Good
- Lyon’s Cinderella story continues to grow as the 30 year-old journeyman is currently playing out of his mind to give the Panthers a chance in this series.
- Florida displayed an uncharacteristic edge and grittiness that was fantastic to see. Gudas in particular led the charge in this department through tough play and agitation, so much so that Mark Messier commented on it a number of times throughout the telecast. This type of play was contagious and spread throughout the Panther lineup.
- Getting the first goal, and eventually gaining the lead with a cushion, built some much needed confidence for this group — perhaps more importantly, it took a huge load off Lyon’s shoulders and alleviated some pressure.
- No doubt about it that Sam Bennett’s return was a HUGE boost to the lineup. Florida has zero depth, so when a piece like Bennet is out, it really shows. After missing significant time with a groin injury, Benny returned with fresh legs and a chip on his shoulder. He was like a new spark plug that was put into the Panther engine.
- The most important part of Game 2 (in my opinion) was Florida’s ability to take advantage of Boston’s mistakes. This is an area of the game the Cats usually don’t capitalize on, but Game 2 saw them convert a number of Bruin mistakes/turnovers in top notch chances, and in some cases, goals. While the Panthers play helped cause a lot of the Bruin fumbles, Boston also seemed generally “off”, or maybe even surprised/caught off guard at the attack put forth by Florida —something I don’t think they were too accustomed to this season.
- While he didn’t find the back of the net, Barkov was much more noticeable during Game 2. He had an assist and put in some serious work defensively. Almost had himself a really nice shorty, too.
- As someone who has never been a big fan of Montour’s style of play, I can’t not give credit where credit is due. He is having a career year and has come up clutch all season. His two goals and energetic play rightfully earned him #1 Star honors.
- It’s easy for fans to blame the coach when things are going wrong, and hard for them to give props to that coach when things start going right. For all the frustration Panthers fans have felt with Paul Maurice (myself included), I think he has started to turn things around at the right time. In fact, his public berating of the bench on national TV a couple weeks back seemed to be the turning point. Normally a reserved guy, Maurice showed that maybe even he had had enough and that message appears to have been received by Cats players.
The Bad
- This Power Play is simply nonexistent. I’ll never understand how you can be worse with an extra man on the ice, but the Panthers have been in the position for a long. Going 0/3 on the PP is just unacceptable in the playoffs. Let’s not bring up last season’s streak…(shudder)…
- While I like/encourage the hard-nosed play, Florida needs to watch the stupid penalties. Smith had one in Game 1 that led to a goal and Lomberg had one in Game 2 (unnecessary cross check). Any time Boston goes on the PP it just feels like they’re going to score. So stop giving them opportunities through bonehead actions.
The Ugly
- Duclair has had his struggles since coming back from a long injury. Panther fans would love to see him unleash the stellar speed he possesses that puts defenses on their heels, but we have not seen it. While his wheels spin, he seems to be trying to do too much in other areas. Game 2 saw him on the PP, only to get tangled up on the boards and make a desperation pass across ice that landed on a speeding Marchand’s stick, who buried it from the top of the circles in the same location he beat Lyon on in Game 1. What made this sting even more was that it was short-handed. With the margin for error razor thin this time of year (and against an opponent like Boston) these types of plays cannot happen.
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Cats back at home. Bruins are going to be fired up after that lopsided lose. Expecting a hot one in South Florida…Go Panthers!
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