We are riding a wave here, people…and it’s awesome!
After winning game three in thrilling OT fashion off a great play by Sam Reinhart, the Florida Panthers are now poised to sweep the Toronto Maple Leafs and close out the second round tonight.
Elimination games tend to be the hardest ones to win and the Leafs will no doubt be bringing their all. For the Panthers, it’s one paw in front of the other. Don’t fix what’s not broken. My main criticism from Game 3 was that I felt the Cats missed a big chance to really jump on the opportunity presented to them when backup goaltender Joseph Woll entered the game after the injury to Samsonov.
I thought Woll played incredibly well for not seeing any game action since early April and being cast into the “fire” of a huge playoff game. I just expected the Cats to pepper the net like crazy given the situation. However, the Panthers — who seem to lead the league in SOG — weren’t able to pour the shots on as much as I expected. Maybe that’s a credit to Toronto’s defensive play and general tightening up that happens in the postseason. The Panthers will get another crack at Woll, as Samsonov is unavailable for tonight.
This series has been interesting because all three games have seemingly started the same, with Florida on their heels from a heavy Toronto attack. While the Panthers took a beating in the dot of Game 3, winning 39.0% of faceoffs to the Leafs’ 61.0%, they gave TOR no opportunities on the man advantage (if my notes/memory is correct) and managed to capitalize on one of the two Power Play chances they were given.
Perhaps the best stat to see is Florida’s 14 takeaways to Toronto’s 3. This is a direct correlation to the Panthers’ tenacious forecheck and relentless pestering and digging for the puck. These guy’s are lively on the boards and winning those battles. Doing the gritty work will always pay off well for you and the Cats are seeing the fruits of their labor.
Perhaps the most impressive feat from this Rat Pack is their ability to neutralize Toronto’s star players so far. As Montour put it:
If you can believe it, Florida has managed to keep the likes of Matthews, Tavares, Nylander and Marner from scoring in the first three games. A serious task that is not easy to do by any means. Hopefully the Cats can keep this trend alive in Game 4.
The Duke
It seems like Duclair is getting back to 100% from his injury at just the right time. Along with that boost in play comes the rebuilding of his confidence.
In nine postseason games, Duke has five points (2G, 3A). His breakaway goal on the PP in Sunday night extended his point streak to three games.
There’s no doubt about it that Game 3 was the Duke’s breakout game. Utilizing his speed, he found himself in prime offensive opportunities and when those wheels got turning, Toronto had no answer for it.
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Keep it up and let’s close this thing out, guys…GO PANTHERS!
Florida Panthers Blogger • 
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