Powered by lower line players like Luostarinen, Lundell and Lomberg, the Cats sunk the New York Fishermen by a score of 3-2 on Sunday afternoon.

They will turn their attention to a Chicago Blackhawks team that is in full-rebuild mode, but not really playing like a rebuilding team.

After an overhaul of their front office, coaching staff, and roster, the Hawks looked like a team that would be sitting at the bottom of the Central Division. However, they are 3-2-0 and find themselves in 4th place at the moment; with Dallas, Colorado, and St Louis making up the first, second and third spots.

A big reason the Hawks are where they’re at right now is due in part to new head coach Luke Richardson’s philosophy of an aggressive forecheck and “we may not have all the talent, but we’re going to be tough to play against” mentality. It’s obvious the young Hawks (led by veterans Kane, Toews, Murphy, etc.) have bought into this game plan.

Another key for the Hawks’ early success has been their goaltending. Petr Mrazek has been solid in net before exiting mid-game with an injury a few days ago. Picking up where Mrazek left off, backup Alex Stalock has played incredible given the fact that he missed the majority of the 2019-20 season with a heart condition and then getting only 17 games in the AHL last season.

The Panthers would be smart to not take this Second City crew lightly because they hang around, battle back, and have the ability to steal games.

Florida should pressure Chicago’s defense as often as possible. This is a younger defensive core that’s learning the NHL game. They have shown some flashes, but are prone to “young guy” mistakes on the backend.

I’d like to see Florida’s top two lines take this game to generate a bit more (outside of Tkachuk). Maybe Reinhart can get one..? I like how the lower line/complimentary guys have been playing the last couple games, it would be nice to see the “big” names start taking over.

What’s interesting is that while Florida and Chicago are opposite in terms of their windows for success being open, they are in the same boat in terms of learning a new coach’s system.

"Everyone seems to like [this new system] and understands it. There's a lot of confidence for everyone knowing that if you just do your part, everyone else will do theirs."

Barkov, Cousins, and Coach Maurice address the media after today's practice ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/qF6O3w5sid

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) October 24, 2022

Looking forward to this one!

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Go Panthers!

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