For long stretches of Tuesday night’s game (especially in the second period), the Chicago Blackhawks did everything they could to help the Panthers win, but in the end, Florida couldn’t get it done.

I mentioned the Hawks are not playing like a rebuilding team and that they are capable of stealing games from stronger teams via their ability to hang around and be tough to play against. This was the case Tuesday night when the Panthers failed to come alive until it was too late.

After being given six opportunities on the man advantage, it was the same result for the Cats: 0-for-6. It’s almost unbelievable that a team could get five power play opportunities in a single period (even having a 5-on-3 at one point) and wind up with nothing to show for it. Even more unbelievable is that the Panthers aren’t a team of scrubs, there’s talent that is plenty capable of scoring. Not only that, but the said talented group of Cats only managed six shots on goal on their six total PP chances Tuesday. Yikes…

Tkachuk’s quote regarding the PP woes:

"We're making good plays and getting [into the zone] fine. Maybe it's too many one-and-dones. Puck recoveries aren't great right now, and that's on us. That's on guys like me around the net. We've got to get those pucks back and bury a greasy goal one of these days."

I agree with the portion regarding “one-and-dones.” Too many times the Cats put a shot on and there’s either not enough traffic in front and/or guys aren’t picking up rebounds to put it back on net or regroup to keep the pressure. Seems like the opposition is able to get to the puck first and clear the zone.

It was also tough seeing Reinhart slotted into the shooter position on some of the PP’s Tuesday night. I’m all about going to the guy who’s close to busting out of his slump, but it just continues to be a tough go for #13. I feel like once he gets one, he’ll be good, and he’s so close every game.

So the Panthers will look to bounce back against a Flyers team that beat last week, and one who lost to the lowly Sharks by a score of 3-0 last Sunday.

Centerman Kevin Hayes leads Philadelphia with eight points (1G, 7A) in six games. He notched two assists against the Cats last week when these two teams clashed. So keep an eye on him.

Florida could find it tough to bury pucks if the Flyers go with Carter Hart in the blue paint tonight. Hart currently holds a 1.75 GAA and a .949 save %, with an impressive 4-0 record.

Curious to see what the line combos will be since they were all jumbled up in Chicago, as Maurice scrambled to find combos to kickstart the offense.

Going to be a tough one in Philly, but the Cats need to bounce back.

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Go Panthers!

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