Matt Ross: Cats vs Blue Jackets, Tailspin

Do it Zito!
https://sports.yahoo.com/...than-later-154948803.html

I think Bill Zito has backed himself into a corner. It started last season with two number ones for short-term rentals. When they got eliminated in the second round he was in shock. Then he doesn't keep his coach who won the president trophy and hires a coach that loses the room, just ask the Jets. He signs a bunch of has-beens who he hopes will revitalize their careers. That hasn't panned out either. It will be interesting how all of this plays out being against a tight salary cap. The real problem is not that the coach has lost the room, the Panthers will lose the remaining fan base with this type of play.

I have seen every game and I am not about to speculate what the problem is. However other than Tkachuk, the new talent of Cousins, Dalpe, Tierney, White, Kierstad, Mahora and the two Staal brothers are all inferior to the players that were on the ice last year. The team is cash strapped. No idea how they will bring back Duclair without dumping someone. Lundell and Luosteranen are not playing at the level they did last year. And missing Gudas is big. Barky has played in 22 games and only has 5 goals. What does that tell you? Better luck next season????

I think Bill Zito has backed himself into a corner. It started last season with two number ones for short-term rentals. When they got eliminated in the second round he was in shock. Then he doesn't keep his coach who won the president trophy and hires a coach that loses the room, just ask the Jets. He signs a bunch of has-beens who he hopes will revitalize their careers. That hasn't panned out either. It will be interesting how all of this plays out being against a tight salary cap. The real problem is not that the coach has lost the room, the Panthers will lose the remaining fan base with this type of play.
- madhatter56

The whole reason they made the changes they did after losing to Isles was to be a more puck moving/puck possession and offense. Viola wanted to win, but he didn’t want to win playing “boring” defensive hockey, he wanted a team that people would want to watch win. He finally had that with Q. This is the biggest reason hiring Maurice surprised me. Zito over reacted to their playoff flameout and Brunette’s lack of head coaching experience. There definitely were defensive flaws that needed fixing, but now the offense is pretty nutless so far. Yes, a lot of new players, and there have been a lot of guys missing games, and guys just not burying their chances, but still...idk the attack has none of the “relentless” part to it now.
Maurice said he wasn’t gonna muzzle the creativity on offense. While maybe not intentionally, he has done just that.

I have seen every game and I am not about to speculate what the problem is. However other than Tkachuk, the new talent of Cousins, Dalpe, Tierney, White, Kierstad, Mahora and the two Staal brothers are all inferior to the players that were on the ice last year. The team is cash strapped. No idea how they will bring back Duclair without dumping someone. Lundell and Luosteranen are not playing at the level they did last year. And missing Gudas is big. Barky has played in 22 games and only has 5 goals. What does that tell you? Better luck next season????
- GudbransonFan

The way this season is going, there will be someone to put on ltir when Duclair is ready to play.
Always knew there were going to be struggles with the cap this year, looking forward to next season’s available cap space. But, still, this team is better than this.

Brunette wasn't the right guy. Zito made the right decision.

Then, he turned around and made a bad decision to hire Paul Maurice. The quicker he realizes that and pulls the plug, the better.

If we're sticking to aviation analogies, I forecast a lot of tailspins with occasional sputtering. I don't see the high-octane team coming back under Maurice. For whatever reason, he has instilled a system that is all air brakes, all the time.

Zito would have been better keeping Brunette than going out and hiring a Paul Maurice. First of all Brunette was a player-coach, who was a pretty good player himself. The players loved him. His style was run and gun and it kept the game exciting. He did not have a full season to implicate his style nor correct the errors that he saw the previous season.
With Maurice, you have no system or structure. The Panthers are forever chasing after the puck and when there is a board battle, they lose it constantly with half hearted attempts. The opposition always out muscles them. Why downgrade what was a pretty good season last year with a coach that doesn't have winning credentials.

Also those power blue uniforms make us look like a bunch of pussies.

Brunette wasn't the right guy. Zito made the right decision.

Then, he turned around and made a bad decision to hire Paul Maurice. The quicker he realizes that and pulls the plug, the better.

If we're sticking to aviation analogies, I forecast a lot of tailspins with occasional sputtering. I don't see the high-octane team coming back under Maurice. For whatever reason, he has instilled a system that is all air brakes, all the time.


- JimboCoppertone

Sticking to the aviation analogies
This plane’s engine sounds like Speed Buggy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jDtM9QlTq8

Also those power blue uniforms make us look like a bunch of pussies.
- GudbransonFan

We are

I will say it again for the 100th time, if Viola cared about this team like he does with his horses who knows what might happen

👀 they called up Denisenko.


Jameson Olive tweet
Verhaeghe not on the ice for warmups.
Looks like that's who Denisenko is filling in for.



Verhaeghe is probably sick now, Lundell is still out sick. Knight first day back today from illness. Maybe there’s another reason contributing to their stanky play over the weekend, especially Sunday’s game.

Per Jameson Olive
#FlaPanthers lines in warmups:

Tkachuk - Barkov - Reinhart
Luostarinen - Bennett - White
Cousins - Staal- Denisenko
Lomberg - Tierney - Dalpe

Forsling - Ekblad
Staal - Montour
Kiersted - Mahura

Bobrovsky
Lyon

Good game for the Cats. Played most of the game with 11 forwards after White left injured early in the first period. Then Tierney got knocked out of the game after that, Panthers played with only 10 forwards for most of the game. Barkov, Tkachuk and Reinhart line had a big game. Montour scores! He’s been kind of cold since Ekblad returned to the lineup.
Was listening on the radio, Billy Lindsay giving major props to Bob’s play during the first period behind the “sloppy” Panthers. A shutout for Bob!

Zito, in an interview on nhl.com yesterday, doubled down on the current direction of the team, and the decision to hire Maurice.

What is Zito supposed to say? I hired the wrong coach?