3 Takeaways From The Florida Panthers Back-To-Back In New York

Being Competitive:

It’s not in this team’s DNA to quit, roll over, and die. The scores won’t reflect that, but with the lineup they’re icing it, it’s not surprising the results. Everyone is competing to the best of their ability. Tkachuk and others have talked about walking into each game with the mindset to win. The Islanders’ game final score was a blowout, with the Cats having a poor second period. Granted, that’s all it takes to lose a game, but they held the lead heading into the first intermission and kept the game scoreless in the third. Against the Rangers, things were scoreless until the third period. Bobrovsky had a good game, stopping 18 of 20 shots for a .900 SV%. Not his greatest game of the year, but a solid performance given the team in front. Ekblad spoke to the media following the Rangers game and said, “Back-to-backs are one of the toughest things to do in this league, and everybody put in their best foot forward, and not the outcome we wanted.” Samoskevich got a goal late to spoil the shutout for Shesterkin. He said to the media, “It’s a weird one for sure, but I’ll take it.” 

Healthy Tkachuk Is A Problem:

Some nights it feels like Tkachuk is trying to single-handedly ruin that tank for the Cats. That was jokingly the sentiment from fans as Matthew gave Florida a 2-0 lead over the Islanders after the first period, where he scored two highlight-reel goals. The backhand between the legs shot over Sorokin’s shoulder is one of the nastiest goals this season. HC Paul Maurice, after the game, said, “Incredible hands on him, and it’s not for show. That was probably the most efficient and best way for him to get the puck by the goalie…He’s just got an incredible awareness of where goalies are and where the puck is and where his body is.” Since his return to the lineup, he’s put up 27 points in 26 games, split between 12 goals and 15 assists. That’s the same clip of points production he had during last season’s playoffs, where he posted 23 points in 23 games (8G, 15A). Before his injury at Four Nations, he put up 57 points in 52 games, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him around in the 80-90 point mark again next season if he can keep himself healthy. He could even be up around the 100-point mark again if things go positively for him. His shooting percentage this season is at a 15.4%, which is well within the range of the 12.4% and 16.6% he had in the two seasons where he hit 100 points. The team has certainly missed all that he brings to the lineup, and he’s been their best offensive weapon since returning. 

Eying The Top Five:

Two straight losses have put the Panthers in the top 5 for the draft lottery. For these matches, the Cats’ injury list had Bennett, Rodrigues, Reinhart, Lundell, Marchand, Barkov, Gadjovich, Schwindt, Balinskis, and Mikkola, plus A.J. Greer out with suspension against the Islanders. Needless to say, their center situation is a bit dire at the moment, with Luostarinen tasked with playing top-line center alongside Tkachuk and Verhaeghe. The bright side is that the first-round pick is looking more and more secure with each loss. Less than ten games to go until the team gets a full offseason for the first time in three years. Although I doubt it’s what the players want. As Sam Bennett said during Game 7 against the Leafs last year, “I wasn’t ready to stop playing hockey.” Fans will be keeping an eye on where they land in the draft lottery. As long as they stay within the top 8, they should be set with their first-round pick. While the losing isn’t fun, it is necessary for the future success of the team. Adding in a top-tier talent from the draft to an already Cup Contender team would be huge to extending the Cup window. 

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