Too much pressure on Panthers' Booth?
by Donny Rivette on Jan 31, 2010 11:33 AM EST
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David Booth, above, on his return to Florida's lineup Sunday: "The attempt on my life has left me scarred and deformed, but I assure you my resolve has never been stronger."
No question what the Big Story is for today; typically Panthers - Islanders games don't garner as much as a whiff of attention around the league, but David Booth's presence alone should buck that trend. At least for a day.
As understandably stoked as fans are, is the perceived pressure on #10 a bit too stratospheric? We're approaching "savior" territory.
Granted, it's not often a (historically mediocre) club loses its star player for three months and somehow manages to remain within a realistic distance of the postseason, so viewing the return of last year's leading scorer is difficult to see as anything other than a Grand Moment which will tie it all together.
He may play 18 minutes. Chances are solid it'll be considerably less.
Nathan Horton, of course, is still on the shelf. The team has scored 7 goals over the last six games. No one can find the net. Will Booth's presence alone inspire Mark Messier-style immediate positive results from his underwhelming mates? It's easy to ask, but not at all fair to place on the guy.
More importantly, have you ever been more of a Tomas Vokoun fan than at this very moment?
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since when did it stop showing Whale4Ever???
as for the pressure on Booth, i think we’re all actually taking the right approach. no one is expecting even a goal from him today, but just the fact that he’s back on the ice in a game is good enough hopefully for the other players. the pressure on David doesn’t kick in until after the Break, IMO. fortunately, or not, there will be no excuses anymore once he and Horton return and after this first 50 games, to not make it into the top 8 with our best players would be even more heartbreaking than usual. the fact that we’re still right there in striking distance is the best story of the year for us so far, and i think we should expect David and Nathan to make that push at the end of the season.
however, not to sound greedy, but do we really want the 8th seed and the potential matchup with Washington in the first round? i honestly believe we could win a round vs any other team in the conference, but that firepower in Wash is just too much.
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Southeast Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Florida
|
53 | 25 | 17 | 11 | 61 |
|
Washington
|
54 | 28 | 21 | 5 | 61 |
|
Winnipeg
|
56 | 26 | 24 | 6 | 58 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
53 | 23 | 24 | 6 | 52 |
|
Carolina
|
55 | 20 | 25 | 10 | 50 |
(updated 2.10.2012 at 3:26 AM EST)
Eastern Standings
| GP | W-L-OT | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
New York Rangers
|
52 | 34-13-5 | 73 |
|
Boston Bruins
|
52 | 33-17-2 | 68 |
|
Florida Panthers
|
53 | 25-17-11 | 61 |
|
Philadelphia Flyers
|
54 | 31-16-7 | 69 |
|
New Jersey Devils
|
54 | 31-19-4 | 66 |
|
Pittsburgh Penguins
|
54 | 30-19-5 | 65 |
|
Ottawa Senators
|
57 | 28-22-7 | 63 |
|
Toronto Maple Leafs
|
55 | 28-21-6 | 62 |
|
Washington Capitals
|
54 | 28-21-5 | 61 |
|
Winnipeg Jets
|
56 | 26-24-6 | 58 |
|
Montreal Canadiens
|
55 | 22-24-9 | 53 |
|
Tampa Bay Lightning
|
53 | 23-24-6 | 52 |
|
Buffalo Sabres
|
53 | 23-24-6 | 52 |
|
New York Islanders
|
53 | 22-23-8 | 52 |
|
Carolina Hurricanes
|
55 | 20-25-10 | 50 |
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