Panthers go Chernobyl after two; Coyotes handed 4-3 SO victory
by Donny Rivette on Mar 18, 2010 11:28 PM EDT
31 comments
First, the good news: Nathan Horton looked terrific. His reinsertion to the lineup was a shot in the arm right from the first drop of the puck, playing physical and utilizing his rapidly developing mean streak. Number 16 ended with 2a (+1), Stephen Weiss had 1g-1a (+1), and David Booth collected a goal. Bryan McCabe and Cory Stillman each garnered two assists, as Tomas Vokoun stopped 43(!) shots. Dmitry Kulikov (0 points) led the Cats with 5 SOG. Coming out of the second period, Florida had a solid 3-0 lead.
Then there was the little matter of a funky, fluky goal late in the third...
On to Vokoun...yes, he allowed a routine Phoenix clearing shot from inches behind the centerline to escape his grasp, entering the Panthers' net with exactly 60 seconds remaining in regulation. Yes, it was the game-tying goal. Yes, it was gut-wrenching and heartbreaking and elicited violent emotions from just about anyone who cares deeply for this club. Yes, it will be said that TVo single-handedly lost this one. It wouldn't be an accurate assessment.
My own two cents here, but in a period (the third) in which Florida was outshot 19-6, the netminder can't be faulted for every turnover, opposition rush, un-fired shot, or failure to score on behalf of his forwards. Forgetting the two goals he allowed earlier in the same frame, Vokoun was absolutely, unquestionably to blame for the third. Just happened to be the important one.
If a team is required to have a superstar, highlight-reel player, he's been it for this franchise over the past three seasons. The crap this man's endured, from mismanagement to questionable coaching to trade rumors du jour, Tomas Vokoun has been a professional's professional. He never complains, never goes public, never demands a ticket out, unlike a number of so-called "superstars", past and present. There is also the tiny issue of his team collapsing around him when the going got uber-tough.
Keeping this short, it's not his fault if the Panthers - as has long been expected - fail to make the postseason because of this one bungled play. Everyone in front of him has been a goat in a long trail of goats this year.
The play sucked beyond words, but running him out of town - or more ridiculously mock-cheering - is neither fair nor responsible. Quantifying what he has brought to Sunrise - undeservedly solid goaltending - cannot be overestimated, nor thanked for enough. The Cats got a reprieve after losing Roberto Luongo in the guise of #29.
Anyway, Phoenix showed a gargantuan amount of heart in the third, with inspired play and goals by Martin Hanzel, Lee Stempniak, and Radim Vrbata. All 40 years of Mathieu Schneider grabbed two assists. Ilya Bryzgalov finished with 21 saves as the Coyotes won their 7th straight game behind goals by Lauri Korpikoski and Vrbata in the shootout. Horton scored for Florida.
Next up: Buffalo on Saturday.
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Random observation
I’ve noticed that fans are starting to root against the Panthers, and my guess is so that they’ll have something positive to cheer about. Sad as that sounds, the past few games I’ve been seeing it more and more. :o(
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The Vrbata regulation goal certainly magnified it.
by Donny Rivette on Mar 19, 2010 10:07 AM EDT up reply actions
I was at the game and even though the arena was pretty empty, I was disgusted by the “mock cheers” at the end of the game when Vokoun made a couple easy stops. The guy had just stopped 40+ fricking pucks. Yes, the goal was bad, but how about the other 18 guys who mailed it in for the 3rd period?
David Booth is awesome, but sometimes the guy just tries to do too much.
The Horton SO goal was sick!
Managing Editor - HockeyOutsiders.com
by HockeyOutsiders on Mar 19, 2010 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions
That was awful. I sit in the bitter and cynical section and we were appalled. I mean, we spend the entire game most games picking on Stephen Weiss (last year it was Jay Bouwmeester) and even we thought that was uncalled for. Yes, it was a mistake. It was also a bad bounce. It was also after the Panthers spent an entire period in their own end blowing a three-goal lead.
Not Vokoun’s fault.
And yes, Horton was quite good. Better than I expected. I’ve really missed him while he’s been injured. I wouldn’t have said this last year, but I hope they don’t trade him this summer.
Florida Panthers: Giving the league a punching bag since 2000.
First of all, that play is not the reason the Panthers will miss the playoffs… that much is obvious. Anyone that thinks so is… well whatever. That’s asinine.
We aren’t making the playoffs, and most unbiased objective observers have known that since game 9 of our 14 game stretch of scoring 2 or fewer goals a game. Vokoun is the only reason we won ANY of those. He’s 2nd in the league in shutouts and save percentage. Enough said.
The sad fact is that this club has been handcuffed from 5+ years of an atrociously awful front office. 6 year contracts at $3+ million for guys who can’t score more than 10 goals a season, trades that end up being called “the most lopsided trade in NHL history,” drafts that don’t pan out… they all happen at some point or another in a franchise’s timeline. Unfortunately for us, they all happened in the last 3 or 4 years. And it’s probably going to take another 3 for us to become a consistent contender. Yea, we had a nice push last year and a decent stretch this year, but the season is a marathon, not a sprint. If an injury to a couple guys means we can’t score a goal for months at a time, we aren’t there. This isn’t the NBA where 1 or 2 guys can carry a team. It takes a full roster, everyone working, everyone contributing, for 70+ games a year.
I don’t want to say I’m hoping the final 12 games all go down as losses. I’m not that fan, or at least I haven’t been before… this season might change. BUT look at the difference a top 3 draft pick can make as opposed to a top 10… Stamkos in Tampa, Tavares on the Isles, Duchene in Colorado, Doughty in L.A…. those are all top 4 picks. Go down the the 8, 9, 10 slot and you might recognize the names, you might not… but imagine the difference a pure scorer like Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin paired with the speed of Booth and Frolik… or what another giant rookie D-man like Cam Fowler would mean with Kulikov, Garrison, and Ellerby… And then take the 2nd round picks we’ve acquired and stock up Rochester, so that if\when a guy is hurt, we know we have AHL depth that can help. I can only imagine how many frequent flyer miles Matthias and Repik chalked up this year. Get them on the roster, stop playing guys that don’t perform, and use the draft to get young guys in the system that can grow. THAT’s how you start the run back to relevance. Not with “character depth” free agents that would be 3rd liners on any competent team and chip in 25 points a year (Dom Moore, Steven Reinprecht, Leopold…)
Sigh… anyways… don’t blame Vokoun, lol.
Anyone who’s followed the Cats for any decent length of time wouldn’t blame Vokoun. If anything, he just momentarily succumbed to whatever disease has manifested itself in the rest of the roster for the past few seasons. He’s been the only link in the chain without a fault in it since he’s been here, while everyone else has been allowed to flop constantly without consequences. I’m really excited for the offseason/draft because I feel for the first time in a long time that our front office will genuinely clean house and start building a new solid foundation around the few bright spots this team actually has. There are a couple of guys we may not even be able to move, and I really hope they get placed on waivers, despite the cost to the team…
I don’t particularly think this team is going to benefit from a top selection draft pick this season, right now we’re looking at a top 6 pick in a draft that’s been deemed shallow by the pros. I do feel though that we are in line to make some deals at the draft, and improve as a result.
Four picks in the first two rounds – so far – just smacks of trade goodness. As I’ve said a hundred times, very few “A” list free agents will be lining up to sign reasonable contracts with this franchise on July 1st.
If they choose to go the re-build route, the picks are vital; if it’s a re-tooling, adding talent which can be immediately viable is demanded. In that case, trades for players under contract are the only way to go.
by Donny Rivette on Mar 19, 2010 9:59 AM EDT up reply actions
Felt bad for Vokie
He should have come out after that puck…not sat back……It looked like it ran into something on the ice and bounced right up in the air…..Very strange hop…..We are getting closer to that TOP $ DRAFT PICK and like Karl said….It ’s not a bad thing……..We all are dedicated CAT FANS and want to win every time the team takes the ice……but reality and frustration set in again…and again…and again…This is always a tough time of the year for Cats fans……….Pick your playoff favs now………….oh and Pittsburg and Philly……….GO DOWN IN FLAMES.
Phoenix and whomever can take down Washington.
by Donny Rivette on Mar 19, 2010 9:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Sabres and Sharks for me.
As far as that goal goes, the puck took a bad bounce. There should have been someone else back there to grab it anyway, but they were all off for a line change. And yes, that second goal should maybe have been stopped, but the play shouldn’t have happened in the first place. The Panthers lost that game because they spent the entire third in their own end getting swarmed, not because Vokoun let in a fluky goal.
I’m seriously wondering if this team has conditioning issues. They can’t seem to play three periods. I can understand Horton slowing down mid-way through the third, especially as hard as he was playing for two periods after being out for seven weeks. But what’s everyone else’s excuse?
Florida Panthers: Giving the league a punching bag since 2000.
The “conditioning issues” thing has been questioned for a couple of years now; though if I recall correctly there have been fewer all-around nagging injury problems than in recent seasons.
by Donny Rivette on Mar 19, 2010 9:45 AM EDT up reply actions
I don’t have center ice this season so I don’t get to watch a lot of the games, but it could be discipline issues, guys taking longer than recommended shifts in the 3rd period. There’s no reason guys can’t stay fresh if they take 30 second shifts.
But lack of discipline by players not following “recommended” shift lengths should wind up hauled before a review board in short order. If this is an ongoing issue, then it’s a coaching problem.
Even Ovechkin got benched a couple of years back by Hanlon for consistently staying on the ice longer than told.
by Donny Rivette on Mar 19, 2010 9:54 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree it would be a coaching issue. However, Ovechkin has tremendous depth behind him, so of course Boudreau wants to see them changing it up frequently. Who knows how much confidence DB has in his 3rd and 4th lines. One night their flying up and down the ice, injecting energy, Tarnasky dropping the gloves at least once. The next they’re taking stupid penalties, turning the puck over, and looking sluggish.
That Damn Ice again!
Once again, nobody blames our coaching staff for anything. Let me remind you that Pistol Pete is the equivalent of a Pony League Baseball Coach who woke up from a dream and found himself Head Coach of a Major League Team. Just Compare the Experience of the 2 coaches last night. Get the stat sheets provided at the games for SSO’s and read them. Unproven systems and unproven experience and JM’s legacy. Let’s spread the well deserved blame evenly. Maybe that was a bad bounce and I have seen many bad bounces over gloves but I have never seen a puck pass directly through a body. T-Vo is overconfident with his own stats. Also please move the Bova Ice Dancers behind our goal. I swear, more than once this season he is starring at those girls and not paying attention to the puck. LOL
MOCK CHEERS
PERSONALLY I DON’T THINK THE MOCK CHEERS WERE DIRECTED SOLELY AT T-VO. IT WAS JUST THE POINT OF VENOM FOR THE FANS WHO HAVE ENDURED A REAL SEASON OF FRUSTRATION. LAST NIGHT WAS ONLY ONE IN A STRING OF LETDOWNS THIS YEAR. AFTER THE PROMISE OF LAST SEASONS 93 POINTS, SO MUCH MORE WAS EXPECTED THAN WHAT HAS OCCURRED. SO THE FRUSTRATION FACTOR HAS RISEN ESPECIALLY OVER THE LAST 5 WEEKS OR SO.
WHILE ONCE AGAIN WE ARE TREATED LIKE THE WICKED STEPCHILD BY THE NHL WHO SEES FIT TO SUSPEND WISNEIWSKI 8 GAMES FOR A HIT ON A BLACKHAWK THAT WHILE A HEAD SHOT WAS A FACE ON CHECK, WHILE FRUSTRATED PANTHER FANS GOT TO SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE 7TH GAME OF THE SEASON WHAT OUR TOP TWO LINE SHOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE ALL YEAR. AND YET RICHARDS STILL HAS NOT MISSED A GAME.
I totally buy the fan frustration angle; Tvo’s just as much a victim of the current system as we are.
by Donny Rivette on Mar 19, 2010 1:10 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
From my perspective catfan927 pretty much nailed it — I know I halfheartedly echoed that cheer because of the team losing a three goal lead; not because of that knuckle-ball of a dump in making it past Vokoun. Should he have had it? Yes, but the team should have never surrendered the preceding two goals.
I’m a big fan of Campbell. He may not be the most skilled player, but he seems to give his all most every night. His father, not so much.
ON PETE DE BOER
http://thrashersprospectsannex.blogspot.com/2008/05/former-player-of-peter-deboer-talks.html
What kind of team do you think he would be best for?
Donally: Probably a younger team. He’s more of a motivator. The older players might kind of like a not as hard-nosed guy. They might prefer someone who’s more face to face and not yelling. But dealing with 16 and 17-year-olds is one thing, dealing with 26, 27-year-olds – millionaire players – they’re completely different mindsets. I haven’t been in those shoes, so I can’t really tell you for sure
Not one person's fault
Donnie: Great recap
Regarding Vokoun, he didn’t deserve what the fans gave him last night. The “Bronx Cheer” for his season long effort is so undeserving. The fans can blame that bad goal all they want on on him, but the actual play never should have happened.
Who was on the ice going off for a line change is what I want to know.?
He has served us very well for three seasons and except for his first year when he voiced his opinion (which was right) he’s been a model citizen. He’e been professional all the way and doesn’t deserve any of this.
For all the shots he takes and all the crappy defence that’s been in front of him, he deserves better treatment.
Also, we had a three goal lead on a quality team that one more goal early in the third would have probably buried them. We just don’t know how to do that.
It’s partly coaching, partly the players, but not all on one person. DeBoer however is getting mismatched all the time. He still also insists on playing favorites and is not willing to make a statement.
Any other coach in the NHL would have sat Olesz by now for at least one game. He’s done nothing for 19 games in a row! Three million bucks, no production and on the fourth line to boot.
When we talk about accoutability DeBoer stands right in front. He’s given alot of credit for trying to hold this team together and getting blood out of a rock, but games like last night fall on his shoulders.
I was wrong about the line change, but there was no one even near the guy dumping the puck. He was at the red line all the way over by the scorekeeper’s box and Allen was at the blue line, center ice, skating backwards watching him. Horton skated all the way over from the far side to try to stop him, but couldn’t catch him before he dumped the puck. Booth and Weiss were still by the Phoenix net.
Florida Panthers: Giving the league a punching bag since 2000.
Tarnasky..........Impressive
He’s been working very hard lately…..also Krepps……a what happened to McCabe…wow………..I think that as$8ole Richards…cost the Panthers a playoff season.
Agreed
This is getting ridiculous in the NHL now. I mean it is literally more cost-effective to have some guy on your team flipping obliterate another team’s best player even regardless of a suspension. My other favorite (and hometown) team the Wild were a victim if this a few years ago when Matthias Ohlund baseball batted Mikko Koivu and knocked him out for over a month. The Canucks only lost Ohlund for 4 games. Gee, worth it? Matt Cooke annihilates Marc Savard for the rest of the year and no suspension, even a 5 game suspension would have made it worth it to knock out a rival’s best player for the rest of the season. Despite anyone’s opinion on the borderline Richards hit we lost Booth for a crap ton of games and Richards didn’t get anything done to him, again even a suspension would have been only like 2-5 games, significantly less than Booth’s time out. If I am an NHL GM or Coach in the playoff hunt and I am playing another close team or a contender I am going to call up our system’s version of Matt Cooke, destroy a Savard/Booth/Koivu type player, and hopefully take them out for the rest of the year. Suspension? Who cares! Fines? Big deal! What could the NHL do to stop this? Doesn’t seem like they could do anything really.
Maybe I’m being naive, but what if the NHL suspended the offending player for as long as the injured player is out for (plus a couple extra games too if you like). So if Booth is out for three months, Richards gets three months out too?
I don’t think that’s naive, something legit has to be done to ensure this kind of crap doesn’t happen. I’d say go after the player and the organization. Suspend them for as long as the other guy is suspended and drop a heavy fine on the coach or gm, the guys who make the big time decisions and can get really pissed and do something about it on their team. Can you imagine the Penuins losing Cooke for the season and playoffs, Bylsma gets a heavy fine and Ray Shero getting fined? Think they’d be happy or the fans would be happy? You don’t want to pansify the game but these hardcore, potentially season-ruining injuries are getting out of hand.
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| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Washington
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82 | 54 | 15 | 13 | 121 |
|
Atlanta
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82 | 35 | 34 | 13 | 83 |
|
Carolina
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82 | 35 | 37 | 10 | 80 |
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Tampa Bay
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Florida
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82 | 32 | 37 | 13 | 77 |
(updated 4.12.2010 at 9:21 AM EDT)
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