Multi-point performances abound for Panthers in 5-2 win over Lightning
by Donny Rivette on Mar 22, 2010 10:32 AM EDT
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In 21 previous games against the Southeast this season, Florida's record was less than sterling: 7-12-2. The numbers are a bit skewed when considering six of those losses came vs. conference powerhouse Washington, but Atlanta, Carolina, and Tampa Bay haven't exactly been considered pacesetters.
A victory over the Lightning - a SE club with its own deep flaws - would go a mighty long way in the "confidence" department for the Cats. Perhaps not confidence enough to overcome a practically insurmountable climb to the postseason, but make the final ten games of the year more than a footnote.
First and foremost, goaltender Scott Clemmensen - a man whose positive contributions on-ice have been rather limited, to put it kindly - dusted himself off after a lackluster effort on a Steve Downie goal in the first period to end the night with 29 saves, earning his first "W" since December 11th. This was a stretch in which he went 0-3 with two no-decisions.
As for skaters, Stephen Weiss, Nathan Horton, and Cory Stillman each picked up a goal and an assist while Keith Ballard (+3) had 2 helpers. Radek Dvorak and David Booth grabbed individual goals. Bryan McCabe again led in TOI 25:38).
Downie and Steven Stamkos (his 43rd of the year!) scored for Das Boltz, with Mike Smith stopping 35 of 40 Florida shots. Among other notables, Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis each finished with one assist and -2. Alex Tanguay: 0 points, -1.
Nick Tarnasky and Zenon Konopka found each other irresistable, fighting twice in the first frame (here and here), collecting a combined 32 minutes in penalties. Cats fight = Cats win.
It's been the rule of late. They let off the physical stuff for even a single shift and the house of cards is exposed for what it is. Until reinforcements can be drafted/traded for/signed, Florida victories will have to be won by attrition. Nothing else has worked with the current crew, and Sunday was more evidence of the stragtegy's effectiveness.
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It's not over until....
we say it’s over.
Guess what? It’s over!
Beating Tampa after losing to Buffalo is par for the course. We have been a model of inconsistency.
Clem getting some work, now that Vokoun has been shot at from all angles and directions is unfortunately showcasing, and it’s too bad as Clem didn’t get the job done earlier, thus forcing Vokoun to play almost every game since December.
at this point the only team i actually want to beat is tampa since we have a home@home series left at the end…
it would not make sense to get the eight spot no matter what anyone says playing a series vs the caps will not be fun and a will be a total waist of time…. i will keep pushing for the 2nd pick until the season is over…
LETS GO HEAT!! LETS GO PANTHERS!! GO FISH GO!! GO FINS!
The Future?
Has any team being X years absent from the playoffs tried building a contending team with a “Sophomore” NHL coach? Just wondering? Ya think a below average team and 2nd year coach with no previous NHL coaching experience can do it. Good luck on building a winning culture for the next decade! So is………….
1. Our team is no good and our coaching is good?
2. Our coaching is no good and our team is good?
3. Pete De Boers systems are good and our players can’t execute them?
4. Our players are executing the systems and the systems are no good?
5. None of the above?
6. All of the above?
7. Murphy’s Law?
I think our players are doing what our coaching is telling them to do (as is traditional) and the systems are not working at the NHL level. If you don’t do what your told you end up like Nick Boynton. As long as this coaching staff leads the Panthers we will never have a good season. To bad we have no previous NHL experience in which to evaluate Coach De Boer. Hopefully Pete De Boer will not be promoted to GM when this is finally realized.
This comment deserves it’s own FanPost, Trap.
by Donny Rivette on Mar 22, 2010 8:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Righthand sidebar, look for “Fan Post”. You’ll love it. Great way to “headline” your own thoughts/rants/whatever.
This applies to everyone, btw!
by Donny Rivette on Mar 22, 2010 9:22 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I don’t think Vince Lombardi Scotty Bowman could get this current group of Panthers to win. First off, no one is going to succeed when you have your top 2 scorers on the ice together for, what, 12 games of the season now?
That said, as has been stated and displayed time and time again, there is not enough talent on this team to consistently compete, regardless of what Pete’s doing. Do I think Pete could be doing a better job, holding more players (Campbell, Olesz, Stillman, Reinprecht…) accountable? Of course. But the fact of the matter is that for most of the season, it was Horton, Weiss, and a bunch of do-gooders, give it your best effort kind of guys that just didn’t have the pure talent on a nightly basis. Vokoun kept us relevant for awhile, but he started God knows how many straight games and you you can only win so many 2-1 games before he’s gonna give in.
Stillman
I do want to give Stillman some credit where credit is due. He was brought in as a man who has seen the postseason and won himself a Cup or two. His job was to help guide the team through the tumultuous last month and half of the season in order to reach the post season and beyond. While the team hasn’t managed to make the playoffs, the Cats have had a nice March the last couple of seasons. The problem is, the youngsters don’t have the long term vision needed to push themselves hard at the start of the season where the good teams start to give themselves some distance from the rest of the teams.
Stillman’s getting older and slowing down, but he still plays pretty well. If you keep an eye on him, you can tell he knows he’s the slowest guy on the team. If he gets a breakaway chance, he’s always looking for a faster guy to pass to. He does a good job getting back into position even being a slow skater. He’s the only guy besides Horton who will park himself in front of the net. He’s not supposed to be a top line 40 goal scoring guy. I’m with you, I don’t think he’s the problem. I’m all for benching Olesz, though. Send him to the minors.
Florida Panthers: Giving the league a punching bag since 2000.
Photo caption
Fans cheer Pat LaFontaine Night at the BankAtlantic Center.
Oh man, well played.
Lighthouse Hockey: What's wrong with lotteries? I've been in lots of lotteries.
Are we that old, Dom? Apparently.
by Donny Rivette on Mar 25, 2010 7:10 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
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Southeast Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Florida
|
55 | 27 | 17 | 11 | 65 |
|
Washington
|
56 | 28 | 23 | 5 | 61 |
|
Winnipeg
|
57 | 26 | 25 | 6 | 58 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
55 | 24 | 25 | 6 | 54 |
|
Carolina
|
57 | 21 | 25 | 11 | 53 |
(updated 2.13.2012 at 10:29 PM EST)
Eastern Standings
| GP | W-L-OT | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
New York Rangers
|
54 | 36-13-5 | 77 |
|
Boston Bruins
|
53 | 34-17-2 | 70 |
|
Florida Panthers
|
55 | 27-17-11 | 65 |
|
Philadelphia Flyers
|
56 | 31-18-7 | 69 |
|
Pittsburgh Penguins
|
56 | 32-19-5 | 69 |
|
New Jersey Devils
|
55 | 31-20-4 | 66 |
|
Ottawa Senators
|
58 | 28-22-8 | 64 |
|
Toronto Maple Leafs
|
56 | 28-22-6 | 62 |
|
Washington Capitals
|
55 | 28-22-5 | 61 |
|
Winnipeg Jets
|
57 | 26-25-6 | 58 |
|
Montreal Canadiens
|
56 | 23-24-9 | 55 |
|
Tampa Bay Lightning
|
55 | 24-25-6 | 54 |
|
New York Islanders
|
55 | 23-24-8 | 54 |
|
Buffalo Sabres
|
55 | 24-25-6 | 54 |
|
Carolina Hurricanes
|
56 | 20-25-11 | 51 |
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