Stillman, Panthers down Wild 3-2 (SO); win is Florida's 500th
by Donny Rivette on Mar 9, 2010 11:13 PM EST
Email
PrintLots of glorious weirdness on this night, but first and foremost, the Panthers secured their 500th franchise victory when Cory Stillman jammed his shootout winner (and second of the night) past goaltender Niklas Backstrom.
This after Minnesota led by dos through two periods. And nine years.
Lots to come in a bit, from Tomas Vokoun's forty-minute redemption to Michael Frolik killing any semblance of a short-lived point streak, to a Steven Reinprecht sighting!
16 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Bueller? Bueller?
Who out there thought Florida could overcome a two goal deficit with 20 minutes left to play, allow only 11 shots on goal the whole game, and win in a shootout?
Yes tonight’s win was incredible.
Those of us that held on through it. Something strange about this one; the shot differential only served to heighten the suspense.
by Donny Rivette on Mar 9, 2010 11:37 PM EST up reply actions
posted this on the live game chat but I think it’s probably better categorized under the postgame chat…
I just don’t get this team. At all. It was frustrating before. Now it just depresses me. We go 3-0 and give up 11 shots in a game with Ellerby, Garrison, and Kulikov on the blue line (they combine for something like 80 NHL games…) But with Leo and Dennis in the lineup, we consistently gave up 35+? Tarnasky and Kreps look like they’re actually trying now. And this is all without Horton. I know it’s just 3 games, but come on. I don’t know if its bad coaching or just the players mindset, but there HAS to be a way to get this team to perform consistently. If it’s consistently bad, fine. I can live with that. Management can figure out what to fix if we’re consistently bad. But this up and down nonsense until the final 15 games, when we put it together only to end up 9th and out of the top 10 draft order… sucks.
I want them to win. I want them to finish the season on a 12-2-1 streak and just get in. I think. Is it the best thing in the long run? Maybe, maybe not. While a top 10 pick would be nice, I don’t know that a 8th seed, 1st round exit probably won’t alter Sexton’s 4-step plan too much. We’ll still dump at the draft, use those 2nd round picks and Vokoun to get some bodies and go from there. But this teasing mind f@#k kills me, excuse the locker language. 6 points out, 17 to go, 3 other teams still in front of us. I’m just praying the home-and-home season ending series with Tampa means something.
Not to base too much on a short sequence of games, but maybe the Leopold and Seidenberg trades were addition by subtraction? I mean, I thought they were good players, but I’m not a good judge of defensive play. Maybe they’d slipped and now better defensemen are getting more ice time whether that is Ballard or Kulikov or whoever. I thought I heard Lindsay say the cats were rolling 5 defensemen last night so I suppose Garrison wasn’t taking a regular shift.
If the Panthers are planning to trade Vokoun nothing would boost his value more than a good playoffs. Imagine if the Panthers made it out of the second round and lose the third round in 6 close games. Something like that would remind the world what kind of special goalie Vokoun is and then Sexton would have an easier time getting a good package for him.
Garrison logged quite a bit of ice time and has played very well since the call. Keaton Ellerby has been sort of the odd man out though he also does not look terribly out of place. I love the fact that these kids are getting a chance to play, though I believe Garrison is something like 25, so not as young as Kulikov and Ellerby. It’s a great chance to see what we have with these guys going forward. So far, the future seems very bright for these three.
And how about McCabe’s resurgence. Where has this offense been hiding all year. I can’t ever recall his break out passes being so on the money like they have been this last stretch. Three wins is great but we haven’t gained any ground at all. At least we haven’t lost any either.
That’s cool about Garrison. I hope he can keep playing up and carve out a permanent roster spot for himself then.
Played 20 minutes last night. His season is getting mighty impressive.
by Donny Rivette on Mar 10, 2010 10:51 AM EST up reply actions
I agree with you Karl.
Definitely messing with my mind and the one thing I do NOT want to see is a run for the playoffs that leaves us 1-2 points out and we’re stuck in the draft deadzone yet again.
As for improved play, what we’re seeing is players stepping up because they see their chance more clearly than they did previously. With Leopold and Seidenberg gone our young defensemen finally spy opportunity to crack the lineup permanently. Everyone else is following suit.
The team needs leadership, someone to point them in the right direction and keep them motivated. Right now the call ups are creating energy for the whole team and its infectious. I really want it to stay that way.
This game was awesome. Watching it you knew that the Panthers were in control, but that something divine seemed to be working against them. Eventually things settled down, the Panthers D remained strong, and breaks started coming our way. Frolik on the break looked like a young Jagr, and Stiller stealing Rhino’s puck as he winded up for the slap shot was freakin funny and amazing. Vokoun proved again why he’s a consummate professional, remaining poised despite an unfortunate 1st.
I believe Donny was the first to mention it, but I agree that we should consider keeping Vokoun around for a while longer, he’s a disciplined guy who remains as fit as a 25 year old and can likely remain competitive for a few years more, all the while mentoring Backstrom. He’s just too tremendous a presence on this team to replace with a green youngster at this point.
And he’ll be what, 35 when his current deal runs dry? Means he’ll be staring at most likely his final “big” deal; figure 3 years max if high dollars; maybe 5 if $ is less.
Explore extending him for two additional years, which would keep him in Florida through 2012-13, allowing for “maturation” of Markstrom or whomever management decides to build around if the young Swede is dealt for a bounty of assets.
Keep in mind, Marc Cheverie remains in the system.
by Donny Rivette on Mar 10, 2010 10:38 AM EST up reply actions
the Panthers make a late season run? Getting hopes up? Nearly missing?
Also, ruining their draft position?
I have seen this one before…
by HockeyAndLoathing on Mar 10, 2010 9:50 AM EST reply actions
My question is
did Stillman swipe the puck from Reinprecht on purpose or was it a planned handoff to confuse the goalie into commiting early to the wrong shooter? If that was intentional it was the most brilliant thing I’ve seen in a long time. We could call it the Statue of Liberty puck.
NY Jets = NFL's Chicago Cubs
There's a fine line between hopeful and desperate. Just look @ Jets fans.
It looked to me like Stillman thought it was a drop pass, while Reinprecht looked a little surprised to see that puck disappear. I don’t think it was intentional, but it was awesome none the less.
@HockeyAndLoathing – They aren’t ruining their draft position because they weren’t going to place low enough to get a shot at Hall, and it appears to be a shallow draft pool this year. Besides, the majority of the draft is going to be spent dealing with other GMs, IMO.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
Southeast Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Florida
|
51 | 24 | 16 | 11 | 59 |
|
Washington
|
51 | 27 | 20 | 4 | 58 |
|
Winnipeg
|
53 | 24 | 23 | 6 | 54 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
51 | 23 | 23 | 5 | 51 |
|
Carolina
|
54 | 20 | 25 | 9 | 49 |
(updated 2.5.2012 at 9:10 AM EST)
Eastern Standings
| GP | W-L-OT | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
New York Rangers
|
49 | 32-12-5 | 69 |
|
Boston Bruins
|
50 | 32-16-2 | 66 |
|
Florida Panthers
|
51 | 24-16-11 | 59 |
|
Philadelphia Flyers
|
51 | 30-15-6 | 66 |
|
Pittsburgh Penguins
|
52 | 30-18-4 | 64 |
|
New Jersey Devils
|
51 | 29-19-3 | 61 |
|
Ottawa Senators
|
55 | 27-21-7 | 61 |
|
Toronto Maple Leafs
|
52 | 27-19-6 | 60 |
|
Washington Capitals
|
51 | 27-20-4 | 58 |
|
Winnipeg Jets
|
53 | 24-23-6 | 54 |
|
Tampa Bay Lightning
|
51 | 23-23-5 | 51 |
|
New York Islanders
|
51 | 21-22-8 | 50 |
|
Buffalo Sabres
|
52 | 22-24-6 | 50 |
|
Carolina Hurricanes
|
54 | 20-25-9 | 49 |
|
Montreal Canadiens
|
52 | 19-24-9 | 47 |
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
