Thursday Caterwaul: Panthers GameDay Open Forum

by Donny Rivette on Dec 1, 2011 12:11 PM EST in LBC Caterwauls: '11-12

[M]ost in the building probably won't be looking forward to seeing [Panthers winger Mikael] Samuelsson again. In the 2010 playoffs he scored seven goals against LA in their six-game series loss to Vancouver.

- MayorsManor.com, contemplating the psychological effect of Samuelsson's possible return to Florida's roster Thursday against the Kings. "Sammy" is 8-9-17 in 25 games lifetime vs. Los Angeles

The Eastern Front:

Rank	Team	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	GF	GA	Home	Away	L/10	Streak
1	Pittsburgh	25	14	7	4	32	80	63	8-1-2	6-6-2	5-4-1	Lost 1
2	Boston	23	15	7	1	31	81	50	9-5-1	6-2-0	9-0-1	Won 2
3	Florida	24	13	7	4	30	67	60	5-2-4	8-5-0	6-3-1	Won 1
4	Toronto	25	14	9	2	30	82	81	6-4-2	8-5-0	5-4-1	Lost 1
5	NY Rangers	21	13	5	3	29	60	46	7-1-1	6-4-2	8-2-0	Won 3
6	Philadelphia	23	13	7	3	29	80	68	6-4-2	7-3-1	6-3-1	Lost 1
7	Buffalo	24	13	10	1	27	68	63	6-7-1	7-3-0	4-5-1	Lost 1
8	Ottawa	24	12	10	2	26	75	83	6-4-1	6-6-1	5-3-2	Won 2

9	Washington	23	12	10	1	25	71	75	8-3-1	4-7-0	3-6-1	Lost 3
10	New Jersey	23	12	10	1	25	58	64	5-4-1	7-6-0	5-5-0	Lost 2
11	Tampa Bay	24	11	11	2	24	65	76	7-3-0	4-8-2	4-6-0	Lost 2
12	Montreal	25	10	11	4	24	62	64	4-5-4	6-6-0	4-4-2	Lost 1
13	Winnipeg	24	9	11	4	22	70	80	5-4-0	4-7-4	4-4-2	Lost 2
14	Carolina	26	8	14	4	20	61	86	5-7-2	3-7-2	3-6-1	Lost 3
15	NY Islanders	22	7	11	4	18	43	69	5-6-2	2-5-2	3-5-2	Won 2

Why last night rocked (and man...did it rock):

Detroit over Tampa Bay, 4-2
Colorado over New Jersey, 6-1
Anaheim over Montreal, 4-1

Why last night jonesed:

Not technically a jones, but no clear winner for FLA in the standings as Boston doubled up Toronto 6-3. Then again, what do we care if the Northeast contenders continue beating the tar out of each other?

Why tonight is a Big Deal:

Pittsburgh at Washington, 7 p.m.
Rags at Carolina, 7
Phoenix at Winnipeg, 8:30
Ottawa at Dallas, 8:30
Montreal at San Jose, 10:30

Next up for the Cats:

Tonight at Los Angeles (WQAM, FS-FLA); Game Thread opens 10(!) p.m.

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Comments

Oh man tonight is going to be filled with anxiety.

SSO Skate @ BAC at 6pm, come back home and check out the Pens vs Caps game, then FINALLY settle in for The Game.

Steve Diaz
Twitter - @sdiaz6215

by Sdiaz6215 on Dec 1, 2011 12:00 PM EST reply actions

Pens/Caps a MUST this evening.

Litter Box Cats - Your tarp-free Florida Panthers Colossus

by Donny Rivette on Dec 1, 2011 12:12 PM EST up reply actions

Hopefully Sid & the boys will put a beat down on the Caps.

by Todd Little on Dec 1, 2011 12:39 PM EST up reply actions

Beat. Down.

Litter Box Cats - Your tarp-free Florida Panthers Colossus

by Donny Rivette on Dec 1, 2011 12:39 PM EST up reply actions

You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon?…It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs

I’m expecting a big night from Crosby especially if Vokoun is in the net as he makes a Kessel run of his own towards the scoring title. Light ’em up Sid!

by Todd Little on Dec 1, 2011 12:51 PM EST up reply actions

Also, I hope Sammy is in tonight. And that he has a positive impact on secondary scoring.

Steve Diaz
Twitter - @sdiaz6215

by Sdiaz6215 on Dec 1, 2011 12:02 PM EST reply actions

well… when the cats win tonight it wouldnt be so bad seeing washington win, which would put us in first in the eastern conference since Pitt has more games played..

Should we somehow manage to lose tonight, which isn’t going to happen… then pitt needs to win to keep our lead on the south east up

by Rob PKane McMahon on Dec 1, 2011 12:08 PM EST reply actions

the problem w/ a washington win is that we KNOW pitt is making the playoffs, most likely a president’s trophy as well. i hate the penguins but tonight they need to win

by nwmn420 on Dec 1, 2011 6:35 PM EST up reply actions

If you haven’t seen this from JoezayFan, well, go see it.

Litter Box Cats - Your tarp-free Florida Panthers Colossus

by Donny Rivette on Dec 1, 2011 12:39 PM EST reply actions

Pretty great, that was.

Steve Diaz
Twitter - @sdiaz6215

by Sdiaz6215 on Dec 1, 2011 12:57 PM EST up reply actions

Tears from laughing so fn hard.. just got into trouble from my coworkers for making so much noise. At least now we know, Flash secret identity- Santa Elf. LMAO!!

I hereby predict Captain Mike Weaver #43 will score 6G 20A -RCR 0G8A 11/21
Be impeccable with your word, don't take anything personally, don't make assumptions, always do your best...

by RPC on Dec 1, 2011 1:12 PM EST up reply actions

less interesting to most than Pens – Caps but tonight is also an Old Jets / New Jets match up as the Coyotes return home to Winnipeg for the first time.

by Todd Little on Dec 1, 2011 12:42 PM EST reply actions

This one interests me more than Pit/Was, but still not enough to watch. I’ll be playing Halo:Reach until gametime. Haven’t the Coyotes been playing preseason games in the area ever since they left?

by jimmyh71 on Dec 1, 2011 1:46 PM EST up reply actions

nice to look at the standings and see our four division mates out of the top eight.
An off year for the SE could mean a top three seed for the Panthers come playoff time.

by Todd Little on Dec 1, 2011 12:45 PM EST reply actions

Today’s naughty list:

- Shanahan doesn’t provide any justice for the Joslin bad elbow on Versteeg. Talk about waffling on discipline.

Seeing Red since 1994.

by coasterg on Dec 1, 2011 12:46 PM EST reply actions

it was an eblow, but versteeg did kinda trip into it. its a wash, i think he should have been called for a 2 min minor and that would have been justice

by stopdropandbreathe on Dec 1, 2011 1:01 PM EST up reply actions

Except Joslin was the one who tripped Versteeg into it.

by angellen on Dec 1, 2011 1:46 PM EST up reply actions

I thought it was Staal who tripped Steeger

I hereby predict Captain Mike Weaver #43 will score 6G 20A -RCR 0G8A 11/21
Be impeccable with your word, don't take anything personally, don't make assumptions, always do your best...

by RPC on Dec 1, 2011 2:08 PM EST up reply actions

It looked more like Joslin from the angle I saw, but I have no problem adding it to my list of reasons Staal’s pissing me off these days.

by angellen on Dec 1, 2011 2:16 PM EST up reply actions

Sammy?

are we going to see Samuelsson tonight?

by Todd Little on Dec 1, 2011 12:55 PM EST reply actions

I’m actually pretty excited to see what he can offer to the team. I hope it’s tonight.

Steve Diaz
Twitter - @sdiaz6215

by Sdiaz6215 on Dec 1, 2011 12:59 PM EST up reply actions

especially if versteeg is out, id love to see him play!!!

by stopdropandbreathe on Dec 1, 2011 1:01 PM EST up reply actions

good numbers against the Kings. This looks like the right spot to bring him back.

by Todd Little on Dec 1, 2011 1:15 PM EST up reply actions

Where is the information that Versteeg could be out for tonight?

Hockey is a business, only we fans love it as a game.

by JDMorris on Dec 1, 2011 2:11 PM EST up reply actions

It’s not even official. It’s just a “hunch” by Harvey from the Sun-Sentinel.

I think he plays tonight, Dineen gave him a “maintenance” day off yesterday.

Steve Diaz
Twitter - @sdiaz6215

by Sdiaz6215 on Dec 1, 2011 2:13 PM EST up reply actions

put on the cage and get out on the ice Steeger!

by Todd Little on Dec 1, 2011 2:15 PM EST up reply actions

Honestly, he didn’t look like he was banged up that bad when he finished the game Tuesday. Maybe there’s something up with him that I don’t know about but he didn’t seem to be too bad off, can’t see why he wouldn’t play tonight.

Hockey is a business, only we fans love it as a game.

by JDMorris on Dec 1, 2011 2:18 PM EST up reply actions

GR said he looked pretty banged up yesterday.

"We don't need the designated goon. Those fights aren't even fun to watch." -Mike Milbury

Litter Box Cats - Your Panthers Colossus.

by John Beatty on Dec 1, 2011 3:07 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah, I actually just read Harvey’s article from yesterday about how his nose looked possibly broken.

Hockey is a business, only we fans love it as a game.

by JDMorris on Dec 1, 2011 3:29 PM EST up reply actions

Bob McKenzie from TSN is reporting that Tyler Plante is on unconditional waivers. allowing Florida and Plante to mutually agree to terminate the contract.

by Alexander Calloway on Dec 1, 2011 1:52 PM EST reply actions

how are the Panthers as far as goaltender prospects go in Junior? Might need to grab a couple in the draft next year.

by Todd Little on Dec 1, 2011 1:59 PM EST up reply actions

It’s just Jacob Markstrom (AHL), Brian Foster (ECHL), Sergei Gayduchenko (KHL), and Sam Brittain (NCAA), now.

by Alexander Calloway on Dec 1, 2011 2:01 PM EST up reply actions

This may end very poorly.

by angellen on Dec 1, 2011 2:05 PM EST up reply actions

Plante has had time to develop and doesn’t seem to be more than a back-up even at the AHL level. Maybe he needs to go to Europe and hone his skills more, but the Panthers should have found a way to loan him to an over seas team in that case. But he’s not gonna be anything more than a depth guy. The problem is not having any depth in the organization, if someone goes down for a period of time. Anyone other than Foster goes down, S>A. won’t have a back-up.

by MrOmnipotent on Dec 1, 2011 3:08 PM EST up reply actions

They’ll call up Foster to San Antonio in that case, so it’s Cincy that would need a goalie. They did pick up a goalie to replace Foster in San Antonio before they sent him to Cincy to replace Plante, so there still six goalies on the three teams, same as there was last week. But that guy’s on an AHL contract, he’s not a Panthers prospect. This just means there are now only two guys who can get called up to the Panthers instead of three.

"We don't need the designated goon. Those fights aren't even fun to watch." -Mike Milbury

Litter Box Cats - Your Panthers Colossus.

by John Beatty on Dec 1, 2011 3:19 PM EST up reply actions

Point was, to have someone in line of development. Having four goalies under contract just isn’t a good thing. Just back a few years when St Louis had like 5 goalies on NHL IR with groin injuries. They were using guys who were playing in the ECHL the week previous.

by MrOmnipotent on Dec 1, 2011 3:53 PM EST up reply actions

What season was that?

by Alexander Calloway on Dec 1, 2011 5:13 PM EST up reply actions

2002-2003. Its how Cody Rudkowsky saw NHL ice time, and Reinhard Divis and Curtis Sanford tried to stake a claim as NHL netminders, tho Divis never stuck in the NHL long. The Blues ended up using seven goalies for the entire season.

by MrOmnipotent on Dec 1, 2011 6:31 PM EST up reply actions

And yet the Blues still manged win 41 games.

by Alexander Calloway on Dec 1, 2011 6:44 PM EST up reply actions

And how does that relate to what’s being discussed? the three goalies that were brought up, all performed pretty damn well, one even pitching a shutout. So, pray tell, how does it relate and why does it seem you’re lookin for an argument?

by MrOmnipotent on Dec 1, 2011 8:54 PM EST up reply actions

And a link for you.

by MrOmnipotent on Dec 1, 2011 6:40 PM EST up reply actions

Foster lost his job to Dov Grumet-Morris, a goalie who two years ago was playing with HK Acroni Jesenice in Erste Bank Eishockey Liga, a league in Austria.

by Alexander Calloway on Dec 1, 2011 5:07 PM EST up reply actions

yeah def. a position need in the upcoming draft.

by Todd Little on Dec 1, 2011 2:14 PM EST reply actions

And actually if it ever came down to it and the Panthers wanted to, with Plante off the 50 man list, the Panthers likely would sign Grumet-Morris to an NHL deal. (He did well in the AHL last year and again in his games in Abbotsford last weekend) G-M is by the way the guy signed to backup Markstrom… trust me a good pick up on the part of Santos.

I am a little disappointed in Plante, as I had high hopes of him maybe one day being Markstroms backup, but I guess he felt that the ECHL was not where he should be.

As far as this upcoming draft, without a doubt I think the team grabs a goalie… and boy do I have an option for us…. (May be a bias here) Andrey Makarov from the Saskatoon Blades. This russian kid has been the sole reason that the team has been at or near the top of the WHL. Unbelieveable goalie, by WHL standards…

by saskpantherfan on Dec 1, 2011 3:40 PM EST reply actions

Most GMs believe in draftin a goalie every year, sometimes two. They’re not always drafted with high hopes, but that’s how you find a diamond in the rough.

by MrOmnipotent on Dec 1, 2011 3:54 PM EST up reply actions

No point in signing Grumet-Morris to a deal, he’s 30 and the Panthers have better options.

by Alexander Calloway on Dec 1, 2011 5:08 PM EST up reply actions

I agree. And not saying that we should go out and sign him, just saying if it got to a point where we needed someone for emergency we throw a $500 a year one year deal at him and he can back up short term. Best and most recent examples of this were NYI siging Joel Martin and WSH signing Todd Ford last year. Both are in Europe now, and both were VERY shorit term fixes… 3 days tops, until better options could be found.

by saskpantherfan on Dec 1, 2011 5:55 PM EST up reply actions

Kearns recalled.

Litter Box Cats - Your tarp-free Florida Panthers Colossus

by Donny Rivette on Dec 1, 2011 3:49 PM EST via mobile reply actions

This is now making me think that Versteeg is going to be out for tonight. If that’s so, then idk how the team will perform.

- Go Panthers -

by flpanther360 on Dec 1, 2011 3:51 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah, this is not necessarily good news. Plus means no Samuelsson tonite. Though I heard Bergenheim didnt practise yesterday either. The boys are doing well with the old injury bug biting like it is and has in the past, but not sure how much more they can take. Also no fan of no discipline for Joslin.

by saskpantherfan on Dec 1, 2011 3:55 PM EST up reply actions

Doesn’t help that the team has lost six straight against LA Kings…. not that it means anything with a whole new team, but it’s worth mentioning.

- Go Panthers -

by flpanther360 on Dec 1, 2011 4:01 PM EST up reply actions

THUMP- head to desk

Could it JUST be that we called up Kearns so we have the extra body in case Bergie or our <3 Santa Elf #32 might need the night off? Sorry but we got Samuelson WHY again?

I hereby predict Captain Mike Weaver #43 will score 6G 20A -RCR 0G8A 11/21
Be impeccable with your word, don't take anything personally, don't make assumptions, always do your best...

by RPC on Dec 1, 2011 4:01 PM EST reply actions

I was considering that also. We’re doing good without Samuelsson and once he’s ready to go, which could be tonight or Saturday night, we’ll get our secondary scoring. It still was a great trade because Booth wasn’t going to help us much this season and he still isn’t getting going in Vancouver with 4 goals, and one of them was an empty netter.

- Go Panthers -

by flpanther360 on Dec 1, 2011 4:08 PM EST up reply actions

Sorry but we got Samuelson WHY again?

Because they didn’t know four other guys were going to get hurt.

"We don't need the designated goon. Those fights aren't even fun to watch." -Mike Milbury

Litter Box Cats - Your Panthers Colossus.

by John Beatty on Dec 1, 2011 10:37 PM EST up reply actions

So do you think I am going to be happy when he gets into the line up?

I hereby predict Captain Mike Weaver #43 will score 6G 20A -RCR 0G8A 11/21
Be impeccable with your word, don't take anything personally, don't make assumptions, always do your best...

by RPC on Dec 2, 2011 11:20 AM EST up reply actions

Any word on the lineups for tonight yet?

Hockey is a business, only we fans love it as a game.

by JDMorris on Dec 1, 2011 4:41 PM EST reply actions

Sadly nope. Still 5 and a half hours from game time. Which is nuts.

Steve Diaz
Twitter - @sdiaz6215

by Sdiaz6215 on Dec 1, 2011 4:52 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions

Now THIS is a killer preview

Litter Box Cats - Your tarp-free Florida Panthers Colossus

by Donny Rivette on Dec 1, 2011 4:54 PM EST reply actions

Seriously..who has the time to do this?

Litter Box Cats - Your tarp-free Florida Panthers Colossus

by Donny Rivette on Dec 1, 2011 5:59 PM EST up reply actions

This guy does.

---
The Royal Half: A Kings Blog
A Los Angeles Kings Blog, Now 43 Seasons Without A Stanley Cup

by The Royal Half on Dec 1, 2011 6:21 PM EST up reply actions

That’s a classic write-up, thanks for the read.

by MrOmnipotent on Dec 1, 2011 6:36 PM EST up reply actions

Love the towel :)

Litter Box Cats - Your tarp-free Florida Panthers Colossus

by Donny Rivette on Dec 1, 2011 7:01 PM EST up reply actions

That was awesome. Especially the Dustin Pennar/Marco Sturm comparison!

The Ghost of David Nemirovsky

by panthersfan27 on Dec 1, 2011 7:08 PM EST up reply actions

I LOL’d!

That’s entertainment.

Seeing Red since 1994.

by coasterg on Dec 1, 2011 7:06 PM EST up reply actions

Estimated win probabilities

NY Rangers (54%) at Carolina (46%)
Columbus (40%) at Calgary (60%)
Ottawa (44%) at Dallas (56%)
Florida (44%) at Los Angeles (56%)
Montreal (42%) at San Jose (58%)
Nashville (41%) at Vancouver (59%)
Phoenix (51%) at Winnipeg (49%)
Pittsburgh (51%) at Washington (49%)

by Alexander Calloway on Dec 1, 2011 5:15 PM EST reply actions