“Barring any unforeseen developments…”
That’s an oft-repeated line utilized in front of and behind the cameras of Seinfeld. Just seemed entirely appropriate given events of the past 48 or so hours ’round PantherNation.
The updated injury news was spilled by Cats overlord Dale Tallon on Wednesday (official story & video), so no need for me to summarize it all. And it is a lot, but as fans of this club we’re pretty used to such a reality.
Feel free to drown in the sorrows of a fattened, bloated sickbay but keep in mind: the reconstituted Panthers did execute a mighty fine victory Tuesday evening. Winnipeg certainly has its own share of issues but it was a decisive win, on home ice, behind the efforts of what many term a “minor league” squad. Perhaps there is some literal truth in that declaration, but no matter how one defines them as a group, a bundle of young players manhandled the far-healthier Jets. A nice start, and highly entertaining, though it was only a single game.
So onto Washington. “Barring any unforeseen developments” there should be absolutely no changes to Florida’s lineup; starters have already been named by both coaches (Jacob Markstrom vs Braden Holtby), certainly no surprises there. And F Jon Rheault (above) remains with the Cats; a welcome development given the up-and-down recall frequency by management over the past year and a half to seemingly give every member of the Rampage a big league shot. The kid unquestionably earned a second game.
Our pals at Japers’ Rink have the home team covered with their typical excellence, so do stop by. The LBC Live GameThread gets rolling at 6:30 ET.