Being the last game of the season, we’ll close it out in very simple fashion: Bill Thomas – perhaps the most unlikely of heroes – scored the only goal of the night past Washington’s Michal Neuvirth (22 saves); assists to Patrick Rissmiller and Tim Kennedy. Tomas Vokoun – in perhaps his final appearance as a member of the Florida Panthers – absolutely shined with 28 stops.
We’ll cover this in a bit more depth on Sunday, but let’s just enjoy the moment for what it is: the final assembly of a crew which has kept the majority of their matches close and relatively competitive during the earliest stage of a thorough organizational rebuild. They are to be commended for their poise and professionalism during a remarkably trying and stressful stretch. Then again, so are we.
A lot of action is on the horizon for this club. Who stays? Who goes? And what of the coaching staff?
Quick personal note: my sincere and hearty thanks to our entirely volunteer contributors for their tireless efforts, and most importantly all of you for making LBC a regular stop in your daily trip around the interwebs. Each and every Live Game Thread has been a joy to participate in, as has interacting with all of our new friends. Going to be a big summer in every way – beginning Tuesday with our Draft Lottery/Drawing Live Chat – so please keep checking in. We’ll have a few nice surprises on tap as well.
Oh, and the next captain will be Reasoner 😉