After destroying the Lightning 7-3 on Monday, the Predators faced off against the Panthers, eventually resulting in game where Nashville was in complete control. The Panthers drew first blood, when Jonathan Huberdeau scored on the rebound of an Erik Gudbranson shot, his second goal in as many games. However that would be the only offense the Florida offered up for the game. Josh Shalla answered back in the second to tie the game, and Craig Smith scored two more goals (his fifth and sixth in two days) while Nashville dominated the remainder of the afternoon. As for the shootout – and apparently all rookie games in South Florida end in shootouts despite the final regulation score – the Panthers won it after going into sudden death, with goals from Josh Birkholz and Jonathan Hazen. So while the Cats lost the game in regulation, they won the shootout, for what that’s worth. Personally, I feel if a game is still tied after 65 minutes, both teams should be handed a loss (and yes, I did get that from Team Fortress).
A few impressions after the jump…
- Quinton Howden (Forward): Got hit hard and missed the third period. Team says he’ll be okay and that he isn’t injured.
- Jacob Markstrom (Goal): Best player out on the ice for the Panthers. Excellent rebound control and made a lot amazing saves to keep the team in the game. From the looks of it, he’s healthy and should be ready for the start of the AHL season.
- Alexander Petrovic (Defense): Skated really well on the ice, but wasn’t very physical. In fact, I saw a few times where some of the Nashville players were knocking him around the ice.
Next up: final tournament game Wednesday @12pm vs Tampa Bay