It was indeed that ugly. One of Those Games which crop up from time to time with the express purpose of reminding Florida fans – and management – exactly where the organization stands in the midst of a massive rebuild. Again it was Mike Santorelli to the rescue, if only to prevent a shutout by Al Montoya, scoring on the powerplay midway through the third frame. Yes, the game was lost long before; likely well before the 1pm start time. Happy Presidents’ Day.
Matt Moulson (3 goals) and Montoya (20 saves) were the story of the afternoon, though Travis Hamonic‘s 2 assists and 21 penalty minutes deserve a mention. Got to hand it to bench boss Jack Capuano: dude’s got his boys dialed in tight.
Speaking of penalties, center Stephen Weiss played all of 4:54 of the first period until collecting an elbowing major and game misconduct for actions against Radek Martinek (we await the video). Bye-bye Weiss, hello Martinek goal on the man-advantage soon after.
Somewhat inexplicably, Panthers coach Peter DeBoer made a startling break from recent tradition by leaving Tomas Vokoun (32 saves) in net after New York had gained a 4-0 lead early in the second period; I was personally expecting a Scott Clemmensen relief appearance following the second goal, but whatever. A rather puzzling decision which can’t help but stoke the conspiracy flames at this time of year (see Trading Deadline, NHL).
More from Lighthouse Hockey here. Full game coverage here. Next up: AndyTime at Ottawa Wednesday evening; Live Game Thread @ 6pm.