The NHL schedule picks back up on day two of 2014 with ten games on the slate tonight. The Panthers are off until Saturday night’s tilt against the Nashville Predators, which will conclude the holiday homestand. Nashville took the first meeting this season between the clubs 4-3 in the Music City back on October 15th, so Florida will be looking for some revenge.
At yesterday’s Winter Classic, Toronto edged Detroit 3-2 in a shootout. The win pushed the Maple Leafs past the Red Wings in the standings, giving the Cats a new target (Detroit) to chase down when it comes to the Eastern Conference’s final wildcard spot. The Panthers trail the Wings by ten points with a game in hand. In other New Year’s Day action, the Tampa Bay Lightning came away with a 4-2 road win over the Vancouver Canucks.
Russia eliminated Panthers prospect Ian McCoshen and Team USA by a 5-3 count this morning in the quarterfinals at the World Junior Championship in Malmo, Sweden. The Americans led 3-2 after one, but penalty problems in the second period led to a pair of 5-on-3 goals by Buffalo Sabres draftee Nikita Zadorov. Pavel Buchnevich scored into an empty-net to seal the deal and send Team USA home. McCoshen played in all 5 games, but failed to register a point. The young defenseman finished the tournament with a -1 rating, 4 PIM, and two shots on goal.
Feel free to chime in below on yesterday’s Winter Classic, which was played before a massive crowd of 105,491 fans, the WJC, the Panthers or anything else that’s on your mind. It’s a caterwaul, after all y’all.