There is something not quite right with the Florida Panthers.
Over the past few weeks, the Cats have struggled to play to their identity, one that has made them a team to be feared in the NHL.
Perhaps that’s part of it.
Between the style that Florida plays and being that they’re the defending Stanley Cup champs, they’re going to get the very best from every single team they face.
Now you could argue that had already been the case, but there are clearly teams who are finding ways to muck up Florida’s gears and cause issues for what had been a well-oiled defensive, forechecking machine.
The latest club to cause the Cats issues was the Washington Capitals, who defeated Florida 4-1 on Monday night at Amerant Bank Arena.
Let’s get to the takeaways:
HIGHS AND LOWS
It’s not that the Panthers are completely off their game.
There are segments and pockets where they are able to do their thing and do it well.
The problem remains that they’re not dictating play and are struggling to keep control of the puck out of their zone and into the neutral zone.
Not being able to set up exits and get in on an organized forecheck is a big part of why the Panthers can’t seem to bear down on their opponents the way they usually do.
Was there some progress on Monday? Yes.
But the Cats are still far from where they want to be.
“It was a tight game, I think the chances will probably end up even,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “There will be a bunch of stuff we like and a whole bunch of stuff we don’t.”
SOMETHING MISSING
At the end of the day, there is something not quite right about Florida’s game.
It’s not a matter of putting in the work or players doing their own thing.
Everyone on that roster has bought in and is willing to do whatever is asked by the coaches in order to succeed.
There is something else, some kind of unseen error in their code that is causing a malfunction.
It’s up to the coaching staff to figure out what that is and how to fix it.
“There’s a piece of our game that’s missing and we’re going to have to find it,” Maurice said. “I think we had it at times. We missed some chances, but we had probably about 7-8 minutes of real good at the end of the second period, and that was earned. We’ve got to stretch that out for a longer period of time.”
STRONG GAME BY KNIGHT
One of the bright spots for Florida was the play of goaltender Spencer Knight.
He finished the night with 27 saves, including 11 during a wild third period that kept the Panthers in the game until he was summoned to the bench in the final minutes.
Knight also stopped all eight of Washington’s high-danger shots on goal.
Despite not earning the win, it was a very positive outing for the young goalie.
“He made a bunch of really good saves,” Maurice said of Knight. “It was a tough screen on him on the 5-on-3. He kept it even.”
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