Florida must hate playing during their Western Canada road trip. Just like last season, they’re struggling to play out west at the moment, and for the second straight game, they get shut out, this time against the Flames. Bad bounces and turnovers remain a problem right now, and the offense has stalled out, scoring just one goal in three games. The Panthers at least got closer to scoring this time as they hit three posts but didn’t get the puck to bounce the right way for them. Same story, different day, as Calgary did a good job of clogging up the slot and preventing the Panthers from establishing heavy traffic in front of the net. Ekblad, Reinhart, Bennett, and J. Boqvist had the best chances of scoring, but the Cats couldn’t convert; the team is feeling a bit choppy with its rhythm. It’d be concerning, but Florida was in the exact same position this time last season, so it’s not time for fans to panic yet.
Bad Bounces And Turnovers:
The Cats need to be more responsible with their decision-making currently. A play by Kulikov on a clearing attempt resulted in a turnover in the slot to Kadri, who put the puck into the net for the first goal of the night. It was a rough way to start the game, but the Panthers did some nice things and dominated the faceoff circle. The second goal came at the end of the middle period off a shot from Colema,n where the puck bounced a couple of feet off the ice and past Knight. Knight absolutely should’ve made more of an effort to make a save there, but the puck also took an unusual bounce, so it may not have made a difference. The play in the neutral zone swung Calgary’s way when one of the Panthers’ players lost an edge, which was a recurring problem all night, and Coleman got in behind the available defense. After having a goal in the second period that was disallowed for kicking, Backlund got a goal anyway in the final period. He got in behind the defense, and his shot hit the top corner, where he got the bounce that puck the puck in the net for the 0-3 win. Hockey momentum is a fickle thing, and the Cats need to find a way to generate their own luck against teams that clog up the slot.
Posts Aren’t Net:
Ekblad was one of the noticeable players generating some type of offense as he ended the night with four SOG to tie Reinhart to lead the team. He had two shots hit posts and not bounce fortuitously but at least those shots got to the net at all. Calgary blocked 16 shots to the Panthers’ 11 and it frustrated the Cats all night. With minimal power play time and Barkov out with illness, the offense couldn’t find its footing. The Luostarin-Lundell-Reinhart line, which worked so well when Barkov was out at the start of the year, didn’t generate much of anything. However, Reinhart put in a big solo effort to put pucks to the net, including a great short-handed chance that got saved. Bennett had a breakaway chance that got saved, and if the rebound had not hit him, Tkachuk would’ve been there to get the rebound shot. Jesper Boqvist hit a third post late in the third period, but the puck luck isn’t there for the team at the moment. Florida hasn’t won in Calgary since 2018.
No Panic Button:
It’d be easy to overreact over two shutout losses back to back and eeking out a win over Seattle to start the road trip. However, the Cats had a bad Western Canada trip last year and didn’t show their full capability until after Christmas and through the months of January and February. The Panthers only lost two games in the entire month of February last season so that’ll probably be a better gauge of where the team is at than right now. Do I expect a repeat performance of only two losses in February? No, I don’t, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them lose minimal games between January and February. The Four Nations faceoff will also be something to keep an eye on, with Florida having eight players selected across all four teams. Ideally, no one will return from that break hurt. Given the losses to the defensive pairings, it’s encouraging that Florida is in the same place as last season, fighting for first in the Atlantic division with a small gap to third place. Florida could just be a back half of the season team, and right now is when they learn what areas need improvement for their success. So yes, back-to-back shutouts aren’t great, but there’s not a reason to hit the panic button yet and say the team is washed and has no chance of winning back-to-back Stanley Cups.
A Stanley Cup Final rematch awaits Florida on Monday against the Oilers.
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