Fans in attendance were rather upset with how the Florida/Carolina game ended. Most Florida fans watching the game on TV were equally upset, not necessarily because the Panthers lost but how they lost. A team isn’t going to go 82-0 on the season but lose a tied game with less than eight minutes to play on a goal that happened because the refs opted not to whistle the play dead after Bobrovsky was collided into by a Hurricanes player regardless of how it happened is a tough pill to swallow. Tkachuk made a bad decision by not letting the Carolina play up from the crease, which was cited as the reason the goal was allowed to stand. Whether Tkachuk was waiting for a whistle or expecting one doesn’t change the fact that he made the wrong call in that situation. Controversy aside, Lundell and Luostarinen made big impacts, and Bobrovsky played a fantastic game.
Controversy and Fan Opinion:
I personally can’t recall the last time I saw a goalie get taken out and pushed into his own net, and the play not get whistled dead. Slavin scored not long after Bob got taken out. While Bobrovsky did make the initial save, he didn’t quite cover enough of the post for the rebound chance, which snuck in. Regardless of whether Kotkaniemi tripped on his own or was possibly pushed/tripped, after that big of a collision with a goalie, the play should’ve been blown dead. Tkachuk didn’t play to the whistle and opted to hold Kotkaniemi down on the ice in the crease while Bob was trying to get back into position. Both the refs and Tkachuk made poor decisions. Fans in the house certainly let their feelings be known as they spent the rest of the game chanting ‘Refs You Suck’ and even putting the sentiment to the cadence of their normal ‘Let’s Go Panthers’ chant. Fans on X quickly made their opinions known as the Florida faithful questioned the call, with even the official Panthers X account posting, “It’s a goal for Carolina, we guess?” Forsling had this to say in his post-game interview, “to see that goal, whatever. We’re not going to complain about it. It is what it is.” Lundell said, “It sucks to be honest. You always hate losing, but it’s part of this. We learn and be ready for tomorrow.”
Young Cats:
Two players who had a great game were Lundell and Luostarinen. Lundell scored the only Florida goal in the second period to tie the game at 1-1. His line was tasked with dealing with Staal’s line and was up to the task. The third line had some of the best offensive looks all game, with Verhaeghe getting several chances while he’s playing on that line for the time being. Ideally, the Panthers would like to get Verhaeghe going as he’s having a bit of a rough year, whether it’s due to bad luck or just having a down year he’s struggling at the moment but had some prime scoring opportunities in this game. Lundell is having a great year creating plays for his linemates, whether they are Verhaeghe, Jesper Boqvist, Samoskevich, or Rodrigues. Luostarinen equally had a great game with his forechecking and net-front presence. Luostarinen’s defense is one of his biggest strengths, and he was once again great on the PK, as the Panthers didn’t allow a single PP goal from the Hurricanes. Eetu doesn’t typically play up with Tkachuk and Bennett, but he did have a couple of dangerous scoring opportunities, including one in the first period when the Cats had nearly nothing going offensively.
Bobrovsky Standout:
By far, Bobrovsky was the best player for Florida. He had a busy first period, stopping 15 of 16 shots; the goal that went in bounced off of Barkov, and Bob had no chance of stopping it. One of Bob’s best saves of the night came in the first period, where he stretched out and got his skate on the puck to deny Aho a goal. His save got the crowd back into the game after they’d quieted down following the early goal. Bob ended the night with a .949 SV% and stopped 37 of 39 shots. His big saves late in the game earned him Bob-by chats by the crowd, and he was the main reason the game was a one-goal game or tied for the majority of the 60 minutes. With his start in this match, he moves to second in all-time games played for the Panthers by a goaltender at 296, surpassing J. Vanbiesbrouck. Forsling said that Bob had an unreal game in his post-game interview. Bobrovsky looked like playoff Bo,b which bodes well for the Panthers.
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Several times a week an opposing player gets pushed into a goalie knocks him into the net and there is not a whistle. Florida fans are just upset because the typical Tkachuck goon agitater play backfired and cost Florida the game. Slavin’s goal was two shots later, plenty of time for Koki to get out of the way if his neck was not being ground into the ice by 19’s knee. In a rare moment in NHL game refs made the right call. Go Canes!!