Wednesday was an emotionally charged match against the Pittsburg Penguins and the first half of a back-to-back for Florida. A date with Buffalo was the back half of the back-to-back, and while Head Coach Pual Maurice had said in a post-game interview that he felt the team didn’t have their legs for the second game, he was happy with the effort the team gave. The adjusted lines have continued to work well for the Panthers, and now the depth scoring is becoming more consistent, which is certainly needed for a deep playoff run. Anthony Stolarz, the best road goalie in the NHL, got the start and had a fantastic night. The Panthers’ defense continues to be a strong point of this team and is frustrating opponents. The Cats are 2 for 2 on this road trip, with one more game before coming home next week.
Adjusted Line Success:
We’ve now had three full games with the adjusted forward lines, and it’s safe to say that the adjustment has made a world of difference for the team. Rodrigues initially got paired with Luostarinen and Lundell last month when Barkov was injured, but Head Coach Paul Maurice has returned to that pairing, and it’s opened things up offensively for the Cats. Since the adjustment during the Capitals game, the 3rd line has scored 5 goals in 4 games, and the 4th line has scored 4 goals in 4 games. Having that type of depth scoring takes the pressure off the top 6 to be the entire offense, and it will also make the Cats harder to scout. After all, which line do you focus on shutting down if all the lines are getting the scoring done? A team may keep Reinhart or Tkachuk off the board, but that allows Lundell, Luostarinen, Gadjovich, and Lomberg to make plays. Going forward, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Florida stick with this new lineup. The offense was dangerous before, but with added depth scoring, it’s even more of a threat to opponents.
Anthony Stolarz Shutout:
Anthony Stolarz isn’t just a backup goalie in this tandem. He’s a vital part of the team when he’s in the net and the best goalie in the NHL on the road—Thursday night proved the point further as he got his first shutout as a Florida Panther. Buffalo certainly had plenty of scoring opportunities as they’re one of the few teams to actually outshoot the Cats, 45-31. Florida looked like they were on a second game of a back-to-back, but Stolarz was there the entire night, making incredible saves that frustrated the Buffalo players. One highlight-worthy save came when Stolarz managed to trap a puck between his pads just in front of the goal line. Another highlight save was Stolarz laying his whole body down on the ice to keep the puck trapped under him and out of the net after it’d gotten behind him and was traveling through the crease. His 45 saves put him in the Panthers’ History Books for 3rd most shots saved in a shutout, and his teammates were quick to compliment him during post-game interviews. Bobrovsky was all smiles when he went to congratulate him in the post-game goalie appreciation line.
Panthers’ Defense:
Florida’s defensive game has been very impressive this year; the game with the Sabers was no exception. Neither team gives up a lot of goals, to begin with, so it would be a battle in which defense is undisciplined first. Buffalo held the advantage in blocked shots, 15-8, but Florida held a much larger advantage in the hits department, 33-18. The Cats’ PK was also a perfect 2/2, even if they did give up more SOG chances than we’ve seen recently. The Panthers forced 7 giveaways while also getting 10 takeaways to Buffalo’s 3 giveaways and 7 takeaways. Most of the game was spent going up and down the ice, as extended offensive zone time was hard to come by. Florida’s defense allows the fewest shots from the slot, which held true against the Sabers. There was only one shot in the slot. The rest were kept to the faceoff circles and close to the blue line, and just a handful of shots right around the crease. The Cats won the defensive battle, even though they were not playing their sharpest hockey. The Panthers are back in action, concluding their road trip with a match against in-state rival Tampa Bay on Saturday.
