It was an afternoon matinee for the Panthers against Anaheim. Florida was looking to rebound after losing to New Jersey Saturday night & Anaheim was on the hunt to avenge the loss to the Cats from earlier in the season. Florida looked dominant in the offensive zone, holding the majority of the time, but has struggled to score during 5-on-5 play as of late. Sam Bennett had a great match, getting two out of the four goals, Reinhart continued his hot streak, scoring short-handed, and Verhaeghe scored the last of the four goals for Florida. Anaheim was the better team defensively, holding the advantage in blocked shots (19-11) and hits (18-14). Florida was better puck handling with the advantage in faceoffs (39-24) and shots on goal (34-26). The undisciplined retaliation penalties and defense would be the Panther’s Achilles’ heel, as Anaheim would walk away with the 2 points.
Revolving Door of Penalties:
The first period was mostly clean play, but one powerplay for each team. Florida would convert theirs for a goal while the Ducks had theirs killed off. It would be the second period where the penalties would start to rack up for both teams. The Panthers got two more PPs, and Anaheim got four more; nearly half the period was spent with specialty teams on the ice. A penalty would end for one team just for another one to start. The Cats went 2 for 3, scoring on another PP during the 2nd, and the Ducks stayed 0 for 4. However, specialty teams weren’t the whole story, as through 40 minutes of play, Florida only had a 1-goal lead, 4-3. The Panthers would end the game with 16 minutes in penalties; Anaheim had 14 minutes. Fights started to break out in the 2nd period, especially the 3rd, as Bennett, Tkachuk, McTavish, and Vatrano all went to the box at the same time for roughing. Tkachuk was quick to jump into a scrap to defend his teammates, even if it meant taking undisciplined penalties. Fans let their voices be heard loudly chanting, “Refs you suck”, at the end of the 3rd period. Specialty teams are still Florida’s bread and butter, as they went 2 for 4 & scored a short-handed goal as well while keeping the Ducks 0-for-5 on the PP.
Poor Puck Luck:
The poor puck luck held over from the New Jersey game as so many shots hit the crossbar or post. It must be about 8-10 at this point over the last two games. Just like Saturday night, the scoring opportunities were there, but the helpful bounces weren’t. Gibson made some good saves for Anaheim, but there were plenty of shots that Cats fans have seen go in 9 times out of 10. Lockwood & Tkachuk both had great shots that just didn’t get the right bounce to go to the back of the net. The Panthers were taking shots from all over the offensive zone and were mere inches from getting the goals needed to win the game.
Undisciplined Defense:
The defense started strong for Florida, with them holding off Anaheim from getting much offensive zone time. However, the time that they did get, the Ducks converted into goals off of not nearly as many shot chances. Two of Anaheim’s goals came from breakaway chances; they utilized a lot of speed to get around the defense and then beat Stolarz at the net. Three of the Ducks’ goals came from just in front of the net, and the fourth came from just outside the slot. Poor defensive response would come back to bite Florida in overtime as well when Anaheim got another breakaway 2-on-1 chance to score to win. Coach Paul Maurice has preached a defense-first mentality for this group, and we can see the results of that in how successful the PK has been this season; Full-strength play is where it’s lacking at the moment. The defense has been very aggressive in the offensive zone, which can be a great tool to add depth scoring, but it doesn’t currently have the speed to make up for it if the opposing team gets a breakaway chance. Florida will look to get back to the win column on Wednesday when the Detroit Red Wings come to town.
ITR 39: Conference Finals – Inside The Rink
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Nice recap of the Florida Panthers vs. Anaheim Ducks game! It’s always great to see the Panthers come out on top, especially with a dominant performance like they had last night. The Ducks put up a good fight, but the Panthers’ offense was too much to handle. Looking forward to seeing how they perform in their next matchup!