Summary:
The Panthers return home tonight from a successful 2-1-1 road trip to start a three game homestand. They managed to grab five points on a tough trip that featured the two division leaders in the Western Conference, and the Defending Stanley Cup Champions. That’s something the Cats can feel good about. Now they face another Western Conference foe, the Minnesota Wild, who wrap up their own three-game road trip in Sunrise. The Panthers have experienced an offensive revival on the road, will it continue at home? On to the game!
Know Your Enemy:
Panthers All-Time Record v. Minnesota: 4-8-2 with 1 tie.
2013-14 Season Record v. Minnesota: 1-1-0
Last Game: 11/15/13 @ Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul, MN), Panthers lost 3-2
Fun Fact: The Wild are one of two teams that the Panthers have played the least all-time. Prior to tonight, the Panthers have played only 15 games against the Minnesota Wild. The other team is the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Minnesota slides into town tonight sitting in 5th place of the Central Division. If the playoffs were to be held today, they would be out of the playoffs as San Jose and Los Angeles currently hold the two Wild Card spots. The Wild catch themselves in a precarious position within the competitive Western Conference, and they will have to find a way to win tonight without brilliant, young defenseman Jonas Brodin. The Panthers can expect to face a hungry opponent. Though the Wild may currently sit out of the playoffs, they are a team to be reckoned with: they fetch 54.2% of Shot Attempts (Corsi) in Close 5 on 5 situations (game within 1 goal in the first two periods or game tied), which is second only to Chicago. Additionally, they have given up the 4th fewest goals in the league at 43, and the 3rd fewest Shot Attempts Against per 60 minutes 5 on 5 at 48.1. They also generate the 6th most Shot Attempts For per 60 minutes 5 on 5 at 57.3. The Wild are a dangerous bunch, needless to say.
The Rundown:
Panther Leaders & Special Teams
Goals: Nick Bjugstad (7)
Assists: Jussi Jokinen (10)
Points: Jussi Jokinen (12)
Shot Attempts (Corsi) Rel: Brian Campbell (+8.0%)
Power Play: 16.1% (22nd)
Penalty Kill: 77.8% (T-22nd)
Wild Leaders & Special Teams
Goals: Nino Niederreiter (9)
Assists: Thomas Vanek (10)
Points: Zach Parise (13)
Shot Attempts (Corsi) Rel: Jonas Brodin (+8.9%)
Power Play: 9.7% (28th)
Penalty Kill: 86.9% (5th)
*Corsi Relative calculated at 5v5, having played at least one half of team’s games.
The Hat Trick:
1. The Panthers road trip through California and Nashville was a definite success as far as this team is concerned. The reinvigorated offense was very noticeable with 12 goals scored, and we all know they got five of eight points, but what else was accomplished in the West? This is the first time since the 1999-2000 season that the Panthers have won 2 games on the road in California. Ironically, it was the same two teams, Anaheim and San Jose, which the Panthers beat back then. This was also the first time since the 2008-09 season that the Panthers have managed to get a point out of the Predators in Nashville. This is all very positive, even if these are teams the Panthers rarely face.
2. Sometimes, there is concern about how a team will perform in their first game back from a road trip. However, the Panthers have an excellent record in such games over the last few years. They have posted an 8-1-2 record, dating back to the 2011-12 season, in games which the Panthers are returning from a 4+ game road trip. That is fantastic. Hopefully the trend continues tonight.
3. While the Panthers have recently broke out offensively, there is one name we have not heard a lot from: Aleksander Barkov. One explaination might be his linemates. He was put on a line with Tomas Kopecky and Scottie Upshall for a good chunk of the hot streak. Statistically, this does not favor Barkov at all. His shot attempt (Corsi) percentage with Kopecky is a paltry 40.5%, and is even worse with Upshall at 38.6%. That is downright awful, especially considering he’s a slightly better than even player without them. Recently, he was placed with Tomas Fleischmann and Rocco Grimaldi. His Shot Attempt% is above 57% with both but between Fleischmann’s struggles and Grimaldi’s greenness, this is not ideal either. Tonight, he centers Sean Bergenheim and Brad Boyes. This is no doubt a better situation for Barkov, especially with Bergenheim, as they are 51.4% together.
Projected Lineup
Florida Panthers
L1: Bergenheim | Barkov | Boyes
L2: Huberdeau | Bjugstad | Upshall
L3: Jokinen | Pirri | Hayes
L4: Kopecky | MacKenzie | Thornton
D1: Campbell | Ekblad
D2: Mitchell | Kulikov
D3: Robak | Gudbranson
SG: Luongo
BG: Montoya
Minnesota Wild
L1: Parise | Granlund | Pominville
L2: Niederreiter | Koivu | Fontaine
L3: Zucker | Coyle | Vanek
L4: Carter | Haula | Brodziak
D1: Suter | Spurgeon
D2: Scandella | Prosser
D3: Ballard | Dumba
SG: Backstrom
BG: Kuemper
Closing Thoughts:
What goes bad first?
Ryan Suter’s legs after averaging 29:19 TOI a Game or the corndogs they sell at the Minnesota State Fair?
AJ can be reached for contact on Twitter.
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