13 games, 0 goals, 5 assists, -9 or 3 games, 1 goal, 0 assists, even.
Those are the stat lines of Richard Panik (former) and Brett Connolly (latter). You may look at Panik’s numbers and say that they aren’t so bad, aside from the plus minus. You may look at Connolly’s numbers and think that they’re too limited to tell the story. However, in the case of two young players locked in a position battle, there’s plenty to derive from even that small sampling.
Position battles are nothing new to hockey. The Lightning, however, is in a fairly unique position with young players fighting for roster spots in a (currently) winning climate. This is not Calgary or Buffalo where the results don’t particularly matter. There’s time for growing pains, especially with a patient GM like Steve Yzerman, but the leash has to be shorter because this team is showing signs that it is capable of winning now. (Photos/Susan Ferlita)
In last night’s game, Connolly seized his chance by scoring the game winning goal on a nice deflection of a Radko Gudas shot. It was a clutch goal against a very talented Blues team that many have picked for a deep playoff run. Those kinds of plays are what you need from goal scorers, no matter how old or young they are.
See Connolly’s goal below at the 3:37 mark.
It’s not to say that Panik has played poorly. He’s certainly been snakebitten, but his play has been good for the most part. He’s buzzing around and picking up assists despite not scoring any goals. Unfortunately, he hasn’t made the kind of big splash in his 13 games that Connolly has just made in his third.
The onus is now on Panik to be noticed, make some big plays and dent some twine so he can claw his way back into the conversation. It may be tough while he’s playing on the fourth line with Nate Thompson and B.J. Crombeen, but coach Jon Cooper is frequently shuffling guys around and Panik will get his shot with skill players. Now it’s up to him to prove that he can play his game in the NHL. After all, the Lightning has a ton of depth at forward and the team has not been one to sugarcoat a players struggles.
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