The Panthers season keeps chugging along. With a strong 3-1-0 start to the season, they wrap up a brief two game homestand with a visit from the Dallas Stars. It’s a battle of 3-1-0 teams, someone is going to win their fourth game of the season tonight.
The Numbers
[table id=TS02G05 /] [table id=IS02G05 /] [table id=GM02G05 /]* – Stats are courtesy of War-on-Ice.com, Puckalytics.com and Hockey-Reference.com
Projected Lineups
[table id=PRPF02G05 /] [table id=PRPD02G01 /] [table id=PRPG02G01 /] [table id=PROF02G05 /] [table id=PROD02G05 /] [table id=PROG02G05 /]The Rundown
The Panthers are off to a great start. In fact, its one of the best four game starts in team history. This is just the sixth time in franchise history that the Panthers have won three games among their first four games. Tonight, they go for four wins. Just once in history have the Panthers won four of their first five games. Which season did that occur in? 1995-96, the Year of the Rat.
In the present moment, there are plenty of things to like about the Panthers. Roberto Luongo has been great, as usual, early on. The Panthers have been conceding a few more shot attempts than last year’s pace, and Lu has been equal to the slightly increased workload. His .972 adjusted save percentage trails only Arizona’s Mike Smith and San Jose’s Martin Jones among goaltenders who have played 120 minutes. Luongo is not the only elder skatesman who is off to a great start.
Jaromir Jagr, at 43 years old, is enjoying his best start to a season in nearly a decade. His six points, which leads the Panthers, is the best since his return from the KHL in 2011, besting the four points he put up in his Dallas Stars debut (all points came during the opening game). One would have to go back to the 2006-07 season to find a better Jagr start, when he had eight points in the first four games of the season for the New York Rangers.
While Jagr connects with past glory, Aleksander Barkov is starting to find his own. The young Finn scored only two points in the first four games of his career in 2013-14. He went pointless in his first five games last season. This year, however, Barkov has exploded for five points in four games. He’s only had five points in four games twice before in his NHL career, both of those streaks coming after uniting with Jonathan Huberdeau last season. It is indeed very early on in the season, and anything can happen, but it certainly appears that Barkov has turned a corner.
Meanwhile, the Panthers welcome the Dallas Stars into town tonight for their only Sunrise appearance of the season. Things got a little testy last season after Dmitry Kulikov missed a hip check on Tyler Seguin, resulting in a knee injury to one of the NHL’s leading scorers at the time and a suspension to Kulikov. The Stars exacted some measure of revenge though by winning both games last season.
A Dallas player, however, found themselves once again on the receiving end of an injurious hit on Thursday night in Tampa. Forward Curtis McKenzie was hit from behind into the boards by the Lightning’s Nikita Nesterov. McKenzie has been placed on IR and returned to Dallas for evaluation. Radek Faksa has been recalled from the Texas Stars to fill his roster spot. Nesterov, for his part, has been suspended two games.
In other player spotlights, Patrick Sharp, the Dallas Stars’ big veteran acquisition this past offseason is still looking for his first point with the team. The lack of production has nothing to do with support though, he’s riding shotgun with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin who have five and four points respectively. He’s not the only notable Stars player without a point, young gun Valeri Nichushkin is also pointless through two games played, but will likely draw back in with the McKenzie injury.
Mattias Janmark, a prospect acquired from Detroit last year in the Erik Cole trade, has looked great early on for Dallas. The young Swedish forward had just nine games of North American experience prior to this season. However, he has four points in four games, and is a noticeable force on the ice. So much for getting acclimated to the North American game. He’s fast, he’s got great hands, and he forces turnovers. If you’re looking for someone not named Jamie Benn or Tyler Seguin to watch on the Stars, definitely watch this kid.
Closing Thoughts
Jim Nill missed the train to Mars, he was out back counting Stars.
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