Panthers fresh off a win is always a good thing. Now its a matinee tilt in the Motor City against the Red Wings for our Panthers.
The Numbers
[table id=TS02G23 /] [table id=IS02G23 /] [table id=GM02G23 /]* – Stats are courtesy of War-on-Ice.com, Puckalytics.com and Hockey-Reference.com
Projected Lineups
[table id=PRPF02G22 /] [table id=PRPD02G23 /] [table id=PRPG02G06 /] [table id=PROF02G23 /] [table id=PROD02G23 /] [table id=PROG02G23 /]The Rundown
Don’t get me wrong, one has to be happy when the Panthers can pull off a win right now. We will take those two points any way they present themselves.
However, it was clearly an imperfect victory. The Panthers got caved in on puck possession overall, turning in their 5th under 50 CF% performance in six games, despite a flurry of lineup adjustments. Obviously, we will need more than one game of results to get a proper read on the new adjustments, but it was not a good start.
The Panthers are likely to have at least one more adjustment this afternoon, in the absence of Alex Petrovic. He is still hurting from blocking an Ovechkin slap shot a month ago, and will miss the next few games. The Panthers have recalled Dylan Olsen in response, and will likely draw into this afternoon’s lineup. Dmitry Kulikov has travelled with the team, but does not appear ready to return to the lineup as of this afternoon.
Adjustments aside, the Panthers also fell back into another reoccuring problem: the evaporating lead. The Panthers once again blew a third period lead, allowing the Islanders to tie, then send the game to overtime and, eventually, the shootout. It was the fourth time this young season that the Panthers have blown a third period lead. Crazy things like that happen from time to time, but the Panthers seemingly make a habit of it.
However, it was the first time they managed to recover from such a bungle to win a game. So they have got that going for them.
This afternoon marks the first clash of these Atlantic Division foes in 2015-16. The Red Wings currently sit five points ahead of the Panthers. Want to make a statement in a playoff race? Win this game.
The Panthers, will need to find a way to shut down rookie sensation Dylan Larkin though. The hometown kid has 17 points so far this season, after spending one season at University of Michigan. Its been a dynamic entry for the 19 year old. Don’t believe me? Look at these plays:
I will watch this saucer pass by Larkin all night. pic.twitter.com/9gTl5C2dv7
— Kyle (@KyleWIIM) November 28, 2015
http://youtu.be/w4eHdt-9r98
Yeah, he’s pretty good. He’s not alone either. Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar, and of course Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk join him.
Closing Thoughts
Happy matinee hockey everyone!
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