New year, same Panthers. The red hot Florida Panthers go for a franchise record eight wins in a row tonight. They will need to knock off a struggling New York Rangers squad tonight to do so.
The Numbers
[table id=TS02G38 /] [table id=IS02G38 /] [table id=GM02G38 /]* – Stats are courtesy of War-on-Ice.com, Puckalytics.com and Hockey-Reference.com
Projected Lineups
[table id=PF02G35 /] [table id=PD02G35 /] [table id=PG02G34 /] [table id=OF02G38 /] [table id=OD02G38 /] [table id=OG02G38 /]The Rundown
It has been a busy day here at The Sunshine Skate. We offered thoughts on the extensions handed to Dale Tallon, Gerard Gallant, and Tom Rowe earlier. We also took a look at the Panthers insane month of December, and what we may have to look forward to. Check those articles out to get a sense of where the Panthers are right now.
As for the Rangers, last time the Panthers played them I wrote a lengthy piece about the Rangers shot metrics (and put the Panthers own struggles up against theirs). Not to say, “I told you so,” but I do not find the Rangers recent tumble all that shocking. What is shocking though is the source of the Rangers regression: Henrik Lundqvist. His adjusted save percentage since starting against the Panthers on November 21 is .914. Not terrible, but not great. Certainly does not match the .940 plus numbers he was putting up prior to that.
However, given the amount of talent on that team, and Lundqvist’s track record, you have to think the Rangers can find a way to turn that around. So do not take much comfort in their struggles, the Rangers could definitely strike back at any time.
Players to Watch:
Dmitry Kulikov – The Russian defensemen led all Panthers defensemen in December with a score adjusted CF% of 53.4 (tied with Erik Gudbranson). He has been paired with Aaron Ekblad for the last eight games. They posted terrible shot metrics together in their first three games, but Kulikov has been 50+ in score adjusted CF% over the last five games (four games for Ekblad), and they have a raw CF% of 50.6 together since the beginning of December.
Henrik Ludqvist (NYR) – As stated above, he has not seemed to be his usual regal self over the last little while. It will be interesting to see if he can right the ship tonight, or if he will continue to struggle.
Closing Thoughts
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Where’s your crown King Henrik?
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