This is the best anyone has felt about the Panthers all year. Five wins in a row will do that. Tonight, they go for history in New Jersey. Can the Panthers beat the Devils to make it six in a row?
The Numbers
[table id=TS02G27 /] [table id=IS02G27 /] [table id=GM02G27 /]* – Stats are courtesy of War-on-Ice.com, Puckalytics.com and Hockey-Reference.com
Projected Lineups
[table id=PRPF02G27 /] [table id=PRPD02G27 /] [table id=PRPG02G06 /] [table id=PROF02G27 /] [table id=PROD02G27 /] [table id=PROG02G27 /]The Rundown
The Panthers are making franchise history this month, and in the right way too. Tonight’s game in New Jersey has the Panthers looking to break the franchise record for most wins in a row on the road. They currently stand at five wins a row counting the four so far on this trip, and the shootout win in Tampa against the Lightning on November 14. A win tonight will also place the Panthers within 1 win of the overall franchise win streak record. That record was set in November 1995, and matched in March 2006 and March 2008.
That’s not all. The Panthers have won three games to start the month of December. This is a feat no Panthers team has done since February 2008, in which they beat Roberto Luongo’s Vancouver Canucks in Sunrise, then took road victories in Tampa Bay and Toronto. This stands in stark contrast to the fact the Panthers lost three games to start last month. Hopefully it is a sign of things to come.
That answer is probably no, if the shot attempt metrics are any indication. Last game was promising though. It saw the Panthers climb above the 50% mark in score adjusted CF% (53.2 to be exact) for the first time during their win streak, and just the second time in ten games. If this is the start of a new trend, then it is a great one. However, given that this came against a last place team, and one coached by John “We Need To Block More Shots” Tortorella, I’m not sure this will be a regular occurance. But you never know.
Tonight’s opponent is an interesting study in shot attempts. The New Jersey Devils are, much like the Panthers, a bottom third team in score adjusted CF% (22nd at 47.9% to the Panthers 28th at 46.3%). However, the interesting part is in the amount of Corsi events the Devils collect on a nightly basis, that is both shot attempts for and against, is exceedingly low. To date, the Devils are getting 88.6 CP/60, which is not only the lowest in the league this season, but is the lowest of any team ever since misses and blocked shots started being counted in 2005. For comparison’s sake, the Panthers currently have the 3rd lowest CP/60 in the league at 100.6.
This isn’t an entirely new phenomenon though, the Devils have historically been a pretty low event team. The surprising part, I suppose, would be that this lingers despite the fact that the Lou Lamoreillo regime is done in New Jersey. You would think some of the things the Devils did would change along with that, but perhaps its too soon to see those kinds of effects on the franchise.
However, do not let the low event total fool you, there are some dangerous players on the Devils. They have three 20 point scorers on the roster, led by Mike Cammalleri at 28, and followed by Lee Stempniak and Adam Henrique at 20 each. They also have Kyle Palmieri at 19 points, and Travis Zajac at 15. However, here’s the rub: that is the entirety of Devils who have scored more than 10 points. The Panthers may have no 20 point scorers, and only three 15 point scorers, but they have twice as many 10 point scorers.
The Devils also boast Cory Schneider in net, his .930 adjusted save percentage is 14th best among NHL netminders with 600 minutes played. Though it is not a top ten mark, Schneider has a reputation as an excellent goaltender, and undoubtly helps keep the Devils in most games. The Panthers would do well to get to him, and shut down the Devils top heavy offense.
Closing Thoughts
With the Panthers nearing a potentially historic victory, consider using the occasion to give to #CatsForACause. We’re raising money for RAINN, and we’d appreciate your donation. In light of the historic implications of tonight’s game, I am upping my usual pledge to $5 for a Panthers win, and $10 for a Panthers shutout.
C’mon Cats, make it happen!
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