The Panthers had one very big weekend. They knocked off both 2015 Stanley Cup finalists and helped further solidify their place in the Atlantic Division. Tonight, they face the Toronto Maple Leafs for the first time this season, in the last game before All-Star Weekend.
The Numbers
[table id=TS02G49 /] [table id=IS02G49 /] [table id=GM02G49 /]* – Stats are courtesy of War-on-Ice.com, Puckalytics.com and Hockey-Reference.com
Projected Lineups
[table id=PF02G47 /] [table id=PD02G48 /] [table id=PG02G33 /] [table id=OF02G49 /] [table id=OD02G49 /] [table id=OG02G49 /]The Hat Trick
A Job Well Done: The two wins this past weekend were monumentally huge. Call back to the situation before the Panthers. They held first place by just three points over Tampa Bay and Detroit, having lost four games in a row. Collecting a fifth straight loss against Chicago would have set up a first place battle the following night against Tampa Bay. Instead, the Panthers stood up to the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Huberdeau-Barkov-Jagr line, with the defensive pairing of Kulikov-Ekblad pinned Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa in their own end during the first shift of the game. Do you know how hard that is? It set the tone for the whole weekend. The 3rd period against Tampa aside, the Panthers played well with confidence against two of the toughest opponents in the league. I don’t know where this season is going, but it sure feels like the makings of something special, does it not?
The 60 Mark: It is interesting to note that, in defeating both the Blackhawks and Lightning this weekend, the 2015-16 Panthers became just the third squad in team history to notch 60 or more standing points through the first 48 games of the season. The other teams were the 1999-2000 Panthers, who had 63 points at Game 48, and the 1995-96 Panthers, who had 65 points. Both squads made the playoffs, and we all know what the 1995-96 Panthers did.
It’s Leafy: This is the first time the Panthers will face the Toronto Maple Leafs this season. These two teams last played on March 26, 2015 at the Air Canada Centre, to a 4-1 final in favor of the Cats. Much has changed in the time since. Former Panthers coach Peter Horachek is out as head coach, in is highly-regarded Mike Babcock. Phil Kessel is gone, traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Lou Lamoreillo, fresh off a 28 year tenure as GM of the New Jersey Devils, is now GM of the Maple Leafs. That’s a lot of change, to say the least.
The result? We have a Maple Leafs team that has stronger possession metrics than before, but is still not winning hockey games. Neither of these are necesarrily surprising. Mike Babcock has come in and instituted his system, and it has made the team’s approach more efficient. However, the team also lacks a level of talent and cohesion that a better team would have. They look like a team in the first full-year of a total rebuild, which they are.
End game: they might be a very flawed team, but do not take them lightly, because while they lack the ability to sustain success, they certainly can hurt you over the course of one game.
Closing Thoughts
#CatsForACause donations are appreciated as always. We are just $63 short of 50% our goal, so why not help us make it a nice, round $1,500 tonight, eh?
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