Panthers welcome their former division rival the Atlanta Thrashers Winnipeg Jets to the BB&T Center tonight. Its another edition of Western Conference visitor!
The Numbers
[table id=TS02G59 /] [table id=IS02G59 /] [table id=GM02G59 /]* – Stats are courtesy of War-on-Ice.com, Puckalytics.com and Hockey-Reference.com
Projected Lineups
[table id=PF02G59 /] [table id=PD02G59 /] [table id=PG02G34 /] [table id=OF02G59 /] [table id=OD02G59 /] [table id=OG02G59 /]The Hat Trick
Holy Rau!: Yesterday was an exciting day for this site. Two of our favorite Panther prospects got called up to the big team, and we could not be happier about it. First, we’ve got Kyle Rau at forward. He’s on the shorter side at 5’8″, but do not let his lack of size fool you. Rau is a very good player. He never scored fewer than 40 points in each of his four college seasons. He earned numerous post season All-Star team accolades in his time with University of Minnesota. Most notably was his penchant for big goals. He scored 23 game winning goals in his college career, which tied the NCAA record for most in a career, originally set by Brett Sterling of Colorado College a decade ago.
He’s also a longtime friend of Nick Bjugstad. Though Rau will not make his debut on Bjugstad’s wing, this is something to keep an eye on in the future should Rau flourish in his first NHL stint. (Read: I really want to see this.)
It’s Simple Math-eson: Part two of our good yesterday was the simultaneous call up of Mike Matheson. The young defenseman is in his first full season of professional hockey after leaving college, much like Rau. He’s drawn a lot of comparisons to Brian Campbell, and for good reason. In training camp, I was taken by how similarly smooth his skating style is to Campbell. Not to mention he’s got red hair and a penchant for scoring as well. The biggest differences are, well, first of all size. Matheson is taller than Campbell by four inches (5’10” to 6’2″). The other difference is Matheson has a nastier, perhaps undisciplined edge to his game.
Brian Campbell has, going back to his pre-OHL days, never had more than 43 PIMs in a season of hockey. In fact, he won the Lady Byng in his first season with the Panthers, accumulating just 6 PIM during the 2011-12 season. Mike Matheson, on the other hand, has racked up PIMs in many of his stops leading to the NHL. Whether it be 72 PIM in 35 games at AAA Midget in Quebec, 84 PIM in 53 games during his only USHL season, or 78 PIM in his freshman year at Boston College, Matheson has been quite testy in the past, especially compared to Campbell. To his credit, he has cleaned up his act since that freshman year at BC. He was at 49 PIM and 26 PIM his next two seasons at BC, and he’s at 26 PIM in 43 games at Portland this season.
Out of Fuel: 2015-16 has been a rough one for the Winnipeg Jets. Last season, this team made the playoffs for the first time since moving from Atlanta in 2011. However, they failed to win a single game in the postseason, much as the franchise did in their only Atlanta playoff appearance in 2007. Despite that, the team was expected to take a step forward. That has not happened, unfortunately for Winnipeg fans. Instead, the Jets sit at the bottom of the ultra-competitive Central Division. Rather than a playoff race, the Jets are now engaged in the Auston Matthews sweepstakes. They trail Toronto, Edmonton, and Columbus for the worst record in the NHL entering tonight.
They have also been the subject of trade speculation, particularly when it comes to Andrew Ladd. It is thought that the Panthers have interest in the gritty winger. He could be a nice addition to the Panthers forward core, though he’s been banged up this season, and his 5 on 5 scoring rate is the lowest of his career this season (1.6 P/60). Nonetheless, there is rumored interest in Ladd, so keep an eye on him tonight.
Closing Thoughts
Don’t forget to donate to #CatsForACause!
I look forward to tonight’s edition of “Let’s use a football chant at a hockey game”. J-E-T-S SUCK SUCK SUCK
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