As the Christmas break comes to an end, and the National Hockey League continues down their 2014-15 season, few teams who have exceeded expectations will be on the watch. Can the New York Islanders continue their surprising season of 23-11-0, despite losing their last game before the break to the Montreal Canadiens? After getting off to a hot start, the Calgary Flames went on a skid of 8 straight losses before rebounding to defeat the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Los Angeles Kings, and they’re still in a hunt for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. How about those Nashville Predators, who are just two points back of the Chicago Blackhawks for the division lead, with two games in hand?
Out of all these amazing stories, the one that has seemingly received little-to-no coverage is that of the Florida Panthers. Sitting in 6th place in Atlantic Division, and 10th in the Eastern Conference, the team has registered a 15-9-8 record. Currently, they are two points back of the Washington Capitals for the last wild card spot, while holding two games in hand. The Panthers are also five points back of the first wild card spot, held by the Toronto Maple Leafs, though they have three games in hand over the Leafs. The Boston Bruins, who have battled through some difficult injuries to key players this season, are just one point ahead of the Panthers, playing three more games in the process.
It takes the Florida Panthers to actually win these games in hand to make progress in the standings, but with the way things are going, that feat may not be out of reach. In fact, the idea of the Panthers snatching up one of the two wild card spots is entirely plausible.
Heading into the Christmas break, the Panthers had won three of their last four games. After a pair of two shoot-out victories, both by a score of 2-1, against the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers, the Panthers exchanged wins with the Pittsburgh Penguins, despite giving up three of a possible four points to the Conference-leading power-house. The month of December was a roller-coaster ride, the result being a 6-3-2 record and 14 points out of a possible 22. Of course, the last three games to end the month will be a true test of character, as they play the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers, whom all have a step ahead in the standings. Winning the next three games, or at least salvaging a point, will be crucial to how the Panthers shape up in the wild card race.
Why is nobody talking about the Panthers? It seems like the media continues to ignore the franchise, while the fans in Sunrise fail to show up, averaging just 9,423 fans per game, equalling to 55.3% of the arena’s capacity – a league worst. It’s truly hard to fathom why a team that could potentially see elevation in the standings can still not attract enough attention.
The Florida Panthers have no stars
This is statement that pundits want you to believe. If you take a look at statistics, then sure, the Panthers struggle to ice offensive producing players. Nick Bjugstad is the top point-getter for the Panthers, with 19 points in 32 games, placing him 121st in scoring among all NHL’ers. He’s also the leader on the team for goals scored with 12, but is ranked outside of the top 30 in the league (currently 34th). He’s also the only player on the Panthers with a double-digit total in the goals column. What’s more amazing, however, is that he is doing this while averaging just over 17 minutes per game, and a quarter of his goal total has counted as the game-winning tally. Bjugstad is also four goals shy of his total count from last season after playing less than half the amount of games (16 in 72 last season, 12 in 32 this season).
If you’re having trouble finding a star, adjust your television monitor and focus those lenses because Aaron Ekblad says “Hello.” In 32 games, Ekblad has 19 points (5 goals, 14 assists) and is ranked third among all NHL rookies. While it’s unlikely that he’ll catch Filip Forsberg, who leads all NHL rookies with 32 points (13 goals, 19 assists), placing third in this category as a rookie defenseman is no small accomplishment. Of his 19 points, only 3 have come on the powerplay, which includes 2 goals. Ekblad also has two game-winning tallies. His use for the team has been just as impressive, averaging a hint over 22 minutes of ice time. In that total, he has played 18+ minutes of even strength play, while averaging 2-3 minutes of powerplay time, and a sample of penalty killing duties as well (it’s an average of 28 seconds, but it’s something).
Acquired last season from the Chicago Blackhawks, Jimmy Hayes has really stepped into his own element, posting 9 goals on the year thus far, and putting him on pace for a 25+ goal season. In the last game against the Penguins, Hayes potted two goals while playing on a line with Sean Bergenheim and center Aleksander Barkov, a line that dominated the Penguins in their own zone. While his usual linemates have been Vincent Trocheck and Jussi Jokinen, head coach Gerard Gallant may be interested in keeping the Hayes-Barkov-Bergenheim line in tact, at least for a few more games, to see if there is chemistry outside of a small sample size. While one should expect his 16.1 shooting percentage to drop over the course of the season, the Panthers will gladly take advantage of it for the time being.
It took six games to attain his first point with the new team, but since then, Jussi Jokinen has consistently racked up points with the Panthers. Considering Jokinen has averaged just over 16 minutes this season and the fact that 13 of his 17 points have come at even strength, Jokinen has been an asset for the Panthers. Defensively, his first 16 games were more impressive than the last 16, but Jokinen’s -3 rating is not a reflection on poor defensive play. The 31-year-old has no problem back-checking on a play and smart decisions on defensive zone break-outs have propelled fans’ opinions on the Finnish winger.
Goaltending Problems Have Been Solved
The trade itself was a win for both sides of the deal, but in an effort to prevent redundancy, you can read more about the trade itself HERE.
When Denis Potvin, the Panthers’ color analyst, joined TSN 690, following their record-setting 20-round shoot-out victory over the Washington Capitals, he discussed the crucial role that Roberto Luongo has played in the success of the team. “He gives the team a chance to win, every night,” Potvin said. “I think I can recall one or two periods where Luongo wasn’t playing up to the way you’d expect him to play but (aside from that) he’s been spectacular.”
In 26 games on the season, Luongo has recorded a 13-7-6 record, notching one shutout. Currently sitting in 8th for goals against (2.30), and 10th in save percentage (.924), Luongo is the 12th most utilized goaltender in the league. The New York Islanders’ 1st round selection, 4th overall back in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft has done the job the Panthers had hoped for. In a game against the Carolina Hurricanes back in November, Luongo made sure a puck stayed out of his net, even injuring himself in the process of making the spectacular stop.
On the season, Luongo has been simply amazing on even-strength play. In his 26 games, Luongo has an impressive .934 save percentage and a 1.50 goals against during 5-on-5 play. His .879 save percentage while his team is on the penalty kills is respectable, considering he is ahead of goaltenders like Corey Schneider (.865), Pekka Rinne (.857), Jonathan Quick (.846) Tuukka Rask (.845) and Henrik Lundqvist (.838). Luongo’s dominance against Atlantic Division rivals has been something to take note of as well. In 7 games, he’s posted a 4-1-2 record. On the road, he’s held Atlantic Division teams down with a .935 save percentage and a 1.94 goals against. At home, his stats improve to .941 save percentage and 1.51 goals against.
In the month of December, Luongo has gone 6-2-1, allowing 21 goals during that stretch. His biggest game of the month came against the Detroit Red Wings, where he stopped 38 of 41 pucks. While his save percentage dropped off to .919, lower than November’s .928 and October’s .926, his goals against improved from 2.32 last month to 2.25 this month. With three more games to go this month, Luongo has a chance of winning 9 games of 12 on the month and elevating his team’s chances of cracking the playoffs for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
The Thing About Coaching
After spending three years with the Columbus Blue Jackets, from the 2003-04 season, until his demise in 2006-07, and two years as assistant coach on Long Island, Gerard Gallant spent the next three seasons as a head coach to the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs. In those three years, the Sea Dogs held a record of 161-34-0, made the QMJHL finals every year, and won the championship in two of those years. Making his mark in the Q, Gallant landed a role with the Montreal Canadiens, serving as the assistant coach to head Michel Therrien. Thanks in part to icing a good hockey team, the Canadiens went on to make the playoffs in both years, and a Eastern Conference finals berth last year.
It was then that general manager Dale Tallon decided this was the man to run the Florida Panthers bench. Putting out a team that mixed a group of young players with some veterans, both on offense and defense, and a goaltender that knows a thing or two about winning, Gallant took the reigns and worked on solidifying the team’s mental game. Lacking offensive firepower, the concentration was put on defensive play, and helping Luongo out as much as possible. The result, so far, has been a success, as the Panthers have the 8th best goals against average rating, and the 4th best rating in 5-on-5 goals against. In 32 games, the Panthers have allowed 78 goals, also good for 4th in the league.
Having coached Jonathan Huberdeau in Saint John, the hopes for a rejuvenation has not yet been met, although there is still significant time for that to change. In 29 games this season, the left winger has 3 goals and 10 assists, while averaging 16:25 time on ice. The good news is, despite the expectations of being reunited with Gallant helping out not being met, Huberdeau’s play as been head-and-shoulders above last year’s showing. After coming back from hip surgery and playing on a broken foot, Gallant has worked on injecting confidence into Huberdeau’s game and making sure he reaches the potential of being that 3rd overall pick he was, back in 2011.
Off-Season Moves Paying Off
Apart from Jokinen, who has been quite the asset to the team, Dale Tallon added a few more new names to the Panthers team that have helped the on-ice result.
The fourth line got a nice adjustment. While not known as a point producing forward, Shawn Thornton has played well. The long-time Bruin as slotted well on the 4th line in the 22 games he played, picking up three fighting majors and adding a goal and an assist. While it’s unlikely he’ll live up to his two-year, $2.4 million contract, Tallon will appreciate the leadership and grit Thornton adds. Meanwhile, Derek MacKenzie‘s aggressiveness and fore-checking has been appreciated by both management and the fans.
Willie Mitchell, at the age of 37, has been the Panthers most consistent defensive defenseman on the season. Averaging 22:21 time on ice per game, Mitchell is a key element to the Panthers penalty kill, and a general work-horse. While he won’t put up big offensive numbers, he plays a veteran role alongside Brian Campbell to an otherwise young defensive core.
Speaking of the youth, prospect Rocco Grimaldi got a 7-game tryout with the Panthers, and scored a goal before getting sent down. His speed and offensive skills were something Panthers fans admired most and while he will get his time to develop properly before receiving full-time status in the NHL, the chance of another call-up is possible. He’ll need to work on fine-tuning the defensive side of his game, but he didn’t look bad during his stint in that aspect.
The Florida Panthers team is a hard-working one. Their mix of veteran leaders and up-and-coming youth is a treat to watch, and backstopped by Roberto Luongo, the team has new life under the coaching of Gerard Gallant. The second half of the season will be tough for the Panthers, but through grit and determination, Florida has the potential to be one of the 16 teams this post-season.
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