Game 4 has come and gone, and the Florida Panthers find themselves in quite a deep hole. Down 3-1 in the first round against the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Florida must do everything they can to turn this thing around. No matter if they start Spencer Knight, Sergei Bobrovsky, or Chris Driedger. The players in front of them lack the playoff experience to guide them through this dark hour.
Lack of Playoff Experience Shows for the Florida Panthers
After an unlikely overtime winning goal from Florida Panthers forward Ryan Lomberg, the Panthers were able to find some life in the Sunshine State Showdown. Bringing the game back to within one, the Panthers headed into Sunday’s matinee with some extra confidence and high hopes. Unfortunately, the high the team was riding into Game 4 faded quickly. After a nasty and physical game, the Panthers fell to the lightning 6-2. While there were plenty of good calls by the referees, there were also some questionable ones. No matter what team you root for, it is easy to say that the refereeing has been questionable at best. Even in other series as well. Nonetheless, no matter how good or bad the refs may be. Both teams must deal with the refs and their calls at the end of the day.
At the same time, maybe the Panthers wouldn’t be in such a hole if they could stay out of the box. The guys in stripes do not skate around blindly, dishing out penalties. No matter how much it seems like it. They called something because they saw something.
On top of that, you must capitalize on it when you’re on the opposite end of these bad calls. While it doesn’t seem like it, the Panthers have done pretty well on the power play during this series. At 33.3 percent, Florida’s new five-forward playoff unit is tied for second in the playoffs with the Colorado Avalanche. Considering how offensively stacked the Avalanche are, that’s some pretty good company to keep. Now that the Panthers have their backs against the wall. These are the moments and series that build championship teams.
Florida Continues to Build for the Future
Despite one of their best regular seasons ever, Florida’s performance during this series has left many fans upset and disappointed. It’s hard not to blame them due to the minimal and dissatisfying playoff history. The team and the franchise have never been in a better place than they are now. Heading into Monday night game against Tampa, this team has never been in a situation like this. While the franchise does not have much experience with this, there is only one way to learn.
All you have to do is look at the team they are facing. How many playoff series did the Tampa Bay Lightning have to lose before they could win the Stanley Cup? The process of winning a Stanley Cup is not a one to two-year ordeal. It is a consistent process that can take many years to complete. It has taken Tampa Bay since 2010 to win a Stanley Cup. They were making the playoffs and being swept in the first round, losing in the Finals and Conference finals more than once. The NHL is too loaded for a one-hit-wonder.
Another example of the process and commitment to win a Stanley Cup would be the St. Louis Blues. Countless years of first and second-round defeats to finally winning the greatest trophy in sports. What the Panthers are doing now is exactly what those teams were doing 5-10 years ago — failing so they can learn how to succeed. The Panthers are precisely where any of their fans should want them to be—battling in the playoffs for the Stanley Cup. After plenty of heartbreaking years, fans all over South Florida should be ecstatic at how far this team has come. It is not as if the team cannot keep up with the defending champs. Scoring 13 goals in four games on the best goalie in the league? It sounds like you’re missing something that can’t be measure on the scoreboard.
