Welcome to Full Press Hockey’s Takeaway series on the Florida Panthers.
After each Panthers game of the 2022-23 season, our Florida Panthers beat writer, Alex Slemp, will recap the game and break down his biggest takeaways from the game. Today we will have a look at the Florida Panthers’ back-to-back losses over the weekend. You can follow more of his work on the Florida Panthers here, and also tune into his podcast, the Full Press Panthers Podcast, where he talks the latest on all things Florida Panthers.
One step forward, two steps back.
That has been the tune this Florida Panthers team has been marching to all season.
-
Ep 51: Stanley Cup Playoff Bubble Teams; Connor McDavid On WBC Successby Full Press Coverage on March 22, 2023 at 11:54 pm
Jim and Chris are back and are talking about the playoff races in the East […]
After winning in convincing fashion in three of their last four games before this weekend, the Panthers looked to be turning the corner on their season.
Panthers Lose Ground in the Standings with Back-to-Back Losses
But their momentum was zapped away by the Tampa Bay Lightning, and they were then put out to sea by the Seattle Kraken.
The Panthers have struggled to put any sort of run together this season. They are currently one of only three teams (Columbus, Anaheim, Florida) in the NHL to not have a winning streak of three games or more. And that number could go down to two if the Panthers lose against the Columbus Blue Jackets this Tuesday.
But coming into this weekend there was plenty of optimism amongst the players and its fanbase.
The Panthers had picked up some key victories during their lengthy road trip. And they were doing it whilst playing with a depleted lineup.
But once again, after gaining any sort of momentum, the Panthers let it all go to waste.
A string of demoralizing losses is what always follows these sporadic bursts of success,
You can point your finger at a multitude of things, whether it be injuries, scheduling, depth, or coaching. But at the end of the day, it is a collective effort by the team. And it has been a complete lack of execution that has stymied the reigning Presidents Trophy winners.
The once wild and ferocious Cats are looking more like tamed house kittens at the moment.
Here are the takeaways from this weekend’s losing skid.
Familiar Issues Continue to Plague Panthers against Lightning
It’s now seven straight losses, dating back to last season, for the Panthers against their in-state rivals.
And if the playoff sweep from last season is still haunting you, this game did nothing to rectify that.
It was the same issue once again for the Panthers — the offense failed to get to Andrei Vasilevskiy.
“We didn’t get enough pucks to the net and on the net,” said Paul Maurice after the game.
“We had 19 shots blocked and missed the net about 15 times. When you have a guy [Vasilevskiy] like that in net, you can’t waste two-thirds of your shot attempts.”
But even when the Panthers had the puck, they weren’t making smart plays.
“We didn’t manage the puck very well. We didn’t move the puck or move our feet very well,” noted Maurice.
It made for a frustrating performance, to say the least, especially after they played so well leading up to this matchup.
Now, the Lightning is no slouch of an opponent. It’s not like the Panthers had this type of struggle against, say, the Anaheim Ducks. But at some point, you need to adjust your approach and find a way to grind out a win against an opponent like this.
After all, if the Panthers make the playoffs, there is a good chance they will have to go through the three-time Stanley Cup finalists to get to the Final.
Around Full Press Hockey
NHL: Paul Maurice: “It’s A Special Place And You Could Feel It”
NHL Rumors: NHL Rumors: Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Colorado Avalanche
NHL: NHL Power Rankings: Devils Holding Onto The Top Spot
NFL: Remembering John Hadl: “A Great Player, A Great Athlete
Full Press Bets: Early 2022 NFL MVP Odds: Bills’ Josh Allen Favored
PODCAST: Full Press Hockey Weekly Ep 38: NHL Season Preview: Golden Knights, Maple Leafs, Johnny Gaudreau
Completely Gassed Against the Kraken
After seeing how the Panthers handled the Kraken just a week ago, this performance is one we can chalk up to poor scheduling.
It was the Panthers’ fourth game in six days and was on the tail end of a back-to-back.
Right from puck drop, you could see the Panthers were a step behind. It was slow feet and poor puck management once again.
“We just didn’t seem to have enough guys with the gas needed to play,” Eric Staal said after the game.
“They [Kraken] were on us. They forced us to turn pucks over a little too much…they attacked us with their quickness and speed.”
By the end of the game, the Panthers had committed 16 turnovers and had plenty more plays that were dead from the start.
Their lackluster offense resulted in the Panthers being out-shot in back-to-back games for the first time this season.
And they certainly didn’t do themselves any favors by parading themselves to the penalty box all night.
A frustrating night for the Panthers peaked in the third period after Ryan Lomberg let his emotions get the best of him. After taking a stick up high from Justin Schultz, Lomberg retaliated and drilled Schultz into the boards from behind. His actions saw him get ejected and resulted in a lengthy 5-minute major.
The subsequent penalty led to a Daniel Sprong goal to put the Kraken up 4-1 and put the game out of reach.
Another Wasted Effort by Bobrovsky
One of the lone bright spots over this weekend had to be the play of Sergei Bobrovsky.
Now, on the surface level, one would easily argue that allowing four goals in back-to-back games is anything but bright. But these games would’ve looked a lot uglier if it wasn’t for their netminder.
Bobrovsky continually stood on his head, making brilliant saves and doing everything in his power to keep his team in it.
HANG IT IN THE LOUVRE! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/RsJnqZKC84
— Alex Slemp (@AlexSlemp) December 12, 2022
“I thought he was dialed in. I thought he was really good…,” Maurice said of his goaltender after the loss to the Lightning.
“His last two games he looks back wired right.”
But you can only expect your goalie to do so much. Constant defensive breakdowns in front of him led to Bob being hung out to dry way too often. And there’s just no way for any goalie to obtain success when facing the multitude of scoring chances he had.
On the season, Bobrovsky sports a 5-8-1 record to go along with his 3.58 GAA and .884 SV%. Hardly the stats you write home about.
But as Maurice said, Bobrovsky looks to be back. You can see the confidence in his play has returned. He aggressively challenges shooters and is coming up with first and second saves.
In today’s NHL it is critical to have a solid one-two punch in the net. Spencer Knight was playing superb hockey before being sidelined with an illness, and now Bob is finding his rhythm.
If the Panthers can play better in front of their goaltenders, this team stands a chance to climb their way back into a playoff spot.
Up Next
The Panthers will take advantage of a much-needed day off before hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Blue Jackets are currently riding a two-game win streak and won their previous matchup, 5-3, against the Panthers back on November 20.
Columbus has struggled mightily on the defensive end this season. They are second last in the league with a horrendous 4.07 GA/G. So on paper, it looks like a great matchup for the Panthers to get their offense rolling again.
Puck drop is Tuesday, December 13 at 7:00 pm ET.
-
Ep 51: Stanley Cup Playoff Bubble Teams; Connor McDavid On WBC Success
by Full Press Coverage on March 22, 2023 at 11:54 pm
Jim and Chris are back and are talking about the playoff races in the East […]
-
Ep 50: Tampa Bay Lightning, Calgary, Playoff Races, Deadline Final Thoughts
by Full Press Coverage on March 11, 2023 at 12:40 pm
Jim and Chris discuss the Lightning's struggles, the Calgary Flames, and […]
-
Staying Alive: Teams Outside Wild Card Spots Find New Life
by Full Press Coverage on March 31, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Jim is back once again joined by Vox Media AM/FM NHL Analyst Bruce Zeman […]
-
The Battle for the Final Wild Card Spots in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is On
by Full Press Coverage on March 24, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Jim is back once again joined by Vox Media AM/FM NHL Analyst Bruce Zeman […]
-
Ep 81: Pasta 50, Playoff Expectations, Bergeron/Krejci, Race For Records
by Full Press Coverage on March 30, 2023 at 2:54 pm
Ian and Chris discuss Pastrnak's contract and joining the 50-goal club. In […]
-
Ep 80: Bruins Acquire Orlov, Hathaway; Pastrnak's Contract, Toronto Trip
by Full Press Coverage on February 24, 2023 at 4:50 pm
Ian and Chris react to the Bruins acquisition of Dmitry Orlov and Garnet […]
-
S4Ep22 - Stanley Cup Playoff Wild Card Races
by Jim Biringer on March 13, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Jim is back for a fourth season of the Final Word of Hockey as he looks at […]
-
S4Ep21 - NHL Trade Deadline Winners and Losers
by Jim Biringer on March 6, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Jim is back for a fourth season of the Final Word of Hockey as he brings […]
-
Sharks at Coyotes - Ducks at Oilers
by Broken Controller Media on April 1, 2023 at 7:15 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Kings at Kraken - Wild at Golden Knights
by Broken Controller Media on April 1, 2023 at 6:30 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Maple Leafs at Senators - Devils at Blackhawks - Stars at Avalanche
by Broken Controller Media on April 1, 2023 at 5:45 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Islanders at Lightning - Hurricanes at Canadiens - Panthers at Blue Jackets
by Broken Controller Media on April 1, 2023 at 5:00 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Episode #133: Plays of Coaches Past
by Full Press Coverage on March 24, 2023 at 6:14 pm
On the latest edition of The Calder Farmstead AHL Podcast, Sean and Sarah […]
-
Episode #132: The Playoffs Craic
by Full Press Coverage on March 17, 2023 at 2:28 pm
On this edition of The Calder Farmstead, it’s a special St. Patrick’s […]
-
Renegades Of Puck Ep 739
by Charlie Saunier on April 1, 2023 at 11:23 pm
Ep 739 The Renegades Of Puck Recap 6-1 W Vs Blues Preview Stars & Talk […]
-
Full Press Wild - Saturday, April 1st
by Full Press Coverage on April 1, 2023 at 4:15 pm
Today’s episode covered VGK preview, the playoff hunt, and covered fan […]
-
Full Press Islanders - Friday, March 31st
by Full Press Coverage on March 31, 2023 at 4:35 pm
Previewing the weekends back to back against Tampa and Carolina what needs […]
-
Full Press Hurricanes - Friday, March 31st
by Full Press Coverage on March 31, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Recapping the Carolina Hurricanes lost to the Detroit Red Wings Thursday […]
-
Full Press Kraken - Friday, March 31st
by Full Press Coverage on March 31, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Review Thursday’s win over Anaheim, and look at the playoff standings. […]
-
Full Press Blackhawks - Friday, March 31st
by Full Press Coverage on March 31, 2023 at 2:30 pm
The Blackhawks now have the best odds for Connor Bedard after another […]
-
3/31 - Bucks/Celtics, Angels Lose, Bruins Clinch President's Trophy
by Full Press Coverage on March 31, 2023 at 1:57 pm
Ian and John discuss the Celtics win over the Bucks, Shohei Ohtani's […]
-
3/30 - MLB Opening Day, Bucks/Celtics, LeBron And The Lakers
by Full Press Coverage on March 30, 2023 at 1:46 pm
Ian and John discuss MLB's opening day, the big matchup between the Bucks […]
-
3/28 - The Latest on Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson
by Full Press Coverage on March 28, 2023 at 2:51 pm
Ian and John discuss the latest on Aaron Rodgers break up with the Packers […]
-
3/27 - Bruins Are A Wagon; Rodgers, Jets Saga Continues
by Full Press Coverage on March 27, 2023 at 2:39 pm
Ian and John discuss the Bruins 57th win of the season and whether or not […]