The Florida Panthers were already mad hot in Vancouver. Can they keep the fire stoked versus the Flames, and continue their point streak to blistering 14 games?
Here’s some audio accompaniment for your visual pregame:
The Numbers
Team Breakdown
| Florida Panthers | Calgary Flames | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 26-12-5 (1st Atlantic) | 19-20-2 (6th Pacific) |
| GF/60 (5v5) | 2.2 | 2.2 |
| GA/60 (5v5) | 1.7 | 2.7 |
| CF/60 (5v5) | 46.1 | 52.6 |
| CA/60 (5v5) | 51.3 | 57.7 |
| PDO (5v5) | 102.5 | 98.7 |
| Power Play | 16.7% - 24 for 144 (27th) | 14.6% - 19 for 130 (30th) |
| Penalty Kill | 82.3% - 115 for 140 (8th) | 73.5% - 72 for 98 (30th) |
Individual Leaders
| Florida Panthers | Calgary Flames | |
|---|---|---|
| Points | Jaromir Jagr - 32 | Johnny Gaudreau - 42 |
| Goals | Jaromir Jagr - 15 | Johnny Gaudreau - 18 |
| Assists | Jonathan Huberdeau - 24 | Johnny Gaudreau - 24 |
| PP/60 (5v5) | Jaromir Jagr - 1.90 | Johnny Gaudreau - 1.76 |
| iCorsi/60 (5v5) | Brandon Pirri - 15.41 | Michael Frolik - 18.68 |
| CF% rel (5v5, SA) | Brian Campbell - +7.6% | Mark Giordano - +4.58% |
| SCF% rel (5v5, SA) | Jaromir Jagr - +10.42% | Michael Frolik - +8.87% |
| PenD (5v5) | Aleksander Barkov - +8 | Sam Bennett - +16 |
Goalie Matchup
| Roberto Luongo | Jonas Hiller | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 19-11-4 | 4-4-0 |
| AdjSv% (5v5) | .937 | .883 |
| GAA | 2.08 | 3.76 |
* – Stats are courtesy of War-on-Ice.com, Puckalytics.com and Hockey-Reference.com
Projected Lineups
Florida Panthers
| #11 Jonathan Huberdeau | #16 Aleksander Barkov | #68 Jaromir Jagr |
| #36 Jussi Jokinen | #21 Vincent Trocheck | #18 Reilly Smith |
| #73 Brandon Pirri | #27 Nick Bjugstad | #48 Logan Shaw |
| #22 Shawn Thornton | #17 Derek MacKenzie | #53 Corban Knight |
| #51 Brian Campbell | #44 Erik Gudbranson |
| #7 Dmitry Kulikov | #3 Steven Kampfer |
| #33 Willie Mitchell | #6 Alex Petrovic |
| #1 Roberto Luongo |
| #35 Al Montoya |
Calgary Flames
| #13 Johnny Gaudrea | #23 Sean Monahan | #79 Michael Ferland |
| #93 Sam Bennett | #11 Mikael Backlund | #24 Jiri Hudler |
| #8 Joe Colborne | #60 Markus Granlund | #19 David Jones |
| #52 Brandon Bollig | #18 Matt Stajan | #16 Josh Jooris |
| 35 Mark Giordano | #7 T.J. Brodie |
| #4 Kris Russell | #27 Dougie Hamilton |
| #29 Deryk Engelland | #6 Dennis Wideman |
| #1 Jonas Hiller |
|---|
| #31 Karri Ramo |
The Hat Trick
Big Nick Bjugstad
Bjugstad is slowly coming alive and the hope is that a feisty game in Vancouver will get Bjugstad angry enough to put the puck through the net. Not only is it important for the Panthers to get their usual leading goal scorer back on track after missing a chunk of time, they need to up their secondary scoring. Bjugstad, manning the third line, could do wonders for a top heavy team. Keep an eye on #27 tonight, he’s our man of the match.
Big, Bad Powerplay
Coach Gallant’s powerplay unit usage has been a constant topic here on TSS and at Whyhockey. Currently at 27th in the league (16.7%, only bests Philly, Winnipeg, and Calgary), the process needs to change. For one, starting the PP with the first unit more should move the needle. Calgary sits 30th in PK% as well, 73.5%, and offers the best chance to experiment new plays or tactics. Florida should have more ease getting the puck into the middle of the ice, via passes or carries, which should help eliminate the stagnant perimeter play of the man advantage the past handful of games.
Big Names
After any tough loss (ending a win streak is mentally draining), the best way to rebound is to have your big name players play big next game, getting you right back to solid footing. Defender Aaron Ekblad may still be out, following concussion protocol, but Florida still has enough big names to step up. Aleksander Barkov, Jaromir Jagr, Jonathan Huberdeau, Roberto Luongo, Brian Campbell, and Nick Bjugstad, these players need to come out flying against a team that wins through hard work rather than team skill.
Jagr the Cat
Closing Thoughts
The analytical community has bandied about the 2015 Flames and the 2016 Panthers comparison a lot this past month but a predicted fall from PDO grace is not all they share in common. Gary Bettman was recently campaigning for Calgary to benefit from $1 Billion (with a big ass “B”) of taxpayer money for a new arena. Monetarily not in the same ball park, as the Panthers recently secured an $86 million package from Broward county. Yet it is enough to bind the Flames and Panthers at the hip. So why is it that one gets (for the most part) a media pass for panhandling for tax payer money–Calgary– and the other gets skewered for wanting update and maintenance money for a county owned arena–Florida? Especially when you consider the Canadian team is asking for $914 million more.
While the game on the ice is being played for two points, there is more on the line for Florida hockey fans. Every game versus a Canadian or traditional hockey market team is yet another opportunity to prove the Sun Belt’s worthiness, and fight against the double standard applied in the media.
Death to the win streak, long live the point streak!
