Game Day Post (11/20/14): Florida Panthers (6-5-5) @ San Jose Sharks (10-9-2)

Summary:

The Panthers offensive onslaught was halted by the Kings on Tuesday night in decisive fashion. The 5-2 loss was humbling, but there is no time to dwell on past defeats. The Panthers are now 1-1 on their four game road trip, and must complete their walk through Death Valley in San Jose. The good news though is that Aleksander Barkov and Dmitry Kulikov will take the ice tonight. Barkov returns after missing Tuesday night with an illness, and Kulikov bounces back from a knee injury suffered November 8 vs. Calgary. So, can the Panthers shake off the dust? Will the Panthers dispatch the Sharks for the second time in nine days? On to the game!

Know Your Enemy:

Panthers All-Time Record vs. San Jose: 10-10-0 with seven ties
Season Record v. San Jose: 1-0-0
Last Game: 11/11/14 @ BB&T Center, Panthers won 4-1

The Panthers will meet the Sharks for the second, and last, time of the season tonight. While this is a team the Panthers have defeated this season, there should be no comfort taken in this. The Sharks also arrive back home in ill humor, having just been handed a 4-1 loss by the league worst Buffalo Sabres. Needless to say, the Sharks should be a tough team to put away. They are led offensively by the usual suspects: Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, and Logan Couture. The Panthers held this quartet to a single point in their clash on Veteran’s Day. They will need to do more of the same if they hope to repeat a victory, and not have the Sharks defense, led by Marc-Eduard Vlasic, do the same to the Panthers guns.

The Rundown:

Panthers Leaders & Special Teams

Goals: Brad Boyes, Nick Bjugstad, & Jimmy Hayes (4)
Assists: Jussi Jokinen (10)
Points: Jussi Jokinen (12)
Corsi Rel: Brian Campbell (+8.2%)
Power Play: 16.4% (21st)
Penalty Kill: 76.9% (24th)

Sharks Leaders & Special Teams

Goals: Joe Pavelski (8)
Assists: Joe Thornton (12)
Points: Joe Thornton (19)
Corsi Rel: Matt Nieto (+9.8%)
Power Play: 22.7% (7th)
Penalty Kill: 83.9% (9th)

*Corsi Relative calculated at 5v5, having played at least one half of team’s games.

The Hat Trick:

1. Despite the road block in Los Angeles, the unit of Jussi Jokinen, Vincent Trocheck, and Jimmy Hayes continues to play well. Hayes had a power play goal, giving him points in five of his last six games. Jokinen had a goal on a nice rush by the whole line, giving him a four-game points streak. Trocheck’s assist on the Jokinen goal extended his own points streak to five games. Additionally, Nick Bjugstad and Jonathan Huberdeau both have points in two straight games. So perhaps the Kings game was less of a road block, and more of a speed bump.

2. Rocco Grimaldi was not the first player to have played an NHL and AHL game in the same day, when he did on Tuesday. At least three players have played for the Buffalo Sabres, and their affiliate the Rochester Americans in the same day. There are other instances too. But what do all of these have in common? Short distances. Buffalo and Rochester are just 76 miles apart. In the 1970s, a Washington Capitals player also completed a doubleheader with their affiliate, the Hershey Bears, which was 124 miles away at the time. Rocco Grimaldi traveled over 1,000 miles to complete his hockey doubleheader. It’s likely that he not only out-travelled all other doubleheaders, he may have out-travelled all other doubleheaders combined. (Stick tap to SIHR Discussion Group)

3. The Panthers have won six of their last seven games against the Sharks, dating back to 2008. They have also scored three or more goals in all six victories. The lone defeat was a 3-0 shutout for the Sharks in Sunrise last season. Prior to this run, the Panthers lost seven of eight games from 2001 to 2006, scoring only 12 goals, and three goals in a game just twice. So, what’s the moral of the story? Score goals.

Expected Line Combinations:

Florida Panthers

D1: Campbell | Ekblad
D2: Mitchell | Kulikov
D3: Olsen | Gudbranson

SG: Luongo
BG: Montoya

Los Angeles Kings

D1: Mueller | Burns
D2: Vlasic | Braun
D3: Demers | Irwin

SG: Niemi
BG: Grosenick

Courtesy of Daily Faceoff

Closing Thoughts: