Summary:
The sell-out crowd was wild at last night’s game against Montreal. Unfortunately, it was our boisterous neighbors to the north that got the last laugh. There’s no time to catch one’s breath though, as its back into the fire tonight for a New Year’s Eve date with the New York Rangers. The Panthers will be led by money man Nick Bjugstad, who forced overtime late against Montreal, then inked a new 6-year contract extension. What will he do next? How will the Panthers bounce back? On to the game!
Know Your Enemy:
Panthers All-Time Record v. New York Rangers: 32-38-7 with 6 ties
2013-14 Season Record v. New York Rangers: 0-2-1
Last Game: 12/31/13 @ BB&T Center, Panthers lost 2-1 in the shootout
It has been exactly one year since these teams have last seen each other. A lot has happened since then. For the Rangers, they became the Eastern Conference Champions in 2014 and locked horns with the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Final. Although they made a deep run into the summer, they have not totally captured the same level of success early on in 2014-15. The Rangers find themselves in the thick of the playoff race at the bottom of the stack. They are engaged in a both a race for 3rd place in the Metropolitan Division against the Washington Capitals and in a race for the 2nd Wild Card Spot with the Boston Bruins and our very own Florida Panthers. Additionally, they were tied with Ottawa for 7th best shot attempt team last season at 52.4%. So far this year, they have fallen to 18th with 49.8% of the shot attempts this season. Even Henrik Lundqvist is underperforming his career averages, although, he is still putting up respectable numbers with a 16-8-3 record with 5 shutouts, .913 save percentage, and 2.41 goals against average. Rick Nash however, after a few years of consternation in New York following his exit from the Columbus Blue Jackets organization, has finally emerged as the leading goal scorer GM Glen Sather hoped he would be. He sits 2nd in the league in goals with 23, behind only Dallas’ Tyler Seguin and is 14th in the league in points. So, all is not doom and gloom in the Big Apple.
The Rundown:
Panthers Leaders & Special Teams
Goals: Nick Bjugstad (13)
Assists: Jussi Jokinen & Aaron Ekblad (15)
Points: Nick Bjugstad (21)
Shot Attempt (Corsi) Rel: Brian Campbell (+9.5)
Power Play: 13.6% (27th)
Penalty Kill: 81.0% (15th)
Rangers Leaders & Special Teams
Goals: Rick Nash (23)
Assists: Derrick Brassard (19)
Points: Rick Nash (36)
Shot Attempts (Corsi) Rel: Mats Zuccarello (+11.0)
Power Play: 17.8%
Penalty Kill: 82.6%
*Shot Attempt (Corsi) Relative calculated at 5v5, and expressed as the differential between the amount of shot attempts taken per 60 minutes of play from when player is on the ice compared to when player is off the ice, having played at least one half of team’s games.
The Hat Trick:
1. A general observation: The Panthers looked great in the first period of last night’s game, especially early on with the Huberdeau-Bjugstad-Trocheck line. It felt like their positioning was dead on every play, they were forcing turnovers all over the ice and they were moving the puck without hesitation. It was the smoothest I recall seeing this team play and was very encouraging. It flittered away a bit after Montreal’s first power play but don’t count on it being the last time we see this team play like that.
2. Tonight the Panthers play their fifth straight game against a playoff opponent. How have the Panthers fared against other playoff teams in the league? For starters, their record against current playoff teams is 8-3-4, outscoring them by a slim 42-40 margin, while both taking and giving up 503 shots. Furthermore, they are 4-1-1 in their last 6 games against playoff teams, scoring and giving up 14 goals while outshooting the competition 209-172. Not bad but this is a mixed bag. Primarily when it comes to special teams. The Panthers PP is converting at just 13.2%, which is in line with their season total and the PK comes in at a mediocre 78.0%. What’s more baffling, that despite the 4-1-1 record in the last 6 games, the Panthers special teams have been even worse. The PP is an ice cold 9.1% and the PK a snoreworthy 77.3%. Largely, it has been the Panthers strong 5-on-5 play that has helped carry them past superior opponents.
3. While we talk about the “Comeback Cats” and this team’s ability to strike back late in games, the stats suggest the Panthers are actually a better 2nd period team. Overall, they are the number 9 team in the league on shot attempts, getting 52.3% of them at 5 on 5. Top 10 is a good place to be. However, while they hang around the middle of the pack just over 50% in the first and third, they are grabbing 53.3% in the 2nd period, the 5th best mark in the league. The only teams ahead of them? Tampa Bay, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Detroit.
Projected Lineup:
Florida Panthers
L1: Huberdeau | Bjugstad | Trocheck
L2: Bergenheim | Barkov | Hayes
L3: Jokinen | Bolland | Boyes
L4: Kopecky | MacKenzie | Upshall
D1: Campbell | Ekblad
D2: Mitchell | Kulikov
D3: Gudbranson | Olsen
SG: Montoya
BG: Luongo
New York Rangers
L1: Nash | Brassard | Zuccarello
L2: Kreider | Stepan | St. Louis
L3: Hagelin | Hayes | Stempniak
L4: Glass | D. Moore | Killger
D1: McDonagh | Girardi
D2: Staal | Boyle
D3: Klein | J. Moore
SG: Lundqvist
BG: Talbot
Courtesy of Daily Faceoff (Accurate as of 2:00 pm)
Closing Thoughts:
Don’t forget to remind Glen Sather that BB&T Center is a smoke-free building. No Cigar Smoking!
