Injuries and bad hockey have led the Panthers on their current five-game losing streak, and things will not get any easier tonight when they kickoff their final home stand of the season against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Yes, Florida made the postseason for the sixth season in a row. They are a far cry from playing playoff hockey right now, however…
Some of the “blame” can be placed on injuries. A lot of it is just a lack of strong play. The good news is that Barky will be back tonight. Sturm needs one more night off and should be good. Some bad news is that it’s sounding like Bennett will be out for the remainder of the season.
The glass-half-full view is that the Cats have already secured a playoff spot. Not only that, but come round one, they should get back the likes of Tkachuk, Bennett and Ekblad. These guys - in theory - will be fully rested/healed and ready to go.
Focusing on tonight, here is what Toronto is looking like heading into the to the tilt (per
Litter Box Cats):
“
With a four-point lead over second place Tampa Bay, Toronto’s magic number for claiming the Atlantic Division crown currently stands at nine points. The Maple Leafs have won four in a row, including a dominant 5-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.”
Despite the rough patch here, I do find it exciting seeing different guys climb into the lineup.
As Jameson Olive reported on his X earlier today, this is what he was seeing for lined/pairings during the morning skate:
Verhaeghe - Barkov - Reinhart
Luostarinen - Lundell - Marchand
Puljujarvi - Rodrigues - Samoskevich
Greer - Nosek - Gadjovich
Extra: Bennett, Sturm, Asplund
Mikkola - Jones
Forsling - Schmidt
Megna - Balinskis
Extra: Kiersted , Kulikov
I’m curious if Puljujarvi catches on. He’s basically in a “now or never” spot. Lots of injuries have opened a spot for him to try and prove he has value. It’s a showcase for the Panthers, but possibly for a different team for him next year…
Honestly, I’d like to see Kiersted play out the remainder of the season. He had promise when first called up and I’d like to see him get some time to get into a groove at the NHL level to see what we have in him. I guess he’d have to take Megan or Balinskis’ spot. Been liking what I see from Megna, too.
A win tonight will do good things for the player (and fan’s) soul.
Let’s make it happen!
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Go Panthers!
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