Vokoun stops 'em, Jokinen beats 'em

At least it's a W, not an L. If they can show that same energy against Tampa's goaltending on Saturday, they'll be in good shape. Colorado has some key injuries, so that game is a little more winnable now too.

The Panthers could be over .500 by Monday. I doubt it'll happen, but it is possible.

Big whoop. They'll get back to .500 and then lose four or five more in a row. They never sustain the effort for long. I'm so weary of this damn team now.

Skydiver pegged it right. Now that they squeaked out an OT win, they'll feel good about themselves and sit back for the next 3 or 4 games. It's always the same with this team.

Forgot to mention, isn't it just lovely that we get to play against Ovechkin for the next 13 seasons? The good news just never ends.....

RED BARON wrote:

Forgot to mention, isn't it just lovely that we get to play against Ovechkin for the next 13 seasons? The good news just never ends.....

haha yeah but at least it won't be 8 times a year anymore..

Magnus Johanssen was the electric shock
but the Martin's Panthers are still comatose and he's got few more months before dismissal at the end of the season. A new GM needs to trade half the lousy team and get new blood all the time. This is Florida...only hire and fire keeps Floridians working harder!

Magnus Johanssen, I hope he will never look for a pay raise, if he does, he will be out fo here. Dont you love rooting for a team that spends very little money?

As a season ticket holder I just love getting emails from the team for free tickets. I bet AHL teams dont give away as many tickets as we do?

Isn't the saying this

You get what you pay for?

Good game. Solid effort. The Panthers kept pressing through each period. Honorable mentions are Jokinen (as usual), Vokoun (as usual), Kreps, and Booth.

It is disturbing how many shots the Panthers took that didn't hit the net. If the Panthers come out with the same intensity, but more accuracy, they have good chance of winning Saturday.

Too true. Weiss and Horton were missing the net by feet not even inches. Either these guys need lasik surgery or they just like hearing the puck go off the glass.

Does anyone know when Panthers' Playoff Strip invoices are coming out?

I'm running out of Charmin.

Hey, they still have the best winning percentage of any pro team in South Florida.

But I do feel bad for you season ticket holders, I've been to all but 3 home games this year and I haven't paid a dime. Free tickets FTW!!!

The Panthers played last night?

Seems to me that the team played much better once Stumpel was sidelined with an injury. Maybe it is coincidence, but it appeared that him not coming out for the third period was the turning point in the game. Without him, the team has a solid 2nd and 3rd line. But what's missing is a quality 1st line. Jokinen is there basically by himself without a winger he can dish to and score goals.

Take a look at the league stats and you see that the Panthers are right there in GAA (2.68) in a tight bunch in the middle of the pack. But the GFA # is 3rd from the bottom at 2.34. That's the killer - and I think it's mostly because they have a 1st line that can't do what other teams' 1st lines do, which is to score goals on a regular basis. Fix that one problem and we're probably not talking about missing the playoffs yet again.

Wait a Minute wrote:

Seems to me that the team played much better once Stumpel was sidelined with an injury. Maybe it is coincidence, but it appeared that him not coming out for the third period was the turning point in the game. Without him, the team has a solid 2nd and 3rd line. But what's missing is a quality 1st line. Jokinen is there basically by himself without a winger he can dish to and score goals.
Take a look at the league stats and you see that the Panthers are right there in GAA (2.68) in a tight bunch in the middle of the pack. But the GFA # is 3rd from the bottom at 2.34. That's the killer - and I think it's mostly because they have a 1st line that can't do what other teams' 1st lines do, which is to score goals on a regular basis. Fix that one problem and we're probably not talking about missing the playoffs yet again.

Good point, WaM:

You forgot to add that first line talent costs money. With Cohen running this broken and anemic organization on a Robin Hood-esque budget, don't expect things to change...

After all, all he cares about is the sponsorship dollars he gets and full control of the BAC (concerts, events). The Panthers, NHL and the last three hockey fans left in this community are a necessary nuisance that he deals with.

My advice: Save your money and purchase Centre Ice. If you truly love and follow the game, you'll immediately see how fast and talented most of the other teams are.

RED BARON wrote:

Too true. Weiss and Horton were missing the net by feet not even inches. Either these guys need lasik surgery or they just like hearing the puck go off the glass.

Weiss and Horton are prototypes of your steaming horse apples. I would start emptying the bucket little by little, send Steward back to AHL and pick a spark plug in offense as well. Johanssen was a turning point. If the message is lost after 2 games Martin must bring in an offensive spark and send another Stumpel on the face saving injury list. Martin can't afford to be dumped at season end either, so I'm an OPTIMIST NOW.

Johanssen seems to be a smart cookie. I noticed at least 5 quality scoring chance lightning quick and deep passes to Booth and few others. If Booth wasn't also off in the accuracy department, it would have been 3-4 extra goals in the first period alone.

HUMMERMEISTER wrote:

<quoted text>
Weiss and Horton are prototypes of your steaming horse apples.......

To put the two of them in the same category is off base. Weiss is hustling and playing good 2-way hockey. Bet if you ask Booth he'll say that much of his success comes from playing with Weiss, who is a very good playmaker, unselfish and does the little things in the defensive zone that that ultimately create offensive opportunities. Horton only shows interest if he has a clear goal scoring opportunity. In every game you will find Horton guilty of more than one lazy giveaway that creates a scoring chance for the opponent. Big difference between making mental mistakes and just being plain lazy or lackadaisical. Horton is far too often lazy or lackadaisical. That he has tons of natural talent makes his play all the more disappointing.

I know the Panthers get crap for lack of fan support..but, to be fair..that place looked mighty empty last night too.

Dude wrote:

I know the Panthers get crap for lack of fan support..but, to be fair..that place looked mighty empty last night too.

Not sure where Bettman gets his numbers showing attendance continually rising, but when I watch games around the league, there are plenty of buildings that look mighty empty even when good opponents are in town.

It was a nice win but Atlanta's defense really stinks, so don't get too excited. I will be at the game's vs. Tampa & Colorado. We shall see if they compete as they did last night. I still don't think this team is playoff caliber. I am thinking of making a cameback as a washed up defenseman I am still better than the current slugs on defense the Panthers have now.