Panthers prey on penalties against Hurricanes

I love it! Ha Ha Ha Some idiotic carolina fans on a previous thread were insisting that Carolina doesn't dive. Well, last night they had TWO DIVE CALLS IN ONE NIGHT! The best part is they got busted and Florida made them pay for it. Justin Williams should change his name to Justin Louganis. Chad LaRose should get an Academy Award. These guys flop around like a bunch of rag dolls and finally refs are getting wise to it. Whitney even tried his patented head jerk whiplash move when grazed with a stick from behind and fortunately didn't get the call. These guys are disgraceful.

Good game all around. The Panthers looked a little tentative and scared to make a mistake the first two periods, but in the 3rd they dominated (I never thought I'd get to type that). It was great to see Bouwmeester connect and score a big goal. Weiss is getting better, but needs to work on his aim more. He's constantly missing the net. Zednick is sneaky. I like his playing style. We need more players to be tenacious like him and get into traffic and create turnovers and scoring chances were there shouldn't be any. Once again, 60 minutes of solid play with a hard push in the 3rd results in wins. Let's hope they can continue it.

It's a question of 100% effort last night vs 40% most nights.

It seems even the announcers are falling into the late game nervousness. When the Diveacanes took those penalties at the end, Goldie and Denis were celebrating like the cats had just made the playoffs.

This team isn't out of the woods by a long shot, but any win is a good one.

I was happy to see Zednick get that goal. After two calls against him (the first was very marginal) he was skating like he really wanted to atone. Scoring a pretty goal even while taking a high stick to the head is a great way to tell your team you're sorry for those penalties.

Good to see the Flopicanes get it in the arse.Jokinen was fantastic and his passes were superb.Bouwmeester looked punchdrunk until his goal-good to see him score and empty net Zednick break his curse.Big question is who will show up against Buffalo-Panthers or Ocelots?A good effort but we need that 2 games in a row.

Great 3rd period last night. This is why we are season ticket holders! That was one of the most exciting 3rd periods of ther year! 4 goals!?!?! Crazy...I'm so glad the refs finally got wise to carolina diving every time they come down here to play us! Kudos to mgt last night for the Haloween theme, nice touch, kids had a great time in costume getting the treats.

The one thing i noticed about our team that might hold true is...when we start to play physical we got Carolina off their game and we made our own scoring chances. I think this team needs to throw there body around a little more, get the opponent thinking about t a little more...idk just a thought.

I just wish Red Baron would quit flip-flopping about his love for Jacques Martin and the entire Panthers organ...ization..

PANTHERS HOCKEY ! I been waiting a long time for this i been there since 93 and i have struggled threw each season after 96 i finally see a team that could definely be a playoff team or mabey even champions if they just fix a few key points in there game but there confidence is up evertime we win give it time it will come togther and we will be on top

It is alot easier to play and win when you are on the other side of the calls. The Panthers, whether it's fair or unfair, are usually on the wrong side of the officials calls. We fans give them hell for it and expect them to overcome. But last night showed how much easier it is to play and win with the advantage of getting the calls for rather than against. It also shows the power of the press. Carolinas reputaion of diving was made issue of and a there was two diving calls made last night. One was a phantom call (The Horton take down on Williams) but it shows that the officials can go into a game with an expectation of what a team does and find penalties to call based on those expectations ... even when the calls may not exist.
The Panthers are expected to be among the most penalized and they usually are. The bias can and sometimes does exist. Last night, it was great to be on the other end of it. And again, it was easy to see how much easier it is for a team to play when the other team is getting called for everything. Not to take away anything the Panthers did. They earned it last night by playing 60 minutes and working their butts off in the final period.

You think the Panthers make excuses? For the most part, they are very quiet about the officiating when it comes to talking to the media. One night of calls that arent in the favor of Carolina and Laviolette and the players are whining and crying about how they got screwed over on TSN. Laviolette is blaming it on the Panthers complaints of their diving that appeared in the papers yesterday. Might be something to that, LOL. I'm sure the AP will report the same quotes. I feel so badly for another team whining about getting the short end. Panthers may be on the other end of it once again on Saturday but wasn't this Halloween great !!!

Can't win on your own so you have to milk the papers and refs for a little help!!!!!! LOL See you in the playoffs wait you haven't seen the playoffs since 2000 Florida Panthers are a joke!!!!!

The real question is---how do oli and the team feel about winning the game through a whiney newspaper article. They would have never won it without the help of panther fan Brad Watson. You should refrain from reading newspaper articles before the games, Brad!

skeezix wrote:

I just wish Red Baron would quit flip-flopping about his love for Jacques Martin and the entire Panthers organ...ization..

I just wish skeezix would stop posting smack like the hay seed slack-jawed yokel that he is and actually contribute something worth reading.

General wrote:

Can't win on your own so you have to milk the papers and refs for a little help!!!!!! LOL See you in the playoffs wait you haven't seen the playoffs since 2000 Florida Panthers are a joke!!!!!

Hey General. You might want to demote yourself to private. The Panthers won that game fair and square without using Academy Award tactics the Canes are known to employ BY EVERY TEAM IN THE LEAGUE. There is a reason the Canes had the most power plays in the league last season (2nd only to Pittsburgh). They've perfected the dive. I'm so glad the refs are finally getting wise to it. Best of all, the season is still young.

"Sure, everybody's trying but for some reason we look too tight or we don't want to make a mistake," Vokoun said.

"We have to be better as a group on a consistent basis if we want to be winning consistently."

Interesting set of quotes from Vokuon, but you can bet that if Luongo had said it, lots of naysayers would have been jumping on Louie, calling him a whiner.

Now that I got that off my chest - last night was one of the best third periods they've played in a long time. Strong play from nearly everyone, and even some scoring help from someone other than Ollie and Horton. I think this year's team is clearly better than last year's team.

It's a matter of doing this every night. It's ok to lose if you give a big effort. Olli made two great passes, so love him or hate him, we are lucky to have him. Zednik does look like he's flying, and he's stronger than he looks. He can be a key for us offensively if he gets going. It shows great character to score a goal after allowing one, so kuddos to Bouw. Last year we would have lost this game, even with the powerplay opportunities. Last year that breakaway would have been by Gelinas, and he would have shot it right into Ward's stomach, lol. If this team keeps it up, they are going to be exciting to watch, win or lose.

tburns wrote:

The real question is---how do oli and the team feel about winning the game through a whiney newspaper article. They would have never won it without the help of panther fan Brad Watson. You should refrain from reading newspaper articles before the games, Brad!

Stop your whining. You Canes whiners are all a bunch of hypocrites. Before the game all you Canes fans were posting about how there are no such thing as referee bias or officiating consipiracies and the Canes have the 2nd most power plays in the league only because they hustle. Now that you were smoked by the most penalized team in the league you suddenly think the refs were "out to get you" because of a freakin newspaper article. Do you think these refs read the Sun-Sentinel? Don't make me laugh. Just accept it for what it is. You lost. Your goalie let in a couple softies. And if Williams didn't embellish it might have only been a only a Panther going to the penalty box.

Uneducated people think we were on the lucky side of the calls last night. Not true. When you out-hustle the opponent, it's the other team that is forced to interfere with you, hold you, clutch and grab at you. We didn't "get" calls last night - we drew them by forcing the opponent to make penalties. Do this every night, Panthers, and we'll never have to complain about refs again.

joe wrote:

PANTHERS HOCKEY ! I been waiting a long time for this i been there since 93 and i have struggled threw each season after 96 i finally see a team that could definely be a playoff team or mabey even champions if they just fix a few key points in there game but there confidence is up evertime we win give it time it will come togther and we will be on top

Have another drink, JOE!!!!

RED BARON wrote:

<quoted text>
Hey General. You might want to demote yourself to private. The Panthers won that game fair and square without using Academy Award tactics the Canes are known to employ BY EVERY TEAM IN THE LEAGUE. There is a reason the Canes had the most power plays in the league last season (2nd only to Pittsburgh). They've perfected the dive. I'm so glad the refs are finally getting wise to it. Best of all, the season is still young.

RED BARON wrote:

<quoted text>
Hey General. You might want to demote yourself to private. The Panthers won that game fair and square without using Academy Award tactics the Canes are known to employ BY EVERY TEAM IN THE LEAGUE. There is a reason the Canes had the most power plays in the league last season (2nd only to Pittsburgh). They've perfected the dive. I'm so glad the refs are finally getting wise to it. Best of all, the season is still young.

This is from the Associated Press and is on the game recap on NHL.com ! "A crucial call was a diving penalty on Justin Williams at 13:13 when he was tackled by Horton. Instead of a Carolina power play, it was four-on-four and then Bouwmeester scored his game-tying goal.Horton grabbed Williams from behind and pulled him down but both players headed to the penalty box." Funny how everyone knows the call was crap except Panther fans.

If the Panthers could bottle Vokoun's intensity and serve a few rounds of it, this team might have a real chance.

A 15 minute skate at the end of an hour practice makes all of the difference.