After a 6-3 loss in Los Angeles, the Panthers bounced right back pounding seven goals on the Predators.
The Florida Panthers knew that the last game was a horrible display in effort. If they were to respond in anyway, today’s performance was the one that was needed. As we all know, the Cats have struggled to score goals this year. Part of that is due to long-term injuries that have occurred to Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau. It seems that even after their injuries, nothing can fully stop both Barkov and Huberdeau from scoring goals and putting points on the board.
As we saw today, both Huberdeau and Barkov each scored in the win against Nashville. Not only did those two score, but we saw other faces such as Jokinen and Bjugstad get in the action. As important as it is to have Barkov and Huberdeau producing, we also must have balance in scoring through the other individuals. Below is the clip of Bjugstad’s beautiful goal.
From what we see in the video above, is the type of play we need to see more of from Bjugstad. With Nick being 6’6 in height, he must continue to use his big body to drive the net more often. The majority of Nick’s goals come from him using his big body presence and driving the net with it. Even when he doesn’t score in some of those occasions, he almost surely creates a scoring opportunity out of it.
Jussi on the other hand is one individual who has been awfully quite this year. With only seven goals and ten assists, Jussi surely wont match his sixty point production from last season. With an injury that kept him out for a good three weeks and some slowness in his play, Jussi hasn’t looked like himself at all from previous years. It’s important for Jussi to continue to drive the net for any loose puck or rebounds. The majority of his goals have come from in the slot or picking up loose rebounds in the crease. Expect Jokinen to put some more pucks in the net as the season goes on. It looks like he has found his confidence again.
More from The Rat Trick
Vincent Trocheck. What more can we say about him, he’s done it all this year. Whether its been scoring, setting up others, or even fighting, Vinnie does it all. With two goals, an assist, and a fight against Subban, Vinnie got his first Gordie Howe hattrick. See the clip below of Trocheck taking Subban down to the ice!
In result of all the goals we saw in today’s game, we must remember to tighten up our defensive play. At certain times of the game, we often found ourselves turning the puck over and leaving Luongo hanging to dry. We simply cannot afford to do that and will pay the price against stronger teams. As nice as it was to put seven goals in the back of the net, we must not be satisfied with the four sloppy goals we gave up. Not every hockey game is going to end up with eleven goals being scored by all together, and we must learn how to adapt in tighter situations.
Your Florida Panthers will be off for four days and will continue play against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday. The Sharks currently sit at first in the Pacific division, while the Cats sit at fifth in the Atlantic. Expect for this game to be tight and for minimal amount of goals to be seen. This will surely be a tough and exciting game for the Panthers. Another two points are on the line for our Cats to jump ahead in the standings.
