Panthers notebook: Backup goalie Dan Ellis helps keep hopes alive
His story may not garner the same amount of fanfare as Andrew Hammond's miraculous 14-1-1 stretch with the Ottawa Senators, but it's hard to imagine where the Florida Panthers would be without the surprising resurgence of backup goaltender Dan Ellis.
"Forget about the Hamburglar, call him the Danburglar!" FOX Sports Florida broadcaster Steve Goldstein said with elation as the final seconds ticked off the scoreboard in the Panthers' 4-2 victory over the Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday.
The win, Florida's fourth in its last six games, pulled the Panthers one point closer to ninth place in the Eastern Conference and helped keep pace with the Boston Bruins, who lead the Panthers by four points heading into Tuesday's head-to-head showdown in Sunrise.
Ellis, making his first start since March 17, stopped 25 of 27 shots against the Senators after finding out only a few hours before puck drop that he'd be getting the start after Roberto Luongo re-aggravated the same shoulder injury that forced him out of the lineup for six games earlier this month.
"He (Ellis) played as well as (Luongo) played last night in the game in Montreal. We need goalie performances like that. He stepped up and did a great job," Panthers coach Gerard Gallant told the Sun Sentinel.
"It was a big game for us, obviously. It tightened the race. We want to stay in that race and we had to win today, so we're staying around."
With the victory, Ellis improved to 4-2-1 on the season with a 2.11 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. In five starts last season, he was 0-5-0 with a 4.81 goals-against average and a .836 save percentage.
"I try not to worry about the pressure. I'm just trying to enjoy it," said Ellis, 34. "Tonight was a big atmosphere, a full building and a big game on the line. It was a lot of fun. We played great."
Luongo, who is currently listed as day-to-day, is expected to be back in net when the Bruins visit the Panthers on Tuesday.
VINTAGE JAGR
With Ellis standing tall in net, it was 43-year-old Jaromir Jagr who provided the offense Sunday night, potting a pair of goals for his first multi-goal game as a Panther.
All goals, however, are not created equal and the future Hall of Famer reminded fans why he's one of the best to ever play the game with a stunning third-period tally that proved to be the eventual game winner.
Streaking down the left side of the ice, Jagr faked a shot to pull Senators goaltender Craig Anderson out of the crease before skating around the net and burying a vintage wraparound to give the Panthers at 3-1 lead with 13:57 remaining in regulation.
"The last time I did it was 1994 and surprise, 20 years later it's still working," Jagr told NHL.com of the goal. "I don't do it very much, though. I don't think I had it. I'm kind of surprised. It was probably because I went to church before the game."
Since arriving to the Panthers in a trade with the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 25, Jagr has combined with linemates Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov to score 13 goals and 38 points in 14 games.
"He was our best player," Gallant said of Jagr, who has 720 career goals.
PROSPECT PROBLEMS
While the Panthers' No. 1 priority this offseason will undoubtedly be to re-sign Jagr, it looks as if the team may be having trouble inking 22-year-old University of Michigan forward Zach Hyman to an entry-level deal.
A fifth-round pick, 123rd overall, of the Panthers in 2010 draft, Hyman was recently named one of 10 finalists for the 2015 Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the nation's best Division I college hockey player.
According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, Hyman is unlikely to reach an agreement on a contract with Florida, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent and sign with any team he chooses -- similar to the case of Kevin Hayes, brother of Panthers forward Jimmy Hayes, who became a free agent last summer after choosing not to sign with the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Panthers have until Aug. 16 to sign Hyman before losing him to the open market.
Florida already signed University of Minnesota forward Kyle Rau to an entry-level deal Sunday and hopes to have Boston College defenseman Mike Matheson under contract in the near future.
You can follow Jameson Olive on Twitter @JamesonCoop or email him at JamesonOlive@gmail.com.
