![[original_title]](https://rawnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/c02cc56fc378a89064ec3b61f540a703-1024x644.jpeg)
The Florida Panthers are going through an uphill climb in the event that they hope to salvage something out of their ongoing four-game highway journey.
Consecutive losses in Ottawa and Buffalo, mixed with an harm to Sasha Barkov and an sickness that’s invaded Matthew Tkachuk’s immune system, have the Cats behind the proverbial eight ball.
Immediately lacking a pair of forwards has left Florida in a little bit of a roster bind, as they don’t have the wage cap area to carry up one other ahead from the AHL.
View the original article to see embedded media.
If Tkachuk goes to overlook any extra time – Florida has back-to-back video games in Boston and Columbus on Monday and Tuesday – the Panthers will both have to make some sort of roster transfer or gown 11 forwards and 7 defensemen once more.
Let’s get to the takeaways from Saturday’s loss to Buffalo.
OFF THEIR GAME…AGAIN
Thursday evening in Ottawa the Cats stumbled out of the gate and did not impose their typical model of quick, in your face hockey on the Senators till after the opening 20 minutes.
That evening, they’d Tkachuk and Barkov.
Saturday in Buffalo issues performed out otherwise as Florida discovered their recreation in pockets, however when the sport obtained to crunch time within the third interval, the Sabres did an excellent job of doing to the Panthers what the Panthers often do to others.
“We simply obtained caught in a little bit of a transition struggle,” mentioned Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “It would not be the sport that we wish to play. We simply mishandled plenty of pucks tonight. It’s back-to-back video games the place we ice a puck that not directly ended up behind our internet. So that might be the fingers half for 2 video games have not been there. I appreciated our final recreation by way of effort, we drove arduous, This one, I believe we did not appear to be we had as a lot pushback once we wanted it.”
MISSING BIG PIECES
One of many issues that make Florida such a formidable opponent is their depth, and the factor that makes their depth so good is the quantity of expertise on the prime.
Taking away not one however two key items of the Panthers forwards ranks, it places the Cats in a bind to offer the identical stage of power and high quality throughout 4 strains.
There may be additionally an affect on particular groups, because it cuts out 2/5 of Florida’s prime energy play and removes an elite penalty killer.
So yeah, the Cats have to play a virtually flawless recreation to choose up two factors with out
“We did not play a recreation that you would be able to survive with some guys out of your lineup, however I believe we will get higher at it,” Maurice mentioned.
NOT KNIGHT’S NIGHT
Spencer Knight obtained his first style of NHL recreation motion in 20 months and it didn’t go notably effectively.
Knight allowed 4 targets on 26 photographs. Certainly one of his targets towards was on a excessive hazard shot, two of them have been on medium hazard photographs and one was on a low hazard shot.
On the plus aspect, he did made 5 excessive hazard saves, and that’s what he’ll probably take note as he appears to be like to enhance in his subsequent outing, which can come as quickly as Florida’s back-to-back on Monday and Tuesday.
“We requested him to make some saves, particularly within the again half of that recreation,” Maurice mentioned of Knight. “I believe plenty of it he regarded stable in. (There have been) some communication issues together with his protection, he hasn’t performed with plenty of these guys again there as a result of a bunch of them are new. It was high-quality. He made some good ones, he’ll in all probability need one or two of these again, but it surely’s been some time since he’s been in an NHL internet, so we’ll construct from there.”
LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS – FLORIDA
Shorthanded Panthers clipped by hungry Sabres 5-2
Maurice: Sasha Barkov to miss 2-3 weeks, could be back for Finland games
Panthers head into battle in Buffalo expecting to face desperate Sabres without Sasha Barkov
Panthers make roster moves as team begins navigating injury to Sasha Barkov
