For the primary time since skating with the Stanley Cup, the Florida Panthers had been again on the ice at Amrenat Financial institution Area on Sunday.
Florida hosted the Nashville Predators in a preseason-opening doubleheader for the pair of playoff groups from a season in the past.
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It was a enjoyable day and night time for the South Florida hockey followers who loved the chance to see a pair of video games and gamers who both have but to go professional or spent a lot of their season in Charlotte.
Let’s get to our first takeaways of the preseason:
PLEASED WITH VETS, FWIW
Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice made positive to emphasise that there isn’t a lot to be taken from these first preseason video games.
Each groups have giant rosters that characteristic gamers who will quickly head to their respective junior groups and others who know they’re destined for the American league.
Nonetheless, Maurice discovered areas that he was happy with. That’s not terribly shocking contemplating the Cats put up 9 objectives.
“The veteran gamers performed sensible, they did the correct issues, they did not cheat the sport, they ran the routes,” Maurice stated. “After which we received some fairly good work from some guys, some good goaltending, some saves at vital instances, if you happen to had been relating that to the wins, after which we cannot take into consideration these video games once more.”
POWER PLAY CLICKS
Florida scored three energy play objectives within the span of simply over 10 minutes throughout the first interval of recreation two on Sunday.
They deployed a well-recognized trio of Sasha Barkov, Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe, all of whom are normally discovered on Florida’s prime energy play unit, together with brothers Adam and Jesper Boqvist.
That group accounted for 2 of the three PPGs, and afterward, Maurice cautioned that whereas sure, they regarded good, they had been additionally dealing with a penalty kill that was removed from a well-oiled machine.
“We have three gamers which have performed collectively for a really, very very long time in opposition to a gaggle of penalty killers that have not killed as a gaggle ever,” stated Maurice. “I like the best way (Adam Boqvist) moved the puck throughout the road and I preferred the choices he made with the puck, the tempo he was at, however I believe we knew that. We thought it might be good.”
STRONG SHOWING FROM RECENT DRAFT PICKS
It’s not usually a sixth-round draft choice instantly begins standing out on the ice, however that’s precisely what’s occurred with Hunter St. Martin. He’s carried a powerful exhibiting at improvement camp and the rookie match to holding his personal on the Panthers Coaching Camp.
The identical will be stated of final yr’s second-round choose, Gracyn Sawchyn, who has proven consistency in each the best way he’s capable of produce and the way he’s been capable of develop as a participant.
“What I preferred about (St. Martin) and Sawchyn, (they’re) each very younger guys, each junior eligible, and the fee bodily (of taking part in professional) could be best on these two,” Maurice stated. “They’re nonetheless very younger. Yearly, their tanks get greater, they get a lot stronger at that age. I believed these guys had been capable of get via these three days of camp after which come out and play with some power. That is a very good signal. They’ve finished some good work at a younger age to have the ability to survive our camp.”
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