Panthers Get Two Late Goals, Top Wild 5-4

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Entering the game Monday, the Panthers were riding a season high four game winning streak, with a chance to extend it to five, playing the Minnesota Wild on the road. 

The Panthers hadn’t  won a game in Minnesota in over 10 years, last time being when Corey Stillman, the father of current Panther Riley, scored the game winning shoot-out goal.

The Panthers played a very well rounded game, getting up by a goal in each period until losing the lead late at 4-3. With about four minutes left in the third period, Vincent Trocheck came in on a stretch pass and scored the game tying goal. Later in the period, with four seconds remaining before overtime, Noel Accari scored on a deflection to give the Panthers a 5-4 win, extending the win streak to five games.

The offense continued its hot streak, scoring 5 goals, by 5 different scorers. The Panthers  have scored at least 4 goals in every game that they’ve won dating back to November. With 179 goals, the Panthers offense currently is tied for the most goals in the NHL.

The Panthers defense, which has been improving as of late, had another solid game. Panthers goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky saved 29 of the 33 shot attempts he faced.

The Panthers have one game left in the first half of the season, they go into Chicago tomorrow to face the Blackhawks before the All-Star break. 

The five game win streak is huge for the Panthers. From what started as a bumpy, up and down first half of the season, the Panthers are closing it strong.

With another two points, the Panthers are now on a 101 point pace. They find themselves two points clear of the Toronto Maple Leafs for third place in the Atlantic Division with a game in hand. They trail the lightning by 3 points for 2nd. 

Florida Panthers: Michael Matheson is upping his play

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The Florida Panthers have benefited from his play over the past couple games.

As the Florida Panthers get ready to begin their road trip against the Detroit Red Wings, one Panther is looking to continue his hot streak. Michael Matheson has been playing well over the past couple of games. Now, he is looking to continue that hot streak.

Matheson has scored six goals and recorded six assists in 40 games this season. Notching 12 points, he has recorded three points in his last five games. Most recently against the Los Angeles Kings, he recorded a goal and an assist. Prior to that, he had a goal and an assist against Toronto on January 12.

His shot totals have stayed in the upper-20s range, and he is getting pucks to the net. Matheson recorded 23 shots against the Kings, and 25 against the Maple Leafs. He has been extremely active on the ice, and he has seen an increase in ice time. He was on the ice for 20:43 against Los Angeles and 21:00 against Toronto.

Panthers have golden opportunity

The Detroit Red Wings have one of the worst defenses in the league. Allowing 3.83 goals per game, that is last in the National Hockey League. Backup goaltender Calvin Picard is expected between the pipes against Florida on Saturday.  Picard is 0-2 against the Panthers the season.

The last time these two teams met, the Panthers beat the Red Wings by a 5-4 margin. Matheson had a shot in 21 shifts, equaling to 19:54 in ice time.

The stars are aligning for Matheson to have another big game. He has been a great secondary scorer for the team lately. The Boston College product filled a similar role in Chestnut Hill, and he is doing the same for the Panthers. It will be interesting to see what he can do against a Red Wings team that has been struggling as of late. Whatever he is doing right now is working well.

Panthers Score 7, Top Stars 7-4

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The Panthers enter tonight 6th in the Atlantic at 16-12-5. Though a dip in the standings, they aren’t far behind. They sit two points back of 3rd place in the Atlantic with three games in hand of Buffalo.
This game wrapped up a franchise record 9 game home stand, one that has been disappointing for the Panthers. They finish the home stand 5-4 and taking 10 of the Possible 18 points.

The Panthers came out of the gate hot, getting the first goal of the game on the power play. With a nice screen assist from Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau buried his 12th goal of the season at 4:34 in the first. After a goal by Denis Gurianov to tie the game in the first, Anton Stralman ripped a shot of the face off that got past Ben Bishop to put the Panthers up 2-1. The Panthers outshot the Stars 15-7 in the first.

The second period was a much different story for the Panthers. They arguably played their best period of the season, scoring 5 goals. Noel Acciari, who scored a hat trick on Monday night, got a hat trick in 8 minutes of game play in the second period. The third in final goal came on a penalty shot, which he was rewarded for after getting fouled on a breakaway while the Panthers were short handed. Dallas got one goal back late in the second to make it 7-2.

In the third period, the Panthers came out a bit flat, committing a penalty and letting up two goals, making the 7 goal blow out, look a little bit better for them on the scoreboard.

Overall, it was a game the Panthers desperately needed. A well rounded game where they exploded offensively and had a solid night on the defensive and goaltending end. Panthers will improve to 17-12-5 on the season, good for 39 points on the season. They play again tomorrow in Carolina to start a 2 game road trip before Christmas break.