Miami Heat: Bench struggles contribute to loss against Spurs

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Sunday, while many were watching the AFC Championship game, Miami Heat lost to the San Antonio Spurs by a 107-102 margin. Although it was a close game throughout, a strong second quarter propelled San Antonio to victory. Outscoring the Heat by a 32-23 margin in the second frame, the bench was a huge reason why San Antonio was able to come away with the victory.

Derrick White had 11 points on five-of-11 shooting. Patrick Mills had 18 points on four-of-10 shooting. He was perfect from the free-throw line, making all four of his shots. Marco Belinelli also got into the action. He scored 12 points on two-of-six shooting. He made all six free throws he attempted.

San Antonio’s plus-minus numbers were impressive. White was a +21 while Mills was a +17. Belinelli and Jakob Poetl were  +11 and  while Lonnie Walker IV was a +10. Each of the players on the San Antonio bench were assets while they were on the floor.

Miami Heat bench struggles in loss

Miami’s bench had a tougher time getting things going. All five players recorded a minus rating while they were on the floor. Goran Dragic was the big bench scorer for Miami with 19 points in 24 minutes of play. Dragic was a -13 on the floor in this game. Derrick Jones Junior was a -21 in this contest. He finished with six points on the evening.

Kelly Olynyk and Tyler Herro each had zero points in this game. Olynyk played seven minutes while Herro played nine. Both players missed the two shots they attempted. Olynuk and Herro were both -13 respectively. This was Herro’s first game back from injury. He missed the past two contests with a knee bruise. And he appeared rusty.

Miami is going to have to have a better contributions from their bench, particularly as fatigue starts to set in during the remainder of the season. This was a rough night for the bench all-around. Up next, Miami plays host to the Sacramento Kings Monday evening. Tipoff is at 5:00 PM.

Miami Hurricanes: Receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield bolts to Penn State

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The Miami Hurricanes receivers coach is off to Happy Valley.

A Miami Hurricanes coach is headed to the Big Ten. Wide receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield is headed to Penn State to serve the same position.

Stubblefield played football for a number of years, beginning at Purdue in 2001. A consensus All-American in 2004, he began his professional career in 2005. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Carolina Panthers in April of that year.

After bouncing around for a couple of teams throughout the 2000’s, he began his coaching career. He came to Miami in January 2019, following two years coaching the same position at the Air Force Academy.

Taking stock of the Miami Hurricanes receiver room

Miami’s receiving group was led by K.J. Osborn and Brevin Jordan statistically. Osborn recorded 50 catches for 547 yards and five touchdowns to lead the team. He averaged 10.9 yards per reception. Jordan caught 35 passes for 495 yards and two touchdowns. Averaging 14.1 yards per reception, he was able to give Miami production out of the tight end position.

Jeff Thomas was also a big producer for the offense in 2019. He was second on the team in touchdowns with four. Catching 20 passes for 335 yards, Thomas averaged 16.8 yards per reception. Nevertheless, there were concerns that the Miami wide receivers did not develop enough in the 2019 season.

Stubblefield also did some work off the field in recruiting. He was able to get four-star wide receiver Romello Brinson to commit to the program. A four-star recruit, Brinson had promise for Miami. However, he decommitted from the program on November 24.

The coaching turnover for the Miami Hurricanes continues, and this is just yet another move and change for the program in what has been a very busy offseason. Now, it will be interesting to see who fills the vacancy left by Stubblefield’s departure. One has to wonder if they will find a coach before spring ball begins, and whether it will be an in-house hire or from somewhere else.

King Me: Report indicates former Houston QB picks Miami

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After making headlines this past week about his decision to enter the transfer portal, former Houston QB D’Eriq King has elected to transfer to Miami for his final year of eligibility, according to a report from The Athletic’s Manny Navarro. 

 

 

 

Despite the report, there is another conflicting report from Fox26’s Mark Berman in Houston has indicated that King has not made a final decision and he is still talking to Arkansas, LSU, and Maryland. 

 

 

King’s decision is on a slight time crunch because the last day to enroll in classes at UM is this Tuesday, January 21st. 

 

If true, this would be the second consecutive season in which Miami’s been able to bring in a quarterback via the transfer portal, and while much hype followed Tate Martell’s decision to come to Coral Gables, they have not gotten much from the former Ohio State gunslinger in 2019.

 

King’s marquee season came in 2018 where he threw for just under 3,000 yards to go along with 36 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. On top of that, he added 674 rushing yards for 15 touchdowns. To give you a comparison, all of Miami’s quarterbacks and running backs combined for 16 rushing touchdowns in 2019.

 

D’Eriq previously decided to redshirt in 2019 to preserve his final year of eligibility after Houston started the season 1-3. He originally intended to return to Houston in 2020 but rumors quickly spread about his intentions to transfer soon after.

 

Things could get a lot more interesting in that QB room should the 5’11, 194 pound King come to Coral Gables. King would likely be the presumed starter and that puts more pressure on 2019 co-starters Jarren Williams and N’Kosi Perry, who may or may not elect to seek opportunities at other schools. 

 

Above all, this would be a huge get for head coach Manny Diaz and most importantly new OC Rhett Lashlee he would have  his guy to run and execute the spread offense that he’d implement this season.

 

FIU Quarterback James Morgan shines in Shrine Bowl

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The East-West Shrine Bowl turned out to be a stupendous showcase of offensive fireworks.

Starting with FIU quarterback James Morgan, who began the game by leading the East team to two touchdown drives en route to a 31-27 win over the West team on Saturday at Tropicana Field.

Morgan started the weekend being honored with the Pat Tillman Award, which is presented to a player, “Who best exemplifies character, intelligence, sportsmanship and service. The award is about a student-athlete’s achievements and conduct, both on and off the field.”

“It was really a nice week,” said Morgan. “I just wanted to come in, work as hard I could, learn as much as possible and go out and compete. It was quite an experience.”

Morgan completed 9-of-14 passes for a game high 116 yards and a touchdown while splitting time with Princeton’s Kevin Davidson and Mississippi State’s Tommy Stevens. It’s an impressive stat line considering he only had a week to mesh with a seemingly random collection of college seniors.

Morgan said before the game that the experience gained from playing in these collegiate all-star games is “extremely valuable” in terms of preparing him for the NFL Draft because he’s coming from a small program and got to throw to and against players from big name programs.

Morgan emphasized work ethic and leadership as qualities that make him a quarterback worth choosing in the draft. There are other quarterback prospects with bigger names and better tangibles with higher upside but NFL teams have approached him with the mindset that he is a prospect that can come into a huddle and lead like a field general.

“I’m absolutely in love with the game of football.” Morgan said. “I have been ever since I was a little kid. I’m going to work my tail off and as much as I can to help an organization win games. And when I come in, I’m going to lead by example.”

While it sounds like he’s angling to be the next Tom Brady, the NFL quarterback that served as his greatest source of inspiration was Brett Favre because he grew up in Wisconsin during the Hall of Fame’s career as a Green Bay Packer.

Morgan split his collegiate career between Bowling Green and FIU. Two of the Panthers’ three straight bowl seasons came with Morgan as the starting quarterback. His senior year and career may be forever defined by when he led FIU to their first ever win over the Miami Hurricanes at the site of the old iconic Orange Bowl.

”I just really believed in myself,” Morgan said. “The NFL was always a dream and this is one step closer.”

Morgan said he will have his pro day on April 1 at FIU.

Inter Miami Target $15m Striker in Early MLS Show of Strength

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The day of reckoning is closing in.

Very soon South Florida will finally have the MLS soccer side it has been craving.

There have been firm plans in place for a soccer team in Miami since early 2012 when MLS commissioner Don Garber confirmed the league’s interest in placing an expansion franchise in the city. David Beckham coming on board certainly helped smooth the process and as recently as December a new manager has been selected for the team.

CNN reported that former Uruguayan international Diego Alonso will take charge for their opening fixtures, the first of which comes away against Los Angeles FC. Beckham’s former club LA Galaxy is the first opponents at the Lockhart Stadium on March 14th.

Miami’s name takes inspiration from that of Italian side Inter Milan. Their full title is Football Club Internazionale Milano, whereas Miami’s full title is Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami, but the similarity between the names by which their known is recognizable. Like the major teams in Europe, Miami are now involved in transfer rumors and speculation.

With the squad already firmly in place, they are now looking to add a marquee signing to their ranks to help further boost their profile. They have already added two exciting young players via the first draft; with one, Robbie Robinson, having scored 24 goals in 47 appearances for Clemson Tigers. He represents real potential for the future of the U.S. National side.

Drafts are not something Europe is familiar with, but transfer speculation is, and this winter Inter Miami are involved in their fair share of chatter. Across in Europe, several major players are looking to move with Inter Milan keenly involved in a transfer tussle; bwin reported how the Italian giants are favorites to sign Danish star Christian Eriksen as they challenge for the title in Italy. The fee is thought to be around the €15m mark ($13m), the sort of fee that Miami are also being linked with spending.

They’re not likely to attract top European talent like Eriksen, yet, but it is suggested they might loan Celtic youngster Lewis Morgan. As well as that, they’re also being touted as a possible destination for Roger Martinez. MLS Soccer reports that he could be the subject of a $15m swoop ahead of the new season.

The 25-year-old is currently playing in Mexico with Club América where he’s hit 12 goals in 56 games, coming off the back of a loan spell in Spain with Villarreal. He’s a Colombian international too, having played 18 times for his country. He’s scored twice, once against Haiti but also getting the winner in a famous 1-0 victory against Argentina in this year’s Copa America.

There’s little doubt both targets are a real show of strength from Miami. Lewis Morgan is a hot prospect in Scotland and plays for arguably one of the biggest clubs in Europe in Celtic. If they could attract him, an exciting young prospect with international ambitions, it would send a signal to the rest of the MLS.

Not quite as much as a swoop for Martinez would. He’s a player that would undoubtedly be one of their key men and who could give them hope of some level of success in their inaugural MLS season.

Miami Heat: Justise Winslow suffers another injury setback

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The Miami Heat will be without Justise Winslow for two weeks.

Another day, another status update on Justise Winslow. According to a tweet from Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, coach Eric Spolestra indicated Friday that Winslow will be out for the next two weeks. This is stemming from his back injury. Once the two weeks are up, he will be re-evaluated at that point.

This is another setback in what has been a difficult process for Justise Winslow. He was back on the court January 8 against Indiana, but he has not returned sense. In that game, he missed both shots he took. Recording two rebounds, an assist, and a steal, he made a noticeable impact.

Winslow has just not been healthy enough to get on the court consistently this season. Duncan Robinson has filled in for him in his absence. Robinson has averaged 11.8 points in 40 games this season. One of his best games of the year came against Atlanta on December 10. In that contest, he scored 34 points on 12-of-16 shooting. He went 10-of-14 from beyond the arc.

It will be interesting to see what occurs after the two weeks are up. Are the Heat going to trade Winslow at the deadline? The date for the trade deadline is February 6 at 3 PM EST. Five Reasons Sports noted on the Five on the Floor podcast that they don’t think Winslow suits up for the Heat this season. With the trade deadline being so close to that two-week timeframe, that is certainly believable.

Winslow needs to get healthy, and maybe have a fresh start somewhere else. Right now, he is just taking up space for Miami. Obviously, things may be different when he is healthy, but we have yet to see it. A healthy Winslow is great. And oft-injured Winslow is not ideal. We’ll have to see how this plays out.

Canes welcome 13 early enrollees, expect big recruiting weekend

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This week, 13 of the players who signed on the dotted line in the Early Signing Period have officially moved to Coral Gables and started classes. A lot of them are expected to be important contributors in the 2020 season and one big benefit players are getting is the opportunity to start strength training early as well as to get a head start on learning the playbook. Here’s a list of the players who have moved in and began classes this past week:

 

QB Tyler Van Dyke – Don’t be surprised if he makes the QB competition a little interesting, especially with a new system.

 

RB Don Chaney – With the loss of Deejay Dallas (NFL Draft) and Lorenzo Lingard (transfer), it wouldn’t be surprising to see Chaney get a decent amount of carries this season. 

 

RB Jaylan Knighton – Same situation as Chaney, Knighton is very quick and dangerous in space. Could be a great change-of-pace back.

 

WR Michael Redding – Excellent size at 6’3”, Redding has a chance to fight for playing time with the loss of KJ Osborn (graduation) and Jeff Thomas (NFL Draft).

 

WR Daz Worsham – Very talented and productive receiver in college, but it could be a similar situation to Christian Williams last season where he may need time adjusting to college level speed.

 

WR Xavier Restrepo – Miami hopes Restrepo can fill the mold of a productive slot receiver with his sneaky speed and stature.

 

TE Dominic Mammerelli – Mammerelli will most likely find himself buried on the depth chart due to talent already at the tight end position so redshirt is highly possible. 

 

OL Jalen Rivers – Rivers was officially measured at 6’5”, 329 pounds when he arrived on campus and should be in the running for playing time this year considering the lack of depth on the line. It would not surprise me if he’s a starter by 2021.

 

OL Chris Washington – Washington fit the mold of what ex-offensive line coach Butch Barry sought in his linemen: a lanky, athletic linemen they can bulk up. Remains unlikely he sees the field this year.

 

DE Chantz Williams – Williams flashes ability that can get him on the field early and should be a rotation player by 2021. 

 

LB Corey Flagg – A big volume tackler in high school, Miami isn’t in a dire spot to start true freshmen at linebacker this year with the return of Zach McCloud and the emergence of Sam Brooks, so Flagg may get some time on special teams.

 

LB Tirek Austin-Cave – Similar to Flagg, he may see the field on special teams and could be a solid contributor due to his speed. 

 

S Keyshawn Washington – Miami has the option to either keep him in safety or even move him to the striker position. Still, it’s looking Washington still needs to bulk up in order for him to see the field. 

 

RECRUITING

 

The Early Signing Period may have ended last month but now’s the time for teams to fill whatever holes that have formed. The Canes find themselves scrambling for offensive linemen and cornerbacks as both positions are glaring needs. There’s three weekends left until the official National Signing Day, which means three weekends to host recruits and possible transfers. Miami will have three visitors this weekend, starting with:

 

QB D’Eriq King (Transfer from Houston)

 

King’s decision to take an OV is huge for Manny Diaz and the Canes and I’ll leave the link down below to the article by our very own Danny Jaillet on why this visit is important. King decided to take a redshirt in 2019 due to the season looking bleak for Houston and he did so with the intention that he would return in 2020. However, he changed course this week after announcing he would enter the transfer portal. King’s best season came in 2018 under Major Applewhite’s offense, where he was arguably one of the top QBs in the nation. He threw for almost 3,000 yards with 36 touchdowns to only 6 interceptions with a 63.5% completion percentage. If that’s not good enough for you, throw in an extra 674 yards on the ground for 14 touchdowns. Without a clear cut starter at quarterback heading in 2020, he can easily become the frontrunner and will be a star in new offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee’s spread offense. 

 

Miami Hurricanes: D’Eriq King set to visit Coral Gables this weekend

 

S Avantae Williams (Deland High, Deland, FL)

 

The hard-hitting Williams decommitted from Oregon a week before the Early Signing Period and since then, his recruitment has solely been a Miami-Florida battle. The 2nd-best safety in the Class of 2020 will be making his way to Coral Gables this weekend. He was once committed to Miami about two years ago and although the Canes are a legit contender for his services, two big things more so swaying in the Gators’ favor are location and his cousin, former UM RB Lorenzo Lingard. Williams has two kids and may opt to be closer to his family. Lingard recently announced his intentions to transfer to Gainesville, which essentially is another family affair. 

 

CB Isaiah Dunson (Tucker, GA)

The former FSU commitment ranks as the 23rd-best cornerback in the Class of 2020 according to 247Sports, and wow won’t you look at that? Cornerback is a huge need for coach Diaz right now, considering Miami only signed one corner during the Early Signing Period (Marcus Clarke) and junior CB Trajan Bandy has opted to enter the NFL Draft. Dunson essentially has what cornerbacks coach Mike Rumph seeks in recruits, which is a long frame (he’s 6’2”) with good speed (4.22 shuttle.)

 

Miami Hurricanes: D’Eriq King set to visit Coral Gables this weekend

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The Miami Hurricanes will have a big-time visitor this weekend. Former Houston quarterback D’Eriq King will take a two-day tour at the University of Miami, beginning Friday.

King would be eligible to play right away and that would be great news for Miami. He is just one of three quarterbacks with 35 passing touchdowns and 13 rushing touchdowns in a season.

As noted in a report from Andrew Ivins, a recruiting guru who is a regular contributor to the 5 Rings Canes podcast on the Five Reasons Sports Network, the quarterback has been talking with Miami offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee.

King is exactly what the Miami Hurricanes need

This would be a much-needed upgrade for the Miami Hurricanes. Poor quarterback play has plagued them throughout the last couple of seasons. King would have a chance to add stability to the program for at least two seasons. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.  Perhaps even more exciting, he would be eligible to play right away.

Miami is going to have to compete with other big-time schools for King. LSU, Oregon, Arkansas, and Ole Miss have also been on his radar. The Hurricanes certainly have their work cut out for them when it comes to battling with other teams for King.

This would be a huge get for Miami just in terms of production. The Hurricanes ranked 99th in the country in 2019 with 22.3 points scored per game. They also ranked 103rd in the country with 348.3 yards per game. With 7.2 yards per pass attempt, that ranked 73rd in the country.

King would provide an instant splash to the Miami offense and would electrify a passing game that is struggling at the moment. Not only that, it would be the first big development for Lashlee since joining the staff. It would certainly provide a jolt into the Miami quarterback room, and would make the ACC a lot more interesting come the fall.

Download the 5 Rings Canes podcast for more, wherever you get your podcasts.

Miami Heat need to lockdown the paint against Spurs

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The Miami Heat need to clean up their play inside the paint.

The Miami Heat are getting ready to take on the San Antonio Spurs. In doing so, they are looking to snap a two-game losing skid. San Antonio will not be an easy test.  Miami needs to clean up one major aspect of their game: points in the paint.

Against the Knicks on Sunday, they struggled mightily with this. Miami gave up 72 points in the paint, compared to only 46 for the Heat. New York’s big men feasted on inside scoring. Taj Gibson and Julius Randle had 14 and 26 points respectively. Miami could just not seem to stop the inside presence New York had.

San Antonio could provide easier challenge for Miami Heat

Against San Antonio on Wednesday, stopping points in the paint needs to be a priority. San Antonio is not a team that scores in volume in the paint. They average 44.4 points per contest from inside. They are tied with two other teams with that number. One of those teams is the New York Knicks.

Bam Adebayo and Myers Leonard are two players that have the potential to stop this. They will have their work cut out for them on Wednesday.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 11 points on four-of-10 shooting against the Raptors on Sunday. He should be the primary paint presence for San Antonio. Throughout his career, he has established himself as a player that can lower his shoulder and get whatever he wants inside. The Miami Heat will have their hands full with Aldridge.

Miami should focus on playing the paint tightly and not allowing drives in the lane. Stopping the big man is only one half of the problem. The other half is eliminating easy drives to the basket. If Miami can take care of those things, that will put them in a better position to succeed.

The lack of limiting inside baskets is a problem that Miami has been having, and they can rectify it against San Antonio. They need to, or else it could be another long evening.

 

Florida Panthers Report Card: Fast and Furious First Half

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The Florida Panthers feel like a different team so far in the first half of the season.

Quietly, the recognition is beginning for South Florida’s NHL team.

A wave of prolific achievements and high scoring affairs have cast a spotlight on Sunrise.

Perhaps that light shines brightest to the Panthers’ diehard fans, but the rest of our market should be taking notice.

The Panthers have won two in a row after a shellacking of Toronto on Sunday, and they sit poised for an extended season.

 

After 45 games the Cats stand at 24-16-5, good for 53 points and a spot in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff mix.

Coach Joel Quenneville has brought a renewed energy and attention to detail which has led to more consistent play.

While the dynamic offense led by Jonathan Huberdeau continues to be the catalyst.

 

Florida’s top two forward lines are as good as any in the NHL.

With Huberdeau, along with Sasha Barkov, Mike Hoffman, Evgenii Davodov, and Vincent Trocheck the Panthers don’t let up.

Mike Hoffman continues hot streak as Panthers roll over Leafs

Leading into the NHL All-Star break, this seems like as good of a time as any to assess the Panthers so far in the 2019-20 season.

Offense: A

This team can light it up.

After their eight goal onslaught against Toronto this week, the Panthers have scored the second most goals in the NHL (163).

Florida’s 3.62 goals per game is tops in the league as of Monday, and the prolific power play is starting to heat up even more.

After going without a power play goal in three straight, the Panthers have converted with the extra man in their last two victories.

Currently they rank 6th in the NHL at 23.4% on the power play.

Hoffman has been on a tear with at least one point in six straight, while Huberdeau has been a consistent spark with an assist in four of his last five games

Huby ranks 7th in the NHL with 61 points (18 goals, 43 assists) and his assist total ranks 3rd league-wide.

Barkov is also in the top-15 in scoring with 49 points and the Panthers have 10 players with at least 20 points.

Evgenii Davodov leads the team with 19 goals, while Vincent Trocheck brings all the intangibles.

 

He has also been on a tear during game action with six points in his last five contests.

Florida is an excellent fore-checking team that applies constant pressure, the Panthers’ 33.7 shots per game rank 5th in the NHL.

Noel Acciari has quickly become a fan favorite in his first season with the team and his energy on the second line is a tremendous asset.

Teamed up with Trocheck and Brett Connolly, who by the way is also having an excellent season, has given the Panthers two solid scoring lines.

Connolly has 16 goals in 45 games in his first year after coming over from Washington, and is on pace to eclipse his career high of 22 goals last season.

Defense/Goaltending: C

The Panthers defensive struggles have been a point of contention for a few years.

They may finally be turning the corner, or at least approaching it.

However the Panthers still rank in the bottom third league wide in shots allowed per game (32.2, 21st) and goals allowed per game (3.31, 27th).

The communication on the blue line is better but there are still stretches where the team gets blitzed and on their heels.

Clearing rebounds and keeping clean ice in front of whomever is in goal must remain a priority.

The defense must also focus on slowing high powered teams down through the neutral zone.

Penalty killing has also been an issue, currently the team ranks 21st in the NHL killing 78.8% of their penalties.

Defenseman Aaron Ekblad is enjoying a solid season, leading the team in +/- (+11) and time on ice per game (23:03).

Florida has only outscored their opponents by 14 goals despite being tops in the league in scoring per game.

The Panthers have won a lot of high scoring games and are tied for 5th in the NHL with three shoot out wins.

However they must balance the scales and keep opponents off the scoreboard more.

Sergei Bobrovsky (16-12-4, 3.29 GAA, .896 SV%) has been better of late but has not put together a string of consistent games yet.

Bobrovsky has only won three consecutive games once this season and has been prone to the onslaught in close losses.

He must find a way to gain some rhythm as the second half approaches, especially if the offense cools somewhat.

Meanwhile the Panthers actually have some depth in net behind Bobrovsky, with Chris Driedger emerging as a nice second option.

Driedger (5-2-0, 2.40 GAA, .931 SV%) has looked sharp for the most part, although he has given up four goals in two straight starts.

Coaching: B+

Joel Quenneville has brought a level of credibility and stature to the Panthers bench that has been missing.

His resume speaks for itself and the players are responding to his style tremendously.

 

Quenneville has taken a tremendous foundation of talent at the forward spots and built an offensive system that plays to strengths.

Florida has started games out with more energy and focus which has translated to the team only losing twice all season when scoring first.

The team has also avoided the devastating prolonged losing streak, with the longest being three games.

However, that has happened three times while the longest win streak is also three games – which has happened just once.

Florida could use a run in this upcoming stretch against teams such as Los Angeles and Detroit, who are both NHL bottom feeders.

Quenneville has kept the team on the same page and has the championship experience to push the right buttons.

If Florida can even things out on the blue line and in goal, the NHL playoffs should be on this year’s schedule.

Follow us on Twitter for more Florida Panthers @SportsWaveDave and @5ReasonsSports.