Panthers Score Four Unanswered in Comeback Win Over Stars

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The Florida Panthers didn’t make it easy on themselves in their 4-3 win over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night.

 

Sloppy play, a few bad bounces and a faster Stars team had the Panthers looking lost and down 3-0 midway through the second period.

 

“We went through the first 30 minutes for sure, possibly two periods of hockey where we weren’t anywhere near (how they should’ve played),” head coach Paul Maurice said. “We didn’t look the way we were supposed to look. It just wasn’t right, wasn’t hard enough.”

 

But the Comeback Cats just wouldn’t go away.

 

Sam Reinhart gave the Panthers some life 12:52 into the second with his 46th goal of the season.

 

A flukey, deflected shot by Reinhart found its way past Stars goalie Jake Oettinger on the power play. No matter the way it went in, Florida was going to run with it.

 

The Panthers played one of, if not the worst opening two periods of hockey they had all season in Dallas. 

 

If it wasn’t for a few miraculous saves by Sergei Bobrovsky while the Panthers were in a hole, the Stars probably would’ve ran Florida out the building by the time the third rolled around.

 

“Even though it was 3-0 it could’ve easily been 8-0. It actually could’ve been,” Matthew Tkachuk said when speaking of Bobrovsky’s impact. “He did a great job of keeping us in it.”

 

Tkachuk said they told Bobrovsky to “shut the door in the third” and they’d find a way to win. The Panthers and their netminder stuck to that promise.

 

In the third, Florida came out with more jump than they had shown in the first forty minutes on Tuesday night.

 

The Panthers were giving the Stars an effort that was more consistent with the NHL’s top team, but they still couldn’t get a second past Oettinger. It wasn’t until the final ten minutes of regulation, where the Panthers would get their second goal of the game.

 

Then the floodgates opened.

 

Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov made it a one-goal game after ever so slightly deflecting Carter Verhaeghe’s shot into the Stars net on the power play.

 

Less than three minutes after Barkov made it a one score game, Sam Bennett erased the Stars three goal advantage after redirecting Matthew Tkachuk’s shot for his 16th goal of the season.

 

Dallas’ huge lead vanished and all of a sudden, it was a 3-3 contest with six minutes to go.

 

Already with two power play goals on the night, the hungry Panthers got one more shot on the man-advantage just 28 seconds after tying the game — they made Dallas pay.

 

Aleksander Barkov scored his second goal of the night and the game winner after his pass which was intended for Matthew Tkachuk bounced off a Stars defender and into the net.

 

“Even though it wasn’t our game tonight I think we really stuck with it,” Gustav Forsling said. “Real character win to comeback.”

 

The Panthers scored four unanswered goals en route to their 4-3 comeback win over one of the Western Conference’s top teams.

 

“The comeback’s great for the players,” Maurice said. “They get to enjoy it. But to be able to not have anything going for two periods and then get to play hard, the way we need to play, that’s a really important thing to carry with you.”

 

Panthers Notes

The Panthers were without defenseman Aaron Ekblad (out for at least two weeks) and forward Evan Rodrigues (day-to-day). Josh Mahura and Kyle Okposo drew in respectively for those two.

 

Okposo, 35, made his Panthers after being acquired at the deadline from Buffalo.


Sergei Bobrovsky had 27 saves in his 32nd win of the season.

 

Sam Bennett skated in his 600th NHL game — “He’s a really good guy,” Forsling said of Bennett. “He’s playing hard every single night. He gives 100 percent.”

Tarasenko Scores Twice, Panthers Put Five Past Flames

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SUNRISE — New Panther Vladimir Tarasenko had two goals and an assists on Saturday in the Panthers 5-1 win over the Calgary 

 

The Panthers, who dropped Thursday night’s game against Philadelphia, bounced back to prevent their first consecutive losses at home since January. 

 

Anthony Stolarz had 34 saves in his 13th win of the season. The Panthers remain the top team in the NHL with a 44-17-4 record.

 

Here’s Saturday’s takeaways.

 

Panthers lose two players to injury

While the final score and overall game effort was positive for the Panthers, they did lose two players to injury before the final buzzer. 

 

Defenseman Aaron Ekblad left Saturday afternoon’s game in the first period after a center ice collision with his teammate, Vladimir Tarasenko.

 

Ekblad immediately skated to the Panthers bench and went down the tunnel, after his left leg collided with Tarasenko’s. 

 

Ekblad was able to get off on his own wait when he headed back to the bench. He took his last shift with 4:41 to go in the period. 

 

With 36 seconds remaining in the second period, the Panthers then lost a second skater to injury. 

 

Forward Evan Rodrigues blocked a slapshot right above the skate on his left leg.

 

Rodrigues fell to the ice and was visibly in pain. He had to be assisted by a trainer back to the locker room.

 

Neither Ekblad nor Rodrigues returned to the game.

 

Head coach Paul Maurice said that updates on both players would come Monday, but after a few more questions regarding Ekblad’s health, he gave a bit of a more assuring update. 

 

“He’s gonna be ok. I don’t know when he’s coming back. It might be practice monday, maybe a little bit longer,” Maurice said. “I’ll give you a real good answer Monday.”

 

These injuries come just one day after the NHL trade deadline. 

 

Welcome to the Tarasenkshow Sunrise 

In his second game with the Panthers, the spotlight was on Vladimir Tarasenko. 

 

Tarasenko had three points on the afternoon — scoring two goals and an assist in the second period.

 

23 seconds into the second, Tarsenko intercepted a pass from former Panther Jonathan Huberdeau and beat another former Panther, Jakob Markstrom, with a snap shot blocker side — giving the Panthers a 1-0 lead. 

 

He scored again with 5:05 left in the period, beating Markstrom from the top of the circle — this time glove side. 

 

“I’m not gonna lie, it’s nice, kind of a relief (to score early during his Panthers tenure),” Tarasenko said. “I feel like I fel comfortable as the game goes on.”

 

Tarasenko also had the secondary assist on Florida’s second goal of the game, scored by Aleksander Barkov.  

 

He was acquired on Wednesday in a trade from Ottawa.

 

Five-goal middle frame

The first two periods of Thursday’s game couldn’t have been more opposite. 

 

After 20 minutes of play, both teams were scoreless — with a combined 18 shots on goal.

 

The second period looked as if two different teams were playing. 

 

“We weren’t really excited about our start,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “We needed to get physical and Vlad’s (Tarasenko) got the first hit in there and that kind of started things for us.”

 

There were five total goals in the second — four coming from the Panthers and just one for the flames.

 

“We were better in the second period,” Maurice added. “I mean our goaltender was fantastic tonight.”

 

Tarasenko scored twice for the Panthers. Barkov and Bennett also had a goal before the period was over.


Yegor Shrangovich had the lone Flames goal, which came seven seconds into their second  power play. 

 

Panthers Notes

Kevin Stenlund scored the fifth Panthers goal, shorthanded

 

Gustav Forsling had two assists and was a +3 

 

The Panthers will next play March 12th in Dallas against the Stars

 

Florida won’t play another home game until March 16th against the Tampa Bay Lightning

2024 NHL Trade Deadline: Panthers Add Tarasenko, Okposo to Roster

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FORT LAUDERDALE — The 2024 NHL Trade Deadline has officially passed and the Florida Panthers welcomed some new faces to the team. 

 

The Panthers made a few trades on deadline week — adding two veteran forwards to the already stacked roster.

 

Florida’s biggest deal was made on the Wednesday before the deadline, when they acquired four-time All-Star Vladimir Tarasenko from the Ottawa Senators. 

 

“He’s just a smart player. He gets to where he needs to, movies the puck at the right time.” head coach Paul Maurice said. “He’s a good, veteran guy that I think can develop chemistry with just about anybody.”

 

Florida sent Ottawa a 2024 conditional fourth-round pick and a 2025 third-round pick for the 2019 Stanley Cup champion. 

 

Just a few hours before the deadline passed on Friday, the Panthers traded for another veteran forward, acquiring former Buffalo Sabres captain, Kyle Okposo. 

 

“I’m just looking forward to being a piece,” Okposo told ESPN on Friday. “You can just tell what kind of team they are by the way they compete and the way they place on the ice.”

 

Okposo, 35, has appeared in over 1,000 NHL games across his 16-year career, between the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres. 

 

“I love how they play. They play nasty, in your face,” Okposo added. “It’s gonna be a lot of fun to kind of learn the intricacies of their style and a how a coach like Paul Maurice wants to do things.”

 

The former Sabres captain played with current Panthers Brandon Montour, Evan Rodrigues and Sam Reinhart in Buffalo. While it is nice that he will has some familiarity in Sunrise, that didn’t play into the equation for the Panthers.

 

“It’s a wonderful convenience. He’s such a player that if we hadn’t had any of his former teammates it wouldn’t have changed my mind,” Panthers GM Bill Zito said of Okposo. “It’s a very nice element, sort of eases the transition. To that extent it’s very valuable.”

 

Florida traded 24-year-old Calle Sjalin (Charlotte Checkers) and a 2024 conditional seventh-round pick for Okposo. 

 

In the final hour of the deadline, the Panthers acquired goaltender Magnus Hellberg from the Pittsburgh Penguins, in exchange for goaltender Ludovic Waeber and a 2025 conditional seventh-round pick.

 

Florida made this move because of Hellberg’s experience playing in North America. He’s a 32-year-old with multiple years of experience in the AHL and a decent amount of NHL games — this was an insurance move for the Panthers organization in net. Waeber, 27, is still in his first year of North American professional hockey after spending his entire career in Europe.

 

They also claimed 22-year-old Tobias Bjornfot off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights. Bjornfot was a first-round pick of the LA Kings in 2019.  

 

“Tobias is a great professional with an extremely strong work ethic,” Zito said. “We are excited for him to get to work within the Panthers organization.”

 

Bjornfot has 119 NHL games under his belt and played 70 games in 2021-22 with the Kings.

 

“He’s 22. A recent first-round pick. He’s already played almost a full season in the league,” Zito said. “We look at is as a prospect with some pretty significant upside.”

 

The Panthers were able to not only players who they believe will contribute to the team down as the playoffs roll around, but they also didn’t trade away a single NHL roster player or lose anyone on waivers.

 

Deadline Guide 

IN: Vladimir Tarasenko (Acquired from Ottawa), Kyle Okposo (Acquired from Buffalo), Magnus Hellberg (Acquired from Pittsburgh), Tobias Bjornfot (Waivers from Vegas), 2025 conditional 7th round pick (FLA)

 

OUT: Calle Sjalin, Ludovic Waeber, 2024 7th round pick (FLA) [Conditional], 2024 4th round pick (FLA) [Conditional], 2025 3rd round pick (FLA) 

 

CONDITIONS: 2024 7th round pick upgrades to a 2024 5th round pick if Florida wins the Stanley Cup. 2024 4th round pick upgrades to a 2026 3rd round pick if Florida wins the Stanley Cup in 2023-24

Tarasenko Makes Debut, Panthers Fall Late to Flyers

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SUNRISE — The Philadelphia Flyers were the last team to beat the Panthers at home — on Feb. 6. In their return to Sunrise, they repeated the occasion, defeating Florida 2-1 with a last second winning goal.

 

Garnet Hathaway gave Philadelphia their 33rd win after scoring with 21.3 seconds left in Thursday night’s contest.

 

Samuel Ersson had 29 saves in an important win for the Flyers as they hold the final metropolitan playoff spot with 18 games remaining on their schedule. 

 

Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had 24 saves in the loss — the Panthers are now 43-17-4 on the season but remain first in the NHL standings. 

 

After a scoreless opening period, the Flyers broke the ice just 10 seconds into the second.

 

Ryan Poehling drove the net, dropped the shoulder and roofed his eighth goal of the season over Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. 

 

Philadelphia’s lead lasted seven minutes before Florida would answer. 

 

7:12 into the season, Gustav Forsling scored his 10th goal of the season, tying the game at 1-1. 

 

Thursday was a great personal day for the Panthers’ top-line defenseman. Before he ripped a point shot past Flyers goalie Samuel Errson, the 27-year-old inked an eight-year, $46M extension with the Panthers — cementing him as a solidified core piece going forward in Sunrise. 

 

Forsling, who was a waiver pickup when he was brought to Florida in 2021, reflected on his journey from nearly going to the AHL to signing a maximum term extension.

 

“It’s very emotional actually, it’s life changing,” Forsling said. “I’m just very grateful for everything they’ve done (Bill Zito and the Panthers).”

 

The last day and a half leading up to Thursday’s games was an exciting period in South Florida.

 

All eyes were on the Panthers after gm Bill Zito made a big swing to acquire four-time All-Star, Vladimir Tarasenko from Ottawa. 

 

After being acquired on Wednesday, Tarasenko took the ice for his Florida Panthers debut.

 

Tarasenko, 32, played on Florida’s top line with Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart. He also appeared on the Panthers’ second power play unit.

 

“I like the small things that he did that are non skill related,” head coach Paul Maurice said when speaking of Tarasenko’s debut. “The skill’s there, we’re not worried about that. But he blocked some shots and picked up reads very quickly with a whole bunch of new systems.”

 

The two sides kept the game tied for most of the night. It wasn’t until the final minute of play where someone would break the deadlock. 

 

Garnet Hathaway’s seventh goal of the season came at the perfect time as he snuck a rebound shot behind Bobrovsky for the game winner. 

 

Panthers Notes

The Panthers’ next opponent will be the Calgary Flames, this Saturday afternoon at home

 

Friday, March 8th at 3 p.m. ET is the NHL Trade Deadline. The Panthers have just over $3M in deadline cap space if they wish to make any additional moves

Panthers Acquire Tarasenko From Senators

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The Florida Panthers have acquired 32-year-old forward Vladimir Tarasenko from the Ottawa Senators, the team announced today. 

 

The reported trade package heading back to Ottawa is a fourth-round pick in 2024 (becomes 2026 third if Florida wins the cup) and a third-round pick in 2025, per TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. Ottawa also retains 50 percent of Tarasenko’s $5M contract in the trade.

 

The four-time All-Star signed a one-year contract, with a full no-trade clause, this summer with the Senators. He had to waive his NTC to facilitate a trade to Florida. 

 

Tarasenko, 32, has been an offensive threat for most of his career — putting up 615 points  (287 goals, 328 assists) in 732 career games. This season with Ottawa, Tarasenko has 17 goals and 41 points through 57 games. 

 

The skilled forward will be able to bring some additional firepower to the top-six in Florida — whether that’s next to Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart, or Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett. 

 

“Vladimir is a highly skilled and experienced scoring winger who provides our club with another dynamic offensive option as we embark on the remainder of our season,” Panthers GM Bill Zito said. “We are excited for him to join our team, and to compete for the Stanley Cup once again.”

 

A 2019 Stanley Cup champion with the St.Louis Blues, Tarasenko spent the first 11 seasons of his NHL career in St. Louis before being traded to the New York Rangers ahead of the 2022-23 NHL trade deadline. Current Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola also went to New York in the trade. 

 

Tarasenko will see a few familiar faces once he gets to Sunrise. He has represented Russia in numerous international tournaments alongside Panthers’ goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov. He most recently played with Mikkola in St.Louis and New York. 

 

The trade deadline is Friday, March 8 at 3 p.m. ET.

Lundell Gets Shootout Winner, Reinhart scores Twice in Panthers Comeback Win Over Canadiens

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SUNRISE — Anton Lundell scored the shootout winner as the Panthers defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on Thursday night after trailing late in the third.

 

Florida moved back to first place in the NHL in the win and became the second team to win 40 games this season. 

 

“It was a good hockey game today. They didn’t give us anything easy,” Lundell said. “We knew it’s not going to be easy so we had to battle every shift.”

 

Anthony Stolarz, who played in his 100th NHL game, had 28 saves for his 11th win of the season.

 

“Who would’ve thought 25-30 years ago that you’d be here,” Stolarz said. “I’m grateful for it and at the same time [I’m] not taking it for granted.”

 

Aleksander Barkov and Nick Suzuki are both likely to finish near the top of the Selke voting at the end of the season. While they are known for their defensive abilities, the two captains exchanged goals in the first. 

 

Barkov opened the scoring with his 14th goal of the season 7:01 into the first. Suzuki answered under 90 seconds later, making it 1-1. Both players finished the night with a goal and two assists. 

 

Sam Reinhart was on a bit of a cold streak going into Thursday night’s game. He was riding a seven-game goalless streak — the longest of the year.

 

Sitting on 39 goals for over two weeks, Reinhart finally broke the ice, becoming the fourth player in Panthers history to score 40 goals in a season on Thursday. 

 

With 5:52 left in the second period, Reinhart beat Canadiens’ goalie Sam Montembeault for his 40th. 

 

“It’s felt like a long time,” Reinhart said. “It’s nice to get back in the scoresheet, to get another win, especially before going on the road. We’ve got a couple of big games coming up.”

 

There have been five 40-goal seasons in Panthers history; Pavel Bure did it twice (1999-00, 2000-01), while Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe both did it last season (2022-23). 

 

Up 2-1 near the end of the second period, the Panthers were just one faceoff away from taking a one-goal lead into the intermission. 

 

Juraj Slafkovsky didn’t let that happen. 

 

With 0.7 seconds left in the period, Suzuki won the draw straight to Slafkovsky and the Habs’ 19-year-old forward fired a shot past Panthers’ goalie Anthony Stolarz for his 13th goal of the season. 

 

Montreal would carry the momentum of Slafkovsky’s late goal out of the intermission and they grabbed their first lead of the night early in the third. 

 

On the power play, Alex Newhook beat Stolarz up high for his ninth goal of the season, 3:27 into the third. 

 

Three goals against has been an unusual sight for the Panthers as of late. Montreal became the first team to put more than two goals in the Panthers’ net since Minnesota scored six on Jan. 18. Florida went 14 straight games conceding two or fewer goals before Thursday night. 

 

Montreal would keep hold of their lead late into the third — and the way the period was trending — it looked as if they were going to sneak out of Sunrise with the two points. 

 

After scoring his 40th and snapping his goal drought, Sam Reinhart got his team back in the game when they needed him the most. 

 

Leading by one with just over seven minutes left in regulation, Montreal looked to ice the game on the power play. 

 

But, Reinhart didn’t hear a bell.

 

Barkov intercepted a pass at center ice and carried the transition rush alongside Reinhart.

 

Reinhart tucked away his second goal of the night and 41st of the season right under the bar, tying the game with 6:55 to go in regulation. 

 

“He impacts everything we do,” head coach Paul Maurice said of Reinhart. “There’s just very few men in the history of the game who get the 40-goal mark. It’s a huge accomplishment. He’s earned it.” 

 

The two teams remained tied after regulation and finished overtime the same way. 

 

Aleksander Barkov and Cole Caufield both scored in the shootout for their teams before Anton Lundell got the game winner and the extra point for Florida. 

 

The Panthers will hit the road for their next three games before returning home on March 7 against Philadelphia.

Features of betting in the Aviator game in Azerbaijan: how to start game, rounds, odds

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How to bet in Aviator game in Azerbaijan: everything about the game

The crash game Aviator is an entertainment that has been extremely popular in the gambling market for over 5 years. Since its creation, it has spread among gambling establishments worldwide; in particular, the Aviator oyunu Azerbaycan has become available to gamblers as original software from the provider Spribe, where the return of rounds depends on a random number generator. You can place bets in the demo version or with real money. In addition, gamblers can place bets manually separately for each round or use the autoplay option.

How to play Aviator: basic rules and selection of odds for withdrawal

The essence of the Aviator game in Azerbaijan, as in any other country where this slot machine is presented, is that the player must follow the image of the plane on the screen after the start of the round. The more it flies, the higher the bet coefficient will multiply during withdrawal. In general, the process of playing Aviator is as follows:

  1. 1 bet. For 1 round, you can make 1–2 bets, depending on the player’s desire.
  2. Start of the round. After betting, the round will begin in a few seconds. The initial coefficient is x1 and higher. The more the plane moves on the screen, the higher the multiplier.
  3. Conclusion. The player’s main task is to withdraw money before the plane crashes. Cashout can be carried out at any time. If there were 2 bets, each withdrawal can be made separately at the appropriate time.

You can play Aviator for real money or in demo mode. It’s up to the player to choose, but only in the first situation will they be able to earn a real win with a withdrawal. To replenish the deposit from which bets will be made, you can use an account with Bank ABB or any other bank in Azerbaijan. Before replenishing, you also need to register with Pin Up.

How to bet on Aviator game in Azerbaijan without risks

Suppose you are just getting acquainted with the world of gambling and are interested in an online casino and its capabilities. In that case, Aviator is an excellent choice as your first entertainment in a gambling club. In addition, the crash game is no less popular among experienced gamblers due to its simplicity and generosity. To start betting on Aviator, just go to the Pin Up website, and you can join a huge audience of fans of gambling and generous winnings.

 

Panthers’ Sam Reinhart Scores 40th Goal of Season

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For the first time in his career, Sam Reinhart is a 40-goal scorer

 

Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart has been one of the top scorers in the league this season and on Thursday night in Sunrise, he hit a huge career milestone. 

 

With 5:52 left the second period, Reinhart beat Montreal Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeualt for his 40th goal of the season — attaining that in game 60 of the season.

 

Reinhart became just the fourth player in Panthers history to score 40 times in a season. Pavel Bure did it twice (1999-00, 2000-01) and both Carter Verhaeghe and Matthew Tkachuk hit the milestone last season (2022-23). 

 

This is the first time in his career Reinhart joined the 40-goal club. The 28-year-old surpassed his previous season-high of 33 goals (2021-22) in January. 

 

“I’ve said many times before, he does all the right things on the ice… he hasn’t cheated once this year,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said when asked about Reinhart earlier this month. 

 

His 40 goals is tied for second most in the NHL (Zach Hyman, EDM); Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews leads the league with 52 goals.

 

Reinhart snapped a seven-game goalless streak, his longest of the season. His last goal before Thursday was Feb.10 against Colorado

 

In his three seasons with the Panthers, Reinhart has been a point-per-game player — accumulating 104 goals and 219 points in 220 games.

  

Pavel Bure currently holds the Panthers’ single-season goal record with 59 (2000-01) — Reinhart is on pace to score 55 goals in 82 games.

Caleb Daniels emerging for the Skyforce

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Being a G League team means you have to always be ready to deal with change. At any moment, your best players can be poached, and you are left to find a way to fill the void. This is exactly what the Skyforce are going through right now. Justin Champagnie was signed by the Wizards and Alondes Williams received a 2-way so he will be with the Skyforce less. Then on top of these two players signing deals, Josh Christopher has been dealing with an ankle injury and has been missing time. This has left the Skyforce desperately needing players to step up and produce at a higher clip than they have before. 

Though several players have answered the call no one has answered it better than Caleb Daniels. Daniels has been playing his best basketball of the season. He has skyrocketed his production in recent games, becoming one of the Skyforce’s best players. Daniels has consistently been one of the leading scorers on the team recently and has been doing in it a variety of ways. He is a capable three-point shooter who always makes the open ones, then once he gets going can branch out into contested threes.

The thing I like most about his offensive game is his physicality. Daniels is never afraid of contact and will consistently drive to the rim. The willingness to drive has been a large reason for his success. He never feels the need to force shots, he simply just makes the right basketball play. For example, if someone closes out too hard, he will put the ball on the floor and penetrate the defense. If there is a lazy closeout he will not hesitate and let the three fly. His decisiveness and willingness to take either option has been a massive advantage. When asked about his recent improvement in play Daniels stated “I attribute it to just playing basketball the right way and trusting that the ball will come back to me…. All of the hard work with developing my craft, and IQ, and watching film to correct my mistakes from past games has been helping along the way as well.” Daniels plays the game the right way and trusts

that the process will lead to positive results. He puts in the work and watches film; this lets him be better prepared for his opportunities. This has been evident as he is consistently making the right plays and putting himself in good positions to succeed. 

With all of the changes, the Skyforce is not the same team that started the season. They have to grind out more games and try to find ways to win, rather than just relying on talent to beat teams. The Skyforce have been battling as of late, and even in the losses they have done a respectable job of fighting undermanned to keep the game close. No one is in for moral victories, but it does show the fight and desire this team has to do something special. Daniels is quick to mention the mentality of his team stating “We have a team full of guys that have a “don’t quit” mentality. We are a very resilient team as we have shown all year……

What stands out the most is how hard we play from top to bottom. Our expectation as a team is to play hard for each other and have each other’s back.” No matter the circumstance you can always count on the Skyforce to give their maximum effort down to the end. They take a sense of pride in their mentality. There are no excuses on the Skyforce, players show up and work, not only for themselves but for each other.

Daniels alludes to this, “I think it is all of us holding each other accountable behind the scenes. We all want to see each other at our best, which ultimately helps the team. So, we push each other and hold each other to that standard every time we are out there together.” This accountability has certainly helped Daniels and the Skyforce as a whole. The improvement of individuals on the roster cannot go unnoticed. As for the team and getting back to the results they desire, they still have work to do to figure out how to fill the void left by players leaving and injuries. As far as getting back to the standard, Daniels is not worried, “As long as we continue to push each other individually and as a team, we will be able to be the best team that we can be by the end of the year.” 

Montour’s 3-Point Night Leads Panthers over Sabres

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SUNRISE — The Florida Panthers jumped up to first place in the NHL on Tuesday night after defeating the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 at Amerant Bank Arena.

 

The Panthers are winners of their last five games on home ice and are 39-16-4 on the season. 

 

Sergei Bobrovsky had 28 saves in his 29th win of the season — third most in the league.

 

“It’s a good win for us,” Bobrovsky said. “Another different opponent, they had lots of skill… It was a good challenge for us.”

 

Dylan Cozens opened the scoring with a power play goal, 9:25 into the first — putting the Sabres up early on the road. 

 

Despite conceding first, the Panthers wouldn’t trail for too long. Sam Bennett tied the game with his 14th goal of the season, less than four minutes after Cozens’ goal.

 

Matthew Tkachuk gave Florida their first lead of the night 13:56 into the first period, with his 21st goal of the season. Tkachuk returned to the lineup on Tuesday night after missing Florida’s last game with an upper-body injury. 

 

Tkachuk continues to be an offensive force, since the start of January. In his last 22 games he has 40 points — third most in the NHL.

 

“The path that Matthew took to points this year was really important because he didn’t cheat the game early on when he wasn’t scoring,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “There was no selfishness, he was fine with it. He truly was when he talked to us.”

 

Brandon Montour had a big night on the scoresheet, scoring the game-winning goal and picking up two assists on Tuesday. Montour had just 12 points in the first 38 games of the season. He has 10 points in his past five games — three of them being multi-point nights.

 

Tage Thompson kept the Sabres in the game late in the third, cutting the deficit to one with 7:56 to go in regulation, but the comeback effort fell short. 

 

The Panthers have been outstandingly consistent on the defensive side of play since the middle of January — conceding two or fewer goals in 14 straight games. 

 

“We do have a lot of really good offensive players in here, but at the end of the day defense wins,” Tkachuk said. “We’re all so committed to that, especially after last year. Learning that style, playing it over and over and over again. It’s kind of just in our brains now.”

 

Panthers Notes 

Carter Verhaeghe left the game in the third period, he took a “puck to the face” and will be ok, per Maurice

 

Kevin Stenlund also returned to the ice Tuesday after missing the last game against Washington

 

Florida’s next game is Thursday, Feb. 29 at home against Montreal