The season isn’t even halfway through – but the upcoming away tour could be decisive for the Florida Panthers’ playoff dreams. First up: the Dallas Stars, who belong to the best team in the entire league.
At 22.30 Dallas–Florida, TV2 and Arenan
Commentator: Mattias Simonsen
– The playoffs have already started for us.
That was stated by Matthew Tkachuk before Florida’s game against Carolina on New Year’s Eve. They lost it 0–4. Next match? A 3–5 loss to the New York Rangers.
The Florida Panthers – best in the regular season in the NHL last year – have found themselves in free fall. The Panthers are nine points (and two games in) up for a guaranteed Atlantic Division playoff berth. The distance up to a wild card ticket is six points.
Not possible? Not at all. But that requires the team to start scoring points on an assembly line. A few comfortable victories over Arizona and Detroit were still nothing compared to what awaits now.
Now the Panthers start an away tour that really tests them. First, tonight, the “Cats” visit Dallas (best in the Central). The day after tomorrow, Florida visits Colorado (reigning Stanley Cup champions who are also chasing the playoffs). And the tour ends away towards Vegas (best in the Pacific) on the night of Friday Finnish time.
At best, Florida will come home with six points against top opposition in the bag. But the more likely right now feels like at least two heavy points drops and probably an even steeper uphill climb during the rest of the regular season.
Barkov and Lundell must step up
The form of the Finnish players reflects quite directly how the teams have performed so far in the season. Roope Hintz and Miro Heiskanen can have the best seasons of their careers and Dallas is on a roll.
Aleksander Barkov has been pulled with several minor injuries and Anton Lundell has not shown the progress many hoped for while Florida is mired in the Everglades swamp.
Eetu Luostarinen has instead been the main blue-white joy in Florida this season. But if the Panthers want to make the playoffs, at least Barkov needs to start playing like the star center he showed he still is with his five-point night against Montreal.
Aleksander Barkov has not come up to his own level this season.
Photo: James Guillory/USA TODAY Sports/All Over Press
Aleksander Barkov, Jr., Florida Panthers
The defensive tackles are especially needed against Dallas’ super chain, where Hintz plays center with Jason Robertson (the season’s NHL Comet) and eternally young control specialist Joe Pavelski speaking.
And Miro Heiskanen will remind Florida’s GM Bill Zito that they also lack an elite puck-carrying back right now. Aaron Ekblad certainly averaged almost a point per game last season, but has also had injury problems in the fall and winter and hasn’t been up to the same level.
Powerplay and the goalkeeping duel can decide
A big reason why Dallas has won so many games this season is that they are terribly effective on the power play. The PP percentage of 27.2 is fifth best in the entire league and it is above all the first quintet that accounts for the efficiency.
Either they play the puck to Hintz or Robertson, who both have a shot of rank, or they throw the puck on goal from the blue line and let Pavelski do his thing in front of the box. A surprisingly large percentage of PP goals this season have actually been controls.
At the same time, Florida’s box play is among the worst in the league. The percentage is 75.3.
Jake Oettinger has now definitely established himself as one of the league’s star goalkeepers. Sergei Bobrovsky should be one for Florida but is having his worst season under the palm trees. Spencer Knight hasn’t been too convincing as a starter either.
Commentator’s tip: Dallas is too strong
The last time these two teams met was in Sunrise, Florida and that time it was Dallas who was stronger with 6-4 after, among other things, two goals from Roope Hintz. And Bobrovsky was replaced.
Somehow it feels like the match in Dallas, Texas will not necessarily be a similar goal feast, but all too much points to the fact that the points go to the red-hot lyres in green uniforms this time as well.
There is something wrong in Florida and the team’s record against playoff teams is woeful. Tonight’s match will be one of many costly losses.
We say 4-2 to Dallas.
