Well, it wasn’t in his first game, but Peter DeBoer didn’t have to wait too long to get his first win as an NHL head coach. The Florida Panthers put in a tough effort Saturday night in their home opener against the Atlanta Thrashers and got their first victory of the season, 3-2 in OT.

Florida was dominated offensively in the first two periods by Atlanta. The Thrashers outshot the Panthers 28-17 through the first two periods. Atlanta took the first lead of the game, scoring midway through the first period. The Panthers didn’t wait long to respond though, scoring 2 minutes later to tie the game. The Panthers scored just 19 seconds into the 2nd period to take a 2-1 lead. They remained in the lead until 3 minutes left in the period when the Thrashers tied the game at 2. Florida stepped it up in the 3rd period, swinging momentum in their favor as they outshot the Thrashers 18-5, but to no avail.

Regulation time in the game ended in a 2-2 tie, so overtime was needed. The Panthers again dominated the overtime session, outshooting the Thrashers 4-0 and netting the game winner 4 minutes into the extra session.

The Panthers played well in their 2nd game of the season, again showing perserverance as they came from behind. This time their effort was rewarded with a victory. The team again got offensive output from players other than Nathan Horton and Cory Stillman. David Booth scored two goals, including the OT winner, and Stephen Weiss netted his second on the season to put the Panthers ahead 2-1 early in the 2nd.

Saturday nights effort was all around better from the Panthers, especially on defense. Though they were outshot through the first two periods, the defense was able to lock down the Thrashers when it mattered in the 3rd period and OT, outshooting them 22-5.

The Panthers continue to get contributions from players other than those who were expected to make big contributions, and that is what will help the Panthers win the majority of their games this year. A balanced attack will take the pressure off of Horton and Stillman, and likely allow them to be even more effective when teams can’t just focus on the two of them.

Peter DeBoer probably felt excitement running through him as the Panthers took the ice tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes, afterall it was his first game as a head coach in the NHL. He undoubtedly felt the excitement level increase when his team went up 2-0 by the time 6 minutes had passed in the first period. Unfortunately by the time the game reached the 7 minute mark of the 2nd period, DeBoer’s excitement was gone and replaced with a feeling of anxiety. The wheels had fallen off and the Panthers now trailed 3-2, and they wouldn’t recover.

After blowing their early two goal lead, the Panthers tried to fight back, tying the game midway through the 2nd. From that point on though it was all Hurricanes as they scored the next two to go up 5-3. The Panthers did make it interesting with 9 minutes to go, scoring to make it 5-4, but the Hurricanes got a late goal to finish with a 6-4 victory.

It was certainly not the start Peter DeBoer was looking for, nobody enjoys opening their coaching career in the NHL with a loss. Tonight’s game showed that some of the team’s offseason moves worked and others have yet to payoff. The worries about the Panthers’ offense were answered, as the team scored 4 goals. Nathan Horton, expected to lead the team, scored the late goal to make the game close in the 3rd period. Newcomer Cory Stillman also netted a goal in his first game for the Panthers. As previously discussed though, success for the Panthers’ offense this season was going to depend on other players stepping up their production to help Horton and Stillman. So it helped ease some nerves to see that Radek Dvorak and David Booth chipped in goals for the team tonight.

However, we also saw that the transformation of the defense is still a work in progress as the team gave up 6 goals tonight. Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton were both -3 on the evening and contributed no points. Veteran defenseman Bryan McCabe did have an assist on the team’s second goal, but left midway through the 2nd period with a left leg injury sustained when his leg twisted wrong in a collision along the boards.

Nobody should get carried away and predict a horrible season and no playoffs based on the results of one game, the NHL season is afterall 82 games long. This team has to move forward with a new group on offense and a revamped defense, not to mention the new strategies brought to the team by DeBoer. It is going to take time for the players to execute DeBoer’s game plan to perfection and gel as teammates. It would have been nice to have at least seen a better defensive performance, but the Panthers will improve.

With the season beginning tonight for the Florida Panthers, it is time to ask ourselves what can we expect from our Panthers this season? The truth is, no one can really know what to expect from the Panthers. The team is in a state of flux and is likely to look NOTHING like it did last year. There have been major changes at forward, defense, and coach and the focus of the entire team is altered.

The Panthers would never have been accused in past seasons of having an offense that could light the league on fire and that may not change this year. With the departure of leading scorer Olli Jokinen, the team will look to Nathan Horton to step up and be the 40 goal scorer they believe he can be. However, Horton alone cannot carry this team to victory. If the Panthers are to end their playoff drought, everyone is going to have to step up and increase their production for the team to succeed. New addition Cory Stillman, Stephen Weiss, Richard Zednik, and others are all going to have to contribute if the team wants to make the playoffs.

Defense is going to be key for the Panthers as well. GM Jacques Martin decided a complete overhaul was needed to improve on one of the league’s worst defenses last season. Martin traded for Keith Ballard (then signed him to a 6-year deal), Bryan McCabe, and Nick Boynton. They join Jay Bouwmeester, Cory Murphy, Karlis Skrastins, and Bryan Allen. This could be the key to the team, if the offense can’t ramp up its production enough, the defense will be relied upon to lock down opposing teams and keep the Panthers in contention.

Then there is new head coach Peter DeBoer. He does bring with him a winning tradition as a coach. While he was wildly successful in Canadian junior leagues, DeBoer dealt with players there between 16-20 years of age, not grown men who were professionals. With the Panthers on their 10th coach in their 15 year history, the leash for DeBoer may not be long. HIs past successes likely will buy him time to prove he can turn this team around.

All in all, the Panthers seem to have made all the right moves to improve their franchise. All the right moves on paper at least. Sometimes trades look great on paper but just don’t bring the end product desired on the ice. Time will tell what happens and we get our first peek tonight in Carolina.

The Panthers wrapped up practice on Wednesday, one day left before they open the season in Carolina, and there is still no news on a captain for the team. Head coach Peter DeBoer said he is still deciding on which one person will be captain and who will be the alternates. DeBoer has stated previously that there may be no answer until a few weeks into the season and that it is even possible a rotation of players could be used.

One of the candidates to be captain, Stephen Weiss, thinks it is a good idea to wait and see who will be best, and agrees with DeBoer that even a “captain by committee” situation would be good. Weiss personally believes that a system of rotating captains perhaps best fits the teams new mentality this season.

The latest word on who could be the trio that would alternate as captains, Weiss, Bryan Allen, and Cory Stillman. Interesting to note that veteran Panther Jay Bouwmeester is not on the list, while new comer Cory Stillman is. Also interesting that veteran defenseman Bryan McCabe, a long time alternate in Toronto is not on the list of possibles either.

Last night the Florida Panthers wrapped up their preseason with a 6-0 defeat of the New York Islanders. With that win, the Panthers finished the preseason with a 3-2-2 record. Last night not only marked the end of the preseason, but was also the last chance for bubble players to make one last impact on the minds of the coaches in an attempt to gain a spot on the opening night roster.

As it stands right now, four players are on the outside looking in. These guys are hoping they will end up on the roster for the Florida Panthers and not on a bus to Rochester, NY home of the Panthers AHL affiliate.

Shawn Matthias, Anthony Stewart, and Michael Frulik are 3 young players trying to impress the coaching staff and earn a roster position. They all understand that they have to give their all each night and put in borderline great performances in order to prove their worth. Average won’t cut it, and good might not be good enough. If they want to make the team they need to prove they can perform in the NHL. Stewart is perhaps in the best position to win himself a spot, a former first round draft pick, he arrived in camp this preseason in fantastic shape and hungry to prove he belonged.

All that being said, there are not really any openings on the Panthers roster to carry any of these guys with the team. Roster spots could open up of an injury or trade creates room. Defenseman Karlis Skrastins is battling a back injury and if not cleared to play could  go on the injured list, opening a roster spot. GM Jacques Martin has also left the door open to roster spots possibly opening up as he commented that the team could be making a trade in the coming days.

Time has run out though for these guys to impress, the ball (or should I say puck) is now in the coaches court. Preseason and the opportunity to take a chance on someone is over, the real thing starts for the Panthers on Friday night against the Carolina Hurricanes. All these guys can do now is keep their fingers crossed and hope they performed well enough in preseason to convince the coaching staff they are worth a shot.