The Florida Panthers got another crack at the New York Islanders this week, and this time got a much better result than before. Last night the Panthers faced off with the Islanders for the 2nd time this week, and were no doubt looking to make a better showing of themselves then they did last Saturday in a 3-1 loss. Florida got out to an early lead against the NHL’s worst team, and made it hold up through a rough 2nd period to take a 3-2 victory.

In defense of Florida’s poor play last week against the Islanders, New York was in the midst of their best win streak all season, but bad is bad. The Islanders are the worst  team in the NHL and are dreadful on the road, all good signs for a Florida team that has rebounded nicely from their poor play Saturday. The Panthers kept it simple this time against the Islanders, with a much better result.

Florida dominated the 1st period, outshooting New York 10-6 and finding the back of the net twice. Jay Bouwmeester scored at 5:41 to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. Karlis Skrastins scored just his 4th goal of the year at 16:53 of the period to send Florida into the intermission up 2-0.

The Islanders would show some fight in the 2nd period, where both teams were applying pressure on the other. The teams both mustered 9 shots on goal, with the Islanders climbing back into the game. New York cut it to a 2-1 lead with a goal on the power play at 8:22 of the period. Florida would re-establish a 2 goal lead just over 4 minutes later when Richard Zednik scored a highlight reel goal to put the Panthers up 3-1. Just over 2 minutes later though, the Islanders would make the game interesting with another power play goal to make it 3-2 after 2 periods.

The 3rd period was controlled by the Panthers however as they allowed only 7 shots on goal, all of which were stopped by a healthy Tomas Vokoun. The Panthers held out for a 3-2 win to keep them in control of the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern conference. Last night’s victory against New York was crucial as the Panthers face a particularly difficult stretch in their next 5 games. Saturday they travel to Southeast Division leading Washington (#2 in the East), Tuesday they are home against Toronto before heading to Carolina Thursday for a big game as the Hurricanes are 1pt behind the Panthers for 8th.

Bryan McCabe saved his current team from losing to his former team last night by scoring 3:30 into overtime, completing an outstanding comeback and keeping the Panthers on track for the playoffs. Florida again struggled against an opponent they shouldn’t have too much trouble with, but overcame a 2 goal deficit in the 3rd period to win in overtime.

The Panthers were out hustled through the first 2 periods of the game, with Toronto controlling the game and the scoreboard. Toronto struck first in the 1st period, scoring at 10:52 to take a 1-0 lead. Late in the period, at 18:53 Gregory Campbell pulled Florida even at 1-1. However, Toronto would find the back of the net again just 47 seconds later (with 20 seconds left in the period) to go up 2-1.

The 2nd period was a little more evenly played, but Toronto would be the only side to find the net scoring at 2:11 of the period. The Maple Leafs would take a 3-1 lead into the 3rd period, but the Panthers would finally find their touch and steal the win from Toronto. Stephen Weiss scored early, at 2:21 of the 3rd, to give his team hope with a 3-2 score. The Panthers would leave it till late however, with Cory Stillman scoring with 53 seconds left in the game to tie it at 3-3 and force overtime.

In the overtime session the Panthers were the more aggressive of the two sides, outshooting Toronto 3-1. 3:30 into the OT session, Bryan McCabe sent a slap shot toward the goal that trickled past Toronto’s goalie. The goal was McCabe’s 10th of the season and gave Florida a 4-3 win.

After a dismal effort in a loss to the Islanders over the weekend, the Panthers looked headed for a similar defeat last night until they woke up and perhaps saved their post season dreams. Another loss, this time to a team with in shooting distance of the playoffs, would have been damaging to Florida’s hopes of making the playoffs. Most importantly, the Panther not only showed the resolve to claw back into the game last night, but went a step further and won in overtime. Last nights win was important as the road gets more difficult from here on out with several games in a row against playoff contenders.

The Florida Panthers appear to have gotten a little too confident in their abilities lately, proven by the disastrous result Saturday night against the lowly New York Islanders. The Panthers have been very efficient this season in getting goals despite low shots on goal totals. During January in particular the Panthers were lighting up the scoreboard, at one point hitting a 5 game stretch in which they scored 4 or more goals in each game.

Saturday nights outcome however showed that perhaps the Panthers have a little more growing to do as a team than fans expected. The Panthers have been playing with a great deal of confidence lately, which is important given the goal they are striving for and the competition standing in their way. Saturday however the Panthers appeared to have even gained a little swagger, which didn’t help them. Playing against an inferior opponent, Florida got too fancy and despite 38 shots on net (most of which were not decent threats) the Panthers managed 1 goal with 1:27 left in the game.

When Florida enters tomorrow nights game against Toronto, they need to be refocused on what has worked for them so far this season. It is time for the players to get back to the tactics that got them where they are, that got them into contention for a playoff spot. The Panthers have survived this season thanks to simple hockey, basic hockey. Work hard in the corners and crash the net. Florida needs to get back to these tactics, which play more to their strengths, in order to return to success and keep the race for the playoffs alive.

The New York Islanders are far from being one of the NHL’s elite teams, which makes it all the more frustrating that the Florida Panthers were almost entirely incapable of cashing in on opportunities against them in a 3-1 loss to the Islanders on Saturday night. Facing a stretch of extremely tough opponents in a short period of time, the Panthers were blessed to have the Islanders, who won’t be making the playoffs, on their schedule. Unfortunately the Panthers dropped crucial points in a critical playoff run.

Perhaps the most frustrating part of the Panthers loss last night was the fact that they dominated each period of play, but were simply unable to find the back of the net. The Panthers outshot the Islanders 28-20 through the first 2 periods of play, but had nothing to show for their effort but a 1-0 deficit. The Islanders scored at 18:34 of the 1st period to take a lead they would never relinquish in the game.

The 2nd period came and went with no goals scored, despite a 12-8 advantage in shots on goal for the Panthers. Still in the game down 1-0 to start the 3rd, but the wheels fell off quickly for the Panthers. The Islanders went up 2-0 at 4:19 of the 3rd, in effect sealing the victory. At 11:02 the Islanders would go ahead 3-0 with a power play goal. The Panthers would get a consolation goal with 1:27 left in the game as Gregory Campbell would deflect a shot into the back of the Islanders net.

Last nights result was nothing short of disastrous for the Panthers. The loss certainly didn’t end their run at the playoffs, but it wasn’t the desired result against an inferior opponent and could be harmful to the teams mental state. However, this time of year the Panthers need to have short term memory and forget each game’s result before the next game rolls around. The Panthers need to make sure that from here on out they win the games against teams they should beat.

The Florida Panthers proved to skeptics last night that they are ready and willing to make a serious run at the NHL post-season with an impressive dismantling of the Montreal Canadiens, 5-1 at home Thursday night. Two power play goals in the 1st period got the Panthers rolling and outstanding goaltending from Tomas Vokoun saved the game the rest of the way.

The game was very evenly played throughout, with the teams finishing with 36 shots on goal each. Florida however was able to cash in on more opportunities, finding the back of the net 5 times. Jay Bouwmeester set the tone early in the game as he scored on the power play at 3:54 of the 1st period to put Florida up 1-0. Stephen Weiss would score on a power play at 15:36 of the 1st to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead after the 1st period.

The 2nd period was a tighter affair, and for the majority of the period the Canadiens looked like they were going to climb back into the game. The Canadiens scored :53 into the 2nd period on the power play to make it a one  goal game at 2-1. Richard Zednik would give the Panthers a two goal cushion again late in the period when he scored at 14:44 to make it 3-1 Florida.

The 3rd period was less tense, as Florida would wrap up the game with two goals scored 2:42 apart. Radek Dvorak scored on a penalty shot at 11:13 and Michael Frolik scored at 13:55 to seal a 5-1 victory for the Panthers. Tomas Vokoun was instrumental in last nights win, keeping his team in the game in the 2nd period. Vokoun saved 35 of the 36 shots he faced.

The Panthers power play was also hot last night converting on 2 of 5 chances. The Panthers got off on the right foot in their quest for a playoff spot. Montreal is one of the toughest teams in the Eastern conference, not to mention the NHL as a whole, such a lopsided victory against them is a great mental boost for Florida. While the win was nice, the Panthers have no time to dwell on this win as tough opponents abound in their upcoming schedule. It will be crucial for them to keep their focus and solidify a spot in the playoffs.