Trustworthy and significant but hopeful and optimistic — that is how the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers are viewing their present predicament.
The Panthers, who’re set to host the Washington Capitals on Monday evening in Dawn, are 1-5-0 over their previous six video games.
“We’re struggling proper now,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice stated. “Now we have a construction we have to play, and we’re not far off. However we’ve got some execution challenges.”
Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk stated Florida must impose its will on groups in a lot the best way it was performed within the drive for the 2024 Stanley Cup.
“There should not be any extra ready round,” he stated. “Now we have to decide to doing it, and it isn’t a simple fashion. It is exhausting to do for 82-plus video games, however that is what makes us profitable.”
On the optimistic facet, the Panthers have heart Sam Reinhart, whose 13-game factors streak is the longest this season by any NHL participant. It is also tied for the second-longest streak by a Panthers participant, and it is simply 4 video games away from tying Mike Hoffman’s franchise file, set in 2018-19.
Reinhart has 11 targets and eight assists throughout this streak, and he is tied for the NHL lead with 16 targets this season.
Nevertheless, Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky allowed a season-high six targets on Saturday in a 7-4 loss to Colorado.
For the season, Bobrovsky is 9-5-1 with a 3.18 goals-against common. That isn’t as much as his requirements, which embody a 2.60 profession GAA and a 2.37 GAA final season.
Backup goalie Spencer Knight is 3-3-0 with a 2.72 GAA. Florida’s first-round choose in 2019, Knight has made 64 NHL appearances in 4 years, together with 55 begins, and he’s 35-20-6 with a 2.89 GAA.
However even with all of that, the Panthers are nonetheless in second place within the Atlantic Division with 25 factors, and the Capitals — regardless of two straight losses — are in third within the Metropolitan Division with 27 factors.
The Capitals are coming off a 3-2 dwelling loss on Saturday to the New Jersey Devils.
“It is irritating to lose again to again,” Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren stated.
Lindgren is 5-5-0 with a 2.64 GAA. Co-starter Logan Thompson, acquired in a commerce in June with Vegas, is 8-1-1 with a 2.58 GAA.
Each are undrafted gamers making $1 million or much less this season.
Three of the higher-paid Capitals gamers are all on injured reserve — forwards Alex Ovechkin (leg); Nicklas Backstrom (hip); and T.J. Oshie (again).
Backstrom and Oshie have not performed this season, however Ovechkin has 15 targets and 10 assists in 18 video games.
Dylan Strome leads Washington in assists (22) and factors (28).
Final season, the Capitals ranked thirty first within the NHL in targets by defensemen (20). This season, they have already got 11 in 20 video games thanks partially to the additions of Jakob Chychrun (5) and Matt Roy (one).
Roy was given a six-year contract, and Chychrun was acquired in a commerce with Ottawa. They be part of two-time All-Star John Carlson and former first-rounder Rasmus Sandin in a abruptly improved protection.
Offensively, Washington, which ranked twenty eighth in scoring final 12 months, added forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, Brandon Duhaime and Taylor Raddysh.
These 4 have mixed to attain 13 targets thus far this season, and Washington is tied for first within the NHL with 4.05 targets per sport.
–Subject Stage Media
