Now in the second half of the season, the Florida Panthers have a record of 27-14-4 with 58 points. They trail the Boston Bruins for the top spot in the Atlantic Division by five points.
Over the past month, Florida has seemed bipolar. They were on a nine-game winning streak (carried over from December), but since their loss to the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 13, they’ve been in a freefall. They’ve dropped their last four games and picked up points in only two of those contests. This should sound the alarm, and it needs to be resolved quickly.
Penalty Kill Historically Bad On Friday
The Panthers did not do themselves any favors against the Minnesota Wild on Jan. 19. While the officiating was questionable, they still gave up a whopping five power-play goals on the night.
That tied a franchise record set on Oct. 23, 2006, against the defunct Atlanta Thrashers and happened two other times that season against the Phoenix Coyotes and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Entering that game, Florida’s penalty kill ranked fifth in the NHL. Now, they’re not even in the top 10.
Failing to Hold Leads in Back-to-Back Overtime Losses
In their two losses to the Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings last week, the Panthers had a multi-goal lead at some point. Against the Ducks on Jan. 15, they had a 4-2 lead near the end of the second period before giving up three unanswered goals, including Alex Killorn giving Anaheim the 5-4 win in overtime.
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On Jan. 17, the Panthers entered the third period with a 2-1 lead against a team that they’ve beaten the last nine times they’ve met. Unfortunately, that streak came to an end with a goal from Robbi Fabbri in the third frame, and the dagger in overtime by Dylan Larkin. Goaltender Alex Lyon got the win over his former squad.
With their offensive firepower and defensive prowess, the Panthers have zero excuses for blowing a lead, especially against teams below them in the standings.
Barkov’s Absence Is Showing
Aleksander Barkov has missed two games and will likely miss his third on Monday night against the Nashville Predators after suffering a lower-body injury. His absence has shown how valuable he is to the team.
His faceoff win percentage (FO%) is 55% this season, and he has 46 points (11 goals, 35 assists) through 40 games to rank second on the team. He has seven assists in his last five games. The captain is such an important piece of the roster, and they need him back as soon as possible.
Panthers in Danger?
The Panthers have a five-point lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and a four-point lead over the Maple Leafs for third in the Atlantic.
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But those teams are slowly starting to catch up. The Lightning have won five of their last six games, the Red Wings have won seven of their last ten, and the Maple Leafs have won two of their last three. The Cats have to get their game together starting on Monday, or they could drop down the standings. A rough stretch of games at this time of year could be the difference between competing in the playoffs and hitting the green this summer.
