20-19-3
VS.
 

16-7-7
New Year’s Eve, hockey, and an old friend.  That’s what’s on tap for tonight as the Montreal Canadiens and former Panther coach and general manager Jacques Martin come to the Bank Atlantic Centre for their first visit of the year and JM’s return.
Uncle Jack who prior to his arrival in Florida had a pretty solid resume for the regular season as Ottawa’s head coach yet was never able to get them deep enough into the playoffs and contend for the Cup.  In his time here the Panthers did not make the playoffs, yet he was still able to get his [...]

 
New Years Eve marks the return to South Florida for Jacques Martin, aka, Uncle Jack to this writer, and Jmart or JM the GM to others.
His presence existence here certainly came with questions that were never answered, deals that were never done at the right time (Jay Bow), contracts that were/are too fat and too long (Rusty Olesz, Keith Ballard) and a style of play that would make watching paint dry an Olympic event.
I remember the day the Panthers announced that Martin was going to be head coach.  The only thing that made me happy about that is when he said the only [...]

As we approach game 41 which would be the half-way point of the seaon once that game is played, I thought I’d take a  look at the current status of our Panthers and make a prediction/judgement as we move forward.
Currently we sit in the eleventh spot in the Eastern Conference with 39 points.  Our record is 16-17-7.  We are one point out of the eighth spot, and while we consider ourselves in the “hunt”, there are several things to be leery about.
Assuming that it will take 95 points to make the playoffs, which always seems to be that magic number, the [...]

Let’s not take anything away from Boston, but the Panthers looked “Lost” Sunday evening as the Boston Bruins, down 1-0 in the first, scored two consecutive goals to beat the once again struggling Florida Panthers. 
Keeping this short and sweet, the Bruins played the “perfect” road game.  They were not fancy, they stayed composed, did the little things, and finished their checks.  ALL OF THEM!  Now I’m not saying the Panthers played badly, I am saying that they played rather timidly at times.  Out of sync if you will, and this coming off a spiritied practice the day before, where working [...]

 
Here’s a few stories from this past week that you might like:
Starting with the NHL:
The Blackhawks shutout the (Commies) Red Wings.  Blackhawk Up has the satisfying details.
Checkout Blackout Dallas, a new memeber of the Fan Sided network.
Blades of Teal another new member of our network details the San Jose Sharks beating the Blackhawks.
Pens Labrynth likes the acquisition of Martin Skoula, a defenceman the Panthers passed on this year.
Four Habs Fans wonders how Jacques Martin system is working.  Yeah, we in Florida wondered the same thing.
On to the NFL:
Bear Goggles On has some names to replace Lovie Smith.
The New Orleans Saints lose their [...]

18-11-7
VS.

16-16-7
 
After a much needed break from a hectic schedule, the Florida Panthers resume play this evening with a matchup against the Boston Bruins at the Bank Atlantic Center.  Game time 5:00 PM, which could mean a late arriving crowd based on the Dolphins game this afternoon.
Nonetheless after filling their stomachs with turkey, ham and whatever else was on their holiday dinner table the Panthers will take on a Bruins team that currently sits fifth in the Eastern Conference and has won two games in a row.
Florida on the other hand is coming off a 4-1 road loss to the New [...]