Shootout Win In Florida

This is goona be sorta quick as work takes precedent this morning.

2-0, 3-1, 4-2, 5-3.  What’s the old saying?  The two goal lead is the worst lead to have?  Well the Florida Panthers last night put their stamp of approval on that for sure.  The Panthers were able to beat the Colorado Avalanche in a shootout victory 6-5 in a game that never should have gotten to that level.  The two points are certainly great to have but let’s be fooled to believe that this team has turned the corner. 

Another old saying is, “when you have your foot on the other team’s throat you should step on it”.  Something these Panthers need to learn to do.  Yes they won.  Yes the game was exciting.  Yes we saw some offence.  Clemmensen was good when he had to be.  But this game never should have gone to overtime let alone the shootout. 

With The Little Weasel doing his best impersonation of Pavel Bure, scoring three goals in the first two periods for his second career NHL Hat Trick.  Maybe now I should call him Stevie Wonder?  Not to elaborate too much cause as you all know this guy could score 100 goals and I wouldn’t be satisfied, he did have a decent game.  It’s about time.  Eight years in the making for that matter.  I have read from a few different sources that Panthers play by play analyst Bill Lindsay was comparing Little Stevie to former Detroit Red Wing and recent Hall of Fame inductee  Steve Yzerman! 

Settle down folks.  That’s a pretty strong statement to make and one that I am sure you’re gonna want to take back.  I watched an awful lot of Steve Yzerman from my days in Chicago.  I’m no expert hockey man, but I have seen alot, and the comparison is not even close.  Be that as it may, let’s not rain on the parade.  We definetly need to see more of this goal scoring from Weiss and that will be the true test.

The game seemed to be under control in the third especially after St. Dominic scored the Panthers third power play goal of the night giving the Panthers a 5-3 lead with a little over twelve minutes left in regulation.  As the period wore on things looked pretty good until Avalanche rookie Matt Duchene scored his second goal of the night with less than one minute left.  It was at this time that everyone’s undergarments started to get a bit soiled, and then fan’s were also a bit concerned as well. 

Feeling as though the game wasn’t exciting enough the Panthers didn’t dissappoint and the Avalanche scored the game tying goal with 16 seconds left in regulation as Avs forward TJ Galiardi pushed the puck past Clemmensen.  This is the second game in a row that the Panthers gave up a goal in the last minute of the period.  A serious problem that needs to be addressed.

I have to say that Colorado is a pretty good looking team with alot of young players that play hard every shift.  I really like Matt Duchene, the 18 year old first round pick of Colorado.  He’s quick, smart, plays with a bit of an edge and has a nose for the net.  Most of the time especially on the power play, you can find him camping out in a little corner a foot or so from the crease.  He’s goona be a good player for a long time.

By the time it got to the shootout you really didn’t know what was going to happen.  Just before overtime ended, Panther defenceman Keith Ballard was called for goaltender interference as he was headed for the net with the puck and seemingly knocked Avalanche goalie Craig Anderson down and into the back of the net.  While Anderson lay on the ice with some sort of injury, Colorado Defenceman Adam Foote, who was cranky all night, took in upon himself to rough up Ballard.  Both players were penalized and Anderson left the game and was replaced by Peter Badeye Budaj.  Budaj who was on the bench for the entire game came in cold and wasn’t tested much before the period ended. 

It was during the shootout that the Panthers thought they would get to him and they did as Weiss The Little Weasel scored the winner in the fifth round.  There were no other shooters that scored on either side.

Wrapping up, it was an exciting game with lots of action and some moments of solid play as well as some moments of distress.  The Panthers prevailed and you can feel good about that if nothing else.  There is still work that needs to be done and there is also no rest for the weary as Florida travels to Washington for a game against the Capitals tonight.

Hope we saved some goals!

Thanks for reading.

Cheers.