The Rat Trick
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RECAP: Dallas Stars 2 – Florida Panthers 3

By Scott Mullin

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Mar 5, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; Florida Panthers center Jonathan Huberdeau (11) scores a goal as Dallas Stars defenseman Patrik Nemeth (37) defends in the second period at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

The Florida Panthers have plenty to be excited about after Tuesday night’s preseason win in Sunrise.  In the first game with a (nearly) full squad, the Panthers got big contributions from the young players they banked on all off-season.  Two goals from Jonathan Huberdeau, a power-play snipe from Nick Bjugstad, and solid debuts from Lawson Crouse and Mike Matheson led the way.  Top it off with a clean sheet for Roberto Luongo (who only played in the first two periods), and the Panthers appear ready for regular season action.

The Panthers first goal came off a giveaway from Stars d-man John Klingberg in his own zone.  He lost the handle on the puck attempting to break out of his defensive zone, and Huberdeau quickly snuck up from behind to pick his pocket.  Stars goalie Jack Campbell had nearly no chance to stop a free-on-goal Huberdeau, who make a sleek move to his forehand to slip the puck into the net.  Seeing a sharp Huberdeau has to be a huge plus for Panther fans, especially with his new contract tucked in his back pocket.

Huberdeau was at it again for the second goal, which came 38 seconds into the 2nd period.  A great passing sequence from Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr ended with Huberdeau streaking down the left wing with a step on the Stars’ defensemen.  Without hesitation, Huberdeau ripped a wrist shot towards the far post that Campbell couldn’t dream of stopping.  It was a wicked scorer’s goal right out of intermission, and another example of Jagr/Barkov/Huberdeau’s crazy upside.

The third goal came halfway through the third, as Nick Bjugstad cashed in on a Panthers power play to extend the lead to 3-0.  Cognizant of the issues with his special teams last season, Gerard Gallant went with an interesting power play line: The JBH tandem down low, and Brian Campbell with Nick Bjugstad at the point.  The line worked beautifully this time, with the forwards maintaining possession before the puck made its way to Bjugstad at the left point with space.  He meandered his way towards the net before ripping a wrister through Campbell.

The Panthers did take their foots off the gas pedal after the Bjugstad goal, however.  Goals from Tyler Seguin and Jason Demers shrunk the Panthers lead to merely one with a little more than a minute left in the third.  Luckily the Panthers were able to shut the game down and prevent any more shots on goal to avoid overtime and seal the 3-2 win.

Oh wait, there was an overtime anyway.  A practice 3-on-3 overtime was held at the end of the game to get both squads ready for the new overtime rules this year.  The period ended almost as quickly as it began, with Mattias Janmark netting a goal for the Stars.  Good for him, but that doesn’t make the game I tie.

Grab Bag:

  • Roberto Luongo stopped 15 shots without too much of a hassle in the first two periods.  Mike McKenna got the nod in the third period, and he didn’t look as excellent (though his pads were far better than Luongo’s).  McKenna stopped 7 shots in the third and let in 2.
  • Lawson Crouse and Mike Matheson both had impressive showings, but perhaps Rocco Grimaldi did the most to show he deserves a roster spot.  The man had great energy and looks like he could be a fantastic 3rd line option.  He’ll have to keep up his performances to nab an NHL spot though, because the Panthers’ forward depth is… deep.
  • David Booth was also an energetic presence who provided good work behind the net and high effort chasing pucks.  There was a bit of the bad Booth in him though, as he had trouble maintaining possession of the puck or looking at all under control.  He could maybe be a fourth line option on another NHL team, but that team might not be the Panthers.

Florida will be back at it on Friday against those schmucks from Tampa.  We’ll see what kind of performance the Panthers can put together then.

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