Florida Panthers: What’s holding them back from succeeding?

Defending

Defending has been the biggest issue for the Panthers this season. In the past three games played, the Cats have given up 20 goals and are ranked second with most goals (56) given up among all teams in the Atlantic Division. The only team above them is the Toronto Maple Leafs (who have played three extra games). The Panthers also rank fourth with the highest xGA60 (Expected Goals Against Per 60 Minutes) in the entire league, holding a figure of (2.67).

But apart from all the stats, the big concern on the back end is the lack of zone coverage and the excessive amount of turnovers given. Too many times have we seen players blow their defensive assignment and get caught out of position. Every defenseman on the Florida Panthers have been guilty of that act. While zone coverage has been the main issue for the defense so far, turnovers doesn’t fall far from being the sole primary issue.

I sound like a broken record by saying this a whole awful lot but the defense just turns the puck over way too much. The giveaways in our own zone are just killing us defensively and crucifying us collectively as well. Averaging 4+ goals against per night just isn’t doable in this league and won’t give you a shot at winning night in and night out. The Panthers cannot continue going down this trend of giving up 4+ a night. If they do, they’ll be right back at drafting another top 10 pick.

If the Cats are to have any chance of turning this season around, then it starts in their own zone. Cut unnecessary turnovers and bad coverage, and you’ve just taken a big step towards reaching the level of a pretty decent hockey team.

Penalty Kill

The second issue that’s holding the Panthers back from succeeding is the penalty kill. The P.K. was actually one of the fewest bright spots during the Cats difficult campaign last year. They were up there amongst the league’s best and ended the season with a ranking of second (85.3 PK%). The Boston Bruins were the only team to surpass the Cats for sole possession of first. Regardless though, having your penalty kill ranked second in the entire league is pretty darn good.

Fast forward a season later and this isn’t quite the case. What was a penalty killing unit that held a succession rate of 85.3%, has now fallen to 70.6% ranking 30th in the league. The Edmonton Oilers are the only team ranked lower than the Panthers. Assistant Coach (Jack Capuano) who is now in charge of the penalty killing unit is responsible for the system change.

Whether you see it as a triangle, a diamond or whatever shape comes to your mind, the system just doesn’t work. The two forwards at the top are constantly pinching when they aren’t supposed to, thus leaving guys wide open on the wings. It can also be said that losing our top two penalty killers in Reilly Smith and Jussi Jokinen hurts, but the Panthers need to learn how to play without them.

Ideally, when something isn’t broke why change it, right? I’m not sure why Capuano and co. would go out and change the system when it was working all along. Now that the new penalty killing system doesn’t fit well with our guys, it would be wise of Jack to reconsider his system and make changes where he sees fit.

Power Play

The power play has been a major concern for the Panthers over the years and hasn’t quite been addressed. Last year, the power play ranked 24th in the league and currently sits at 21st. It’s still early in the season, but the Cats have never been a team to totally dominate in the power play department.

Lack of movement on the man advantage has been a key sign to Panthers’ failures. There’s hardly any movement at all and passes are usually telegraphed. Not only does there need to be more creativity, but guys need to start moving their feet. Standing still is exactly what the opposition wants and makes their lives easier killing off the penalty.

Another area of concern has been getting set up in the opposition’s zone. We’ve seen it plenty of times, the Panthers get stripped in the neutral zone and the time on the clock gets eaten up. By the time the power play gets set up, there’s about less than a minute on the penalty. Time is crucial, especially when you’re the team on the power play and looking to score. Good teams cash in on the man advantage and the Cats simply don’t do that.

The Florida Panthers desperately need to improve on the power play and need to start taking advantage of other team’s misfortunes. Like I said, good team’s capitalize on the man advantage and successfully do it on a consistent basis. It will take the Cats some time to reach that level, but better execution needs to start happening now.

Goaltending

Goaltending hasn’t been the biggest concern, but don’t be mistaken, it’s still a concern! When both your net minders have a SV% of .880 (James Reimer) and .901 (Roberto Luongo), there should be some kind of alarm going off in your head. Good goaltenders don’t hold save percentages that low and simply keep their team’s in games no matter what.

There have definitely been goals given up that both goaltenders would love to have back, but there are other goals they just can’t possibly stop. Goaltending will definitely have to improve as the season goes on, but they’ll also need the help of the defense as well. The poor defending that has gone on has also been a reflection of poor goaltending.

If the defense can tidy up their act while the goaltenders do the same, then both should benefit in result. Good team’s often have two net minders who they can confidently rely on at any given time. The Florida Panthers need that going forward.

Conclusion

Overall, the season is still young and the Panthers have a lot of time to move forward in the right direction. There are areas they’re going to need to improve on first, but it will only benefit them in the end. It first starts with defending and keeping things simple yet tidy at the back. Once you take care of your own zone, you can start branching out to other areas of concern (like special teams).

The Florida Panthers are still a young team and will need some time to surround their core players with the appropriate role players. At this point, playoffs will likely be too much of a stretch for this group, but taking little steps each day is the only way this team will get better.

One step at a time, one step at a time boys!

Next: Florida Panthers lose four in a row, fall to the Rangers 5-4 in OT