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Florida Panthers: Defensive Struggles Causing Chaos

By Mike McCanna

SUNRISE, FL - OCTOBER 13: Goaltender James Reimer #34 of the Florida Panthers defends the net with the help of teammate Aleksander Barkov #16 against Jay Beagle #83 of the Vancouver Canucks at the BB&T Center on October 13, 2018 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FL - OCTOBER 13: Goaltender James Reimer #34 of the Florida Panthers defends the net with the help of teammate Aleksander Barkov #16 against Jay Beagle #83 of the Vancouver Canucks at the BB&T Center on October 13, 2018 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Scary Goaltending

SUNRISE, FL – OCTOBER 20: Dylan Larkin #71 of the Detroit Red Wings scores a goal against goaltender Michael Hutchinson #39 of the Florida Panthers during second period action at the BB&T Center on October 20, 2018 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FL – OCTOBER 20: Dylan Larkin #71 of the Detroit Red Wings scores a goal against goaltender Michael Hutchinson #39 of the Florida Panthers during second period action at the BB&T Center on October 20, 2018 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /

Warning: The next sentence contains graphic information. Nausea and vomiting may occur.

During Luongo’s absence, goalies James Reimer and Mike Hutchinson save percentages have been .877% and .839% respectively.

*Place opening of sickness bag around the mouth to avoid spillage.*

Through his first six games, Reimer’s struggles have been particularly alarming. With Luongo being 39-years-old, many looked to him as a 1B goaltender and the Panthers were banking on a strong showing from him if an injury occurred to Lu.

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Since arriving in South Florida back in 2016-17, he has played in over 40 games per season and as Luongo ages, we should expect an increase in time for Reimer if we want to extend Luongo’s career.

With the workload continuing to climb, allowing almost three and a half goals per game is unsustainable for a team looking to make a playoff push.

In recent news, Reimer’s performance against the New York Islanders was solid. He saved 20 of 22 shots in a come from behind win.

In time, I would expect his numbers to return to their average of around .915%. The question is, will he return to normal before it’s too late? Time will tell.

To put Hutchinson’s horrific start into perspective, he averaged a save percentage of .910% over the course of his five years with the Winnipeg Jets.

Although his numbers with the Jets were nothing to brag about, they are good enough to keep a team above water during an injury crisis.

However, the Panthers are living this nightmare and Hutchinson is an ankle weight on a drowning team.

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