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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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If you subscribe to the term ‘defense wins championships’ then the Florida Panthers should be very worried.

NEWARK, NJ – OCTOBER 27: Goaltender James Reimer #34 and teammate Michael Matheson #19 of the Florida Panthers defend the net against Miles Wood #44 of the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on October 27, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ – OCTOBER 27: Goaltender James Reimer #34 and teammate Michael Matheson #19 of the Florida Panthers defend the net against Miles Wood #44 of the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on October 27, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images) /

During the offseason, many believed this could be the Florida Panthers’ year to break into the playoffs and realize their potential.

However, since the start of the season, the team looks bent on proving everyone wrong and missing the postseason once again.

Although Roberto Luongo’s injury has done the team no favors, I believe that this is only one of the many issues contributing to the Panthers constant defensive struggles.

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.

Horrendous Defending

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 24: Aaron Ekblad #5 of the Florida Panthers and Cal Clutterbuck #15 of the New York Islanders pursue the puck during the third period at the Barclays Center on October 24, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 24: Aaron Ekblad #5 of the Florida Panthers and Cal Clutterbuck #15 of the New York Islanders pursue the puck during the third period at the Barclays Center on October 24, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

In defense of the goalies, the Panthers defensive pairings have hung them out to dry. During this stretch of poor performances, the Panthers have allowed an average of 3.89 (basically 4) goals per game, a total of 35 goals in nine games.

After shuffling the lines several times, coach Boughner has struggled to find a consistent grouping of defensemen to be effective of a nightly basis. Arguably, the most consistent Panthers defensemen have been Alexander Petrovic and Bogdan Kiselevich.

Let me say this again… ALEXANDER PETROVIC has been a standout for the Panthers this season thus far.

Due to consistent turnovers and poor positioning, Aaron Ekblad, Keith Yandle, and Mike Matheson have all been called into question. One of my personal favorite examples of the team’s turnover troubles is this beautiful assist from Ekblad to Philadelphia Flyer Claude Giroux.

I wish I could say this was an isolated incident and that the Panthers have been unlucky on the goals that have been scored against them. However, this isn’t the case.

Shot charts show the Panthers allow a significant amount of goals from directly in front of their own net:

Clearly, Panthers goalies often find themselves toe-to-toe with opposing offenses. This can only mean two things: either the Panthers defense is soft in the middle and pucks are allowed to move freely through the most dangerous area of the ice, or, the Cats give the puck away all the time and teams have consistent breakaway opportunities.

Both scenarios are awful.

Conclusion

NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 24: Frank Vatrano #72 of the Florida Panthers is mobbed by his team after scoring a goal in the third period at Barclays Center on October 24, 2018 the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 24: Frank Vatrano #72 of the Florida Panthers is mobbed by his team after scoring a goal in the third period at Barclays Center on October 24, 2018 the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images) /

While the goalies have been Swiss cheese, the defense has had their fair share of holes, causing this slow start.

Some say that it’s only nine games and the team still needs time to gel and find their groove, which may be true. However, time is running out.

The East has plenty of teams gunning for playoff positions, and as we saw last season, a late-season push may not be enough.

On the bright side, the Panthers have been able to score goals this season. Mike Hoffman looks to be finding his place as his points streak has extended to seven games and Evgeni Dadonov has played like a superstar since he’s arrived.

However, unless Boughner is able to patch together this defense, the Panthers may in for a rough season.

dark. Next. Goaltending Remains a Huge Concern

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