The Florida Panthers will be facing off against the Arizona Coyotes tonight. On paper, this is a game that they should be able to win with ease. Yet, in this league, nothing is a guarantee, so they certainly cannot take the Coyotes lightly.
At this time, the Coyotes have a 5-18-2 record and are at the bottom of the NHL. This was to expected after the summer they had. Keep in mind, they traded Conor Garland, Oliver Ekman-Larson, Christian Dvorak and Darcy Kuemper in one offseason after a season where they missed the playoffs. This is an entirely different team and one that is embracing their rebuild entirely.
Although tonight’s game is against a weaker opponent, it does carry an immense amount of significance. At this juncture, the Panthers are in a three-way tie with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning for first place in the Atlantic Division. They are in the best position of the three, however, as they have a game in hand with Tampa, while three when it comes to the Leafs.
The Panthers absolutely need to avoid going on a losing streak because of this. Last game was another close one with the St. Louis Blues that required extra time. Yet, this time the Panthers weren’t victorious, as the Blues would defeat them in overtime. A dominating win over a far weaker opponent is exactly what the Panthers require to get right back on track.
Tonight’s contest against the Coyotes will be the second and final time these two meet this season. The Panthers won the first matchup against Arizona this season by a 5-3 final score. It wasn’t necessarily the huge win that many hockey fans would have expected, but they still obtained two more points in the standings. Let’s see if the same occurs tonight.