The Florida Panthers may be in trouble. In their Monday afternoon game against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center in upstate New York, the Panthers lost starting goalie Jacob Markström after the first period, one of several factors in a difficult 5-3 loss. The Cats are already without captain Aleksander Barkov and two-time Stanley Cup winner Brad Marchand; now everyone will have to wait to hear about Markström’s status for Tuesday’s clash with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Claw: Sam Reinhart
It may have taken six games, but Sam Reinhart finally scored his first goal of the season. Trying to make up for lost time, he scored two power-play goals, with his second tally helping the Panthers tie the contest 3-3 in the second period. The 10-time 20-goal scorer torched his old team on Monday, reminding fans how skilled he is. Hopefully, his performance against the Sabres is only his opening act, and he can ignite the Florida offense, which has scored only 12 goals so far this season.
Flaw: Akira Schmid
Panthers fans have seen Akira Schmid in two games this season, both ending in losses. He entered Monday’s contest in the second period with Florida trailing 1-0. In 40 minutes, he surrendered four goals, including the game-winner on the power play. Overall, Schmid finished the evening with 18 saves and a .857 SV%, slightly lower than his previous outing versus San Jose (.875%). He doesn't seem ready to be the team's top goalie, but he may be thrust into that role if Markström misses time.
Claw: Panthers power play
Ahead of Monday's clash between two of the NHL's worst power-play units, the Panthers were 1-for-28 (3.6%), ranking 32nd in the league, while the Sabres were 1-for-17 (5.9%), sitting 30th. Thankfully, both teams had plenty of chances to improve those numbers, with Florida getting four and Buffalo five. Both clubs scored twice with the man advantage, but for the Panthers, it was a much-needed breakthrough after going 18 consecutive opportunities without a power-play goal. Given how tight the race for top spots in the Atlantic Division usually is, finding ways to generate special-teams goals will go a long way toward collecting valuable points.
Flaw: Injuries
Last year, the Panthers' dressing room was like a MASH unit, with nearly every star player missing time at some point. After the team’s longest offseason in four years, everyone was healthy and ready to go, but then the West Coast trip happened. First, Barkov went down with a lower-body injury, then Marchand followed in the very next game. On Monday, Florida lost Markström after one period, with coaches saying he was “tightening up”. At 36, taking precautions now could be essential to keeping Markström healthy for the remainder of the season. Through six games, the club has lost its top center, second-line winger, and starting goalie. Oh yeah, Radko Gudas also left the game briefly, but returned for the third. At this point, some may say this isn't simply deja vu; it’s starting to look like the Panthers are cursed.
What’s next for the Panthers?
The Panthers will have no rest as they travel a few states west for an early Tuesday evening matchup against the Blue Jackets, who sit sixth in the Metropolitan Division with a 2-2-0 record. The puck drops at 6:15 pm ET.
Add us as a preferred source on Google