The Florida Panthers had an ugly weekend, dropping both of their games, including a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of the Atlantic Division-leading Boston Bruins. Everyone knew it was going to be one of those afternoons when Brady Tkachuk fought Nikita Zadorov just two seconds into the game. When the final buzzer sounded, Florida accumulated a season-high 72 penalty minutes and gave the lethal Bruins nine power-play chances.
Moreover, it was a very sloppy game from Jacob Markström, who made a season-high 32 saves, another game with a save percentage below .900. Following back-to-back losses, the Panthers remain fifth in the division and somehow cling to the second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.
Claw: Carter Verhaeghe joins Brady Tkachuk atop Panthers' goal-scoring leaderboard
Even though the Panthers handed out power-play opportunities like candy, the Bruins also had 54 penalty minutes, which led to five power plays for Florida, with Carter Verhaeghe cashing in for his 10th of the year late in the first period. Despite 41 shots on goal, that was the only puck to get past Jeremy Swayman, who is always in the Vezina Trophy conversation. With Verhaeghe scoring, his latest goal ties Brady Tkachuk, who helped set up the special teams goal, along with his brother Matthew, for the team lead. Meanwhile, Matthew added another point, bringing his early-season total up to 26 in 18 games.
Flaw: Things unraveled quickly for Jacob Markström after video review
The Bruins' first goal of the game came off the stick of Swedish forward Elias Lindholm, whose shot snuck past Swedish netminder Markström, who reached back into the net to swipe the puck out of harm’s way. The only problem was, the puck was clearly beyond the goal line. That happened at 4:50, and less than two minutes later, Michael Eyssimont scored at 6:11 before Morgan Geekie put Boston up 3-0 at 15:59. Ultimately, it doesn’t seem to matter who's in goal, since Markström continued a trend set by Akira Schmid, and that’s giving up first goals. By the end of the game, the Panthers’ No. 1 goalie finished with an .889 SV%, bringing his season total down to .886, the same total as Schmid. On Sunday, the offense wasn’t there, and the goaltending was less than spectacular, an ugly combination for a potential Stanley Cup contender.
Flaw: Putting on the foil
In Washington on Saturday, the Panthers had only eight penalty minutes, choosing not to fight Tom Wilson after he boarded Sandis Vilmanis from behind. So, on Sunday, in what everyone expected to be an intense affair with the Bruins, Florida decided to fight immediately following the initial puck drop, and then play beyond the whistle at every turn. It was clear that the game plan was to be physical, and whether the Panthers crossed the line didn't seem to matter. Yes, the Panthers had an advantage in shots, but Boston had the bigger advantage, which was on the scoreboard. Just like their earlier season meeting with the Ottawa Senators, their focus wasn't necessarily on scoring goals or making fancy plays; it was to grind out a loss to a team that looked far superior to them.
What’s next for the Panthers?
In a case of déjà vu, Florida departs New England and heads back to Columbus for their second meeting with the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Last time these two clubs met on Oct. 13, the Panthers came into the game following two losses and then beat Columbus 7-3, with Brady scoring his first hat trick of the season. Could history repeat itself at Nationwide Arena?
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