The Florida Panthers began their set of back-to-back games this weekend by falling to the Washington Capitals 4-3 on Saturday afternoon in the nation’s capital. Despite building a 2-1 lead thanks to two goals from Brady Tkachuk, the Cats squandered their advantage before a late goal from Sam Bennett cut the deficit to one. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice opted to start Akira Schmid, who made 27 saves, giving Jacob Markström the day off ahead of an important game on Sunday against the Bruins in Boston. With the loss, Florida’s record drops to 9-6-2 as the team remains fifth in the Atlantic Division.
Claw: Brady Tkachuk up to his old tricks again
Tkachuk has been with the Florida Panthers for only 16 games, and he’s already scored 10 goals, registering his third multi-goal game of the season. Oh yeah, he didn’t have a single point in the first five contests and didn’t score until game six. Although it took about two weeks to find his groove in the Panthers’ system, he’s found undeniable chemistry with his brother Matthew and the other elite players on the team, including Sam Reinhart and Seth Jones. Considering the Panthers gave up a lot to acquire the younger Tkachuk brother, he’s rewarded the organization and the fanbase with a solid start to his tenure with the club.
Flaw: Capitals’ Tom Wilson is a travesty to the game
In the first period, veteran forward, Stanley Cup champion, and Capitals alternate captain Tom Wilson did what he's become notorious for: getting tossed from a game for a questionable play. Following a four-point performance in his last outing, Panthers forward Sandis Vilmanis turned his back along the boards to make a backhand pass, only to get drilled from behind by Wilson, who received a five-minute major and a game misconduct.
Unfortunately, this isn't the first time Wilson has injured an opponent. Vilmanis didn't return to the game, and there's little reason to believe this will be the last controversial hit of Wilson's career. Whether it’s Sidney Crosby or Oskar Sundqvist, the Capitals’ forward has always played on the line and then on the other side. Maybe the NHL will review the play, maybe they won’t. Either way, Wilson never seems to learn his lesson following a suspension and is someone every opponent has learned to mind their surroundings when he’s on the ice.
Flaw: Injuries continue to pile up for the Panthers
Before puck drop, the Panthers announced that Anton Lundell was day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Lundell now joins a growing list of Florida players on the shelf, including captain Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand. Meanwhile, Vilmanis left Saturday’s game with a possible injury, and Markström has already had two turns on the IR this season. Last year, the Panthers' season was derailed because of an abundance of injuries. Thankfully, this year the entire team hasn’t gone down at the same time, or they’d be in trouble again. At least with this season’s depth, Florida should have the strength to battle through the absences.
Flaw: Akira Schmid continues to surrender the opening goal
Schmid played in his ninth game on Saturday, and as usual, he gave up the game’s first goal. So far in his brief Panthers career, the Swiss goalie has surrendered that all-important first goal in six of those appearances. Bill Zito constructed one of the best forward groups in the NHL, but the defense is not as elite as it could be, and with Markström and Schmid underperforming despite their win totals, Florida still has questions on the back end.
Schmid has proven to be a reliable backup, but it seems that almost every time he’s between the pipes, the team is chasing the game from the get-go. Eventually, something has to change, or the Panthers will have to battle every night to stay in the playoff race.
What’s next for the Panthers?
Florida will have no time to dwell on their Saturday performance, since they challenge the Atlantic Division’s best team, the Bruins, on Sunday at TD Garden.
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