Florida Panthers: Three Keys to Penultimate Regular Season Matchup Against Boston Bruins
The Florida Panthers are set to face the Boston Bruins Tuesday evening at Amerant Bank Arena. The Boston Bruins, noted overtime loss merchants, are snapping at the Cats' heels for the top spot in the Atlantic Division
1. Are Barkov, Ekblad, and Forsling Back Yet?
It's no secret to anyone that these three players carry a huge impact and influence on how well the Florida Panthers do or how capably they're able to compete on a nightly basis. When any one of these three are absent, they are sorely missed and it is immediately apparent to anyone watching.
Of the three players out currently, Gustav Forsling and Aleksander Barkov are the most likely to draw back in soon; I, personally, am not expecting Aaron Ekblad back for at least 2-3 more weeks.
At any rate, despite the absence of these players playing a huge role in the Cats' recent backslide, I would much rather them rest and get back to 100% before taking the ice again. At this point in the season, I'd rather head into the postseason with a fully healthy roster than already be dealing with injuries in the early rounds of the playoffs. That being said, the first key to success is to have at least one of these three draw back into the lineup.
2. Stolie the Goalie
The Florida Panthers have been blessed with absolutely phenomenal goaltending this season from both franchise mainstay Sergei Bobrovsky and newcomer Anthony Stolarz. Bob has turned in an impressive .916 SV% and a 2.38 GAA in 51 games played this season. His win/loss record in that timeframe is 32-15-3, which isn't bad by any means. Stolarz has been equally impressive, turning in a .927 SV%, 1.97 GAA, and a win/loss record of 14-5-2 in 22 games played.
Last night, Anthony Stolarz absolutely stood on his head and led the way to an impressive 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Stolarz has been a surprisingly solid and capable addition to the squad, turning in some of the best numbers from a backup goalie in franchise history.
With the regular season winding down, Bobrovsky slated to shoulder the lion's share of starts in the playoffs, and Stolarz showing up to play lights out every time he's called upon, I'd like to see Maurice give the starter's net to Stolarz again tomorrow evening. At this point, he's earned it and there's no good reason to run Bob into the ground headed into the playoffs.
3. Time for the Tarasenk-show
Newly acquired Vladimir Tarasenko has wasted no time in cementing himself as a very solid addition to this already very skilled Florida Panthers lineup. In eight games as a member of the Florida Panthers, Tarasenko has netted 3 goals (including the game winning goal against the Flyers last night) and 1 assist for a total of 4 points.
Tarasenko has long been praised around the league for his pure goalscoring ability. He has meshed well in the Panthers lineup so far, and has proven effective at adjusting to Paul Maurice's complete two-way system and has even adjusted to playing on his off-wing.
Once Tarasenko gets fully settled in, which is set to happen any day now, even more goals will come. As the Panthers turn a corner here in the coming days, look for Vladimir Tarasenko to do the exact same.
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