Happy New Year from THN Florida!
2023 was quite a year for the Florida Panthers. Let's look back at some of the highlights.
Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports - Happy New Year from THN Florida!Happy New Year!
The Florida Panthers just wrapped up a pretty spectacular 2023, and while we’re all working our way into 2024 in our own ways, lets take a quick moment to reflect on some amazing moments in recent Panthers history.
Things started off on a high, with the NHL coming together in South Florida for the 2023 All Star Game.
The hometown Atlantic Division won and Matthew Tkachuk was named MVP, capping off a perfect weekend from a local hockey perspective.
That was the start of arguable the most magical stretch of hockey this franchise has ever seen.
Squeaking into the playoffs by one point as the 16th-best team, only to upset the historically good Boston Bruins in seven games…that was crazy.
It also sparked Florida to go on an 8-1 run, steamrolling Toronto and Carolina (though not really as most of the games were tight) en route to the Stanley Cup Final.
While the Panthers came up short, losing to Vegas in five games, there were quite a few memories to take from the run that will be cherished for a long time.
Now, despite entering the current season with several key players missing due to injury and half the guys on the opening night roster being signed during the summer, Florida has picked up where they left off and continued to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
The Panthers closed out 2023 with four straight wins and hold a 22-12-3 record, good for second place in the Atlantic Division, two points behind first-place Boston.
Florida has also proven to be a formidable team on home ice, winning 12 of 17 games played at Amerant Bank Arena so far this season.
Looking back at the 12 months of 2023, the Panthers played to a 48-27-6 regular season record.
The Cats scored 275 goals during those 81 games, which ranked them fifth among all NHL teams.
During that span, no team averaged more shots on goal than Florida’s 35.7 per game.
Long story short, it was a great year for the Panthers.
One of the best ever.
Now we get to wait and see what 2024 may bring.
LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA
