Florida looking to remain consistent as team tries to avoid elimination in Game 5
Florida looking to remain consistent as team tries to avoid elimination in Game 5
A recurring problem the Florida Panthers dealt with during the season was slow starts to games.
It's been a topic that has come up with Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice many times over the past several months.
During the playoffs, however, Florida has shown up well for each of their games against the powerhouse Boston Bruins.
Being a little slow off the block has not been an issue.
What has been an issue are the self-inflicted wounds, the undisciplined or unfortunate penalties, the unforced errors that have caused Florida to stumble in the series.
"I've really liked our first periods in all four games," said Maurice. "We've given up three goals, two on the power play, both on penalties we can't take, and the other one is a goal that Alex (Lyon) would like to have back."
The advanced metrics back up what Maurice has seen. At even strength, Florida has had more high danger chances than the Bruins in each first period and better possession numbers in the opening frame of three of the four games.
Interestingly enough, the Panthers worst first period from an analytical view was Game 2, the only game in the series that Florida has won so far.
So if Florida has shown up on time to each game in this series, the natural follow-up question would be asking how come they haven't been able to maintain that.
Looking at how the Panthers have progressed period-to-period over the four games, it was Game 1 and Game 4 where Florida carried their solid start into the middle frame.
It's also Game 1 and Game 4 where the Panthers finished with better possession numbers overall, though the majority of that came during periods one and two.
"I've like to our starts in each game. There's been two second periods we haven't been very good and two second periods we, for the most part, have been really good," Maurice said.
It's the third periods where Boston has really flexed their muscles.
In this series, the third period pendulum has swung in the Bruins favor in each game they've won, whether it be with how much they've controlled the puck, their ability to generate high danger chances, or both.
"The third periods and almost all the games are a reflection of the score that you go into that third period with," said Maurice.
The score was tied heading into the third period of Game 2, the only game Florida has won to this point, but Panthers Defenseman Brandon Montour scored just 22 seconds after the intermission.
This time it was Boston that responded poorly, and the Panthers pounced on the opportunity.
Something else that happened in Game 2 was that despite Florida taking a pair of first period penalties, the Cats' killed them off.
The Bruins have taken 1-0 first period leads on power play goals in Game 1 and Game 4.
What all this means is that the Panthers' keys to success are in their own hands, and they have been all along.
Stay out of the penalty box and stay within the systems. Don't chase the game.
Sometimes when a team starts opening things up, the opposition will follow suit. That's how a game can suddenly appear to turn into a track meet.
Those are fun and exciting to watch. Great, entertaining, end-to-end hockey.
That's not going to happen in this series.
"You're not going to run free and loose against Boston," said Maurice. "That's just not going to happen."
The Panthers have already shown they can win on the road in this series.
If they plan to get out of the first round, Florida must do it twice more, starting Wednesday.
Getting off to a good start will be crucial, but maintaining it will be paramount.
"There are things we can do (to be successful)," said Maurice. "The biggest one is consistency."