Florida falls to 2-1-0 in the preseason, will host the Hurricanes on Friday in Sunrise
Florida falls to 2-1-0 in the preseason, will host the Hurricanes on Friday in Sunrise
A tight game for two periods got away from the Florida Panthers during the final frame.
The Carolina Hurricanes scored four times during the third period, including an empty-net goal, skating to a 4-1 victory over the visiting Panthers.
Despite the goals against, the story of the game for Florida was goaltender Spencer Knight.
The Panthers' young goaltender looked incredibly sharp in goal for the second straight preseason game.
He was challenging confidently and moving with relative ease in and around the goal crease, and his rebound control was excellent.
Here are some thoughts and observations from Monday's preseason game:
While there was nothing flashy about his game, Uvis Balinskis was solid defensively and was rarely caught in a precarious position.
Skyler Brind'Amour, playing in front of his father (Carolina Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour) was confident with the puck and showed that he's got some hands, speed and good offensive skills. He was also called for a holding penalty after wrestling Jamieson Rees to the ice right in front of Carolina's bench, which makes you wonder if he'll hear from two head coaches after a play like that.
In Panthers camp on a PTO, forward Brett Ritchie continues to play a physical game that seems to fit in what Florida is trying to do. One play that stood out during the first period was when Ritchie made a big hit on a Canes defenseman below the goal line while on the forecheck, then Ritchie immediately went to the front of the net, where he was rewarded when the puck came free and found him all alone in the slot. His one-timer was stopped by a challenging Raanta, but the play was a great example of how Florida's forwards use their physicality to create opportunities in the offensive end.
Defenseman Matt Kiersted was moving well Wednesday night. He continues to be quick with puck on his stick and made good decisions both with the puck on his stick and in the way he positioned and utilized his body.
Another defenseman, John Ludvig, continued to show off shot-blocking skills. The 23-year-old knows how to use his body and his defensive zone positioning is standing out more than ever.
Florida's forward line of Grigori Denisenko and Mackie Samoskevich centered by Kevin Stenlund struggled to generate much offense and wasn't great in the Florida end. Each played finished with a minus-2 rating. Denisenko was also called for a pair of stick infractions, both times being caught for hooking a Hurricanes defenseman.
