Three takeaways: Cats trending in right direction, Stolarz' value extends past on-ice performance
Florida is preparing to enter the playoffs with one of the best goaltending tandems in the NHL
The Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators played a watered-down version on Tuesday night of what we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from the two division rivals lately.
There were a couple scrappy situations, but not many.
Only two goals were scored.
It was the kind of grinding, unentertaining playoff-style game Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice will gladly take, especially considering the funk that Florida is just climbing out of.
And that is where we’ll start with Tuesday’s takeaways.
Happy with the boring win
The game started out exciting enough, with a couple of goals and a couple of fights in the first twenty minutes.
It certainly felt like it was shaping up to be another high scoring, penalty-filled battle between the Panthers and Senators, but that was until the second period ground everything to a halt.
By the time things found their way back from the dead in the third period, Florida was back to finishing every check and keeping the Sens on the outside, for the most part.
Was it fun or memorable? No.
Is it the kind of win Florida will gladly take and move on from? You betcha.
“We’ll take the 2-0 win, absolutely take it, for sure,” Maurice said afterwards. “I’ll take 2-0 over 7-6 all day long. We’ll try to bring the excitement during the playoffs. I’m not worried about it right now.”
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAzfSZu152c[/embed]
Stolarz strong and steady
Panthers goaltender Anthony Stolarz doesn’t deserve to be called a backup.
He certainly hasn’t played like one this season.
Stolarz has provided Florida with lights out goaltending since he and his shiny helmet arrived in Coral Springs back in September.
He made 24 saves while picking up his second shutout of the season, and while giving him his due praise after the game, Maurice explained another way that Stolarz has helped the team we may not have realized.
“Beyond the numbers, which are league-leading in some departments, he’s also been a really good relationship guy with Sergei (Bobrovsky),” Maurice said of Stolarz. “They get along incredibly well, they support each other, cheer for each other, and that’s a really important thing for Sergei, to have somebody to cheer for and that cheers for him. They’re unique. They have a really good thing going. I’m happy for Anthony. He’s worked hard to improve his game…from training camp to where he is now, it’s very, very good.”
Importance of strong playoff tandem
If there’s anything we’ve learned while watching these Panthers over the past several seasons it’s that depth is invaluable at this time of year.
You don’t know when, you don’t know how, but things are going to happen that cause players to miss time during crucial moments.
It’s just the nature of the beast.
Florida hopes to enter the postseason with essentially five forward lines and four defensive pairings, which would be an incredible asset to have at the starting gate.
But that’s not all. The Panthers are also in the conversation for having one of the strongest goaltending tandems in the tournament.
Considering how both Bobrovsky and Stolarz have performed during the entirety of the season, it’s a foregone conclusion that every player in that locker room has the upmost confidence in whichever goaltender happens to be between the pipes, not just the one considered the starter.
“You have to have the belief that you can win every night when you get into the playoffs because injuries, sickness, health, plague, whatever…using two goaltenders is almost normal now,” Maurice said. “And you need the belief, and there’s lots of belief in Anthony.”
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