Florida better clean up their act by Monday because the Oilers thrive off the rush game

The Florida Panthers are feeling the ebbs and flows that come with a long hockey season.

After going a stretch where they won just one of seven, Florida enjoyed a seven-game stretch in which they went 6-0-1 and appeared to be back on track.

Alas, the Cats have now dropped two straight games on their western road trip, failing to score a goal in either contest.

It’s the first time Florida has suffered back-to-back blankings since the last time they traveled through these parts, almost exactly one year ago.

Things worked out okay for the Cats last season, so there’s no reason to start pulling out your hair just yet.

Florida came out of their first funky stretch this season okay, and this time, the problem seems much easier to diagnose.

On to Saturday’s takeaways:

WHAT HAPPENED TO RUSH DEFENSE?

The way that the Panthers protect and defend against rush opportunities is normally a cornerstone of their defensive systems.

Not that you could tell based off their past two performances.

Fortunately for Florida, considering both the importance of the practice and the urgency needed for them to correct it, there should be a quick reaction time in terms of remedying the issue.

“Our rush defense sucks,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “We’ve got to get that fixed. Other than that, I'm not worried about anything else that we’ve got going.”

LACK OF QUALITY CHANCES

It’s interesting the head coach is so focused on the defense when Florida was just held without a goal in back-to-back outings.

That’s because much of the Panthers offense comes directly off the way they defend.

A strong transition game allows Florida to quickly get the puck from one of the ice to the other and set up their pressure and forecheck routine that has been extremely successful under Maurice.

Once in the zone with the proper timing and support, it’s much easier for them to sustain zone time and have their physically imposing forwards inflict maximum damage.

“When we're at our best, we're creating havoc, and it's the second, third, fourth chances,” said Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues. “We're a little bit one and done right now. We’re getting some good looks, but nothing with traffic and not sustaining o-zone time, We scored a bunch of goals in a handful of games there, and I think we got away from what makes us successful and makes us score a lot of goals, and we’ve got to get back to that.”

OILERS WILL MAKE CATS PAY

If there is a team in the NHL that will make you pay off the rush, it’s the Edmonton Oilers.

The high-flying defending Western Conference Champions have likely been waiting to get another crack at the Panthers after last season’s Stanley Cup Final, and Monday night they’ll get that chance.

Edmonton is primed for the rematch, rolling along over the past month with a 12-3-1 record since early November.

If Florida doesn’t clean up their defensive issues, and fast, they could get their clocks cleaned by the McDavid bunch.

“Definitely, they’ll get our mindset right.” Rodrigues said of preparing for the Oilers. “I think it’s good timing.”

Added Maurice: “Our rush defense is AWOL. If we do that against Edmonton, they’re going to put 15 on us.”

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