Things went from bad to worse for the Florida Panthers on Thursday night in Ottawa.
While the Panthers lost their matchup with the hometown Senators 2-1, much of the attention after the game was on Florida captain Sasha Barkov, who had to be helped off the ice after sustaining an apparent lower-body injury during the game’s final moments.
There was no update on Barkov from Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice after the game, so for now, we’ll have to wait to learn the severity of his injury.
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As for the game itself, Florida looked darn good for much of it, but a stumble out of the gate and a stolen goalie win cost the Cats their second victory of the season.
Here are the takeaways from Thursday’s loss to the Senators:
NOT PANTHERS HOCKEY
As much as Florida got off to an aggressive, physical start during their Opening Night victory over the Boston Bruins, the Panthers didn’t come close to resembling that kind of speed and intensity during the first period against Ottawa on Thursday.
The home team outshot Florida 17-8 during the opening 20 minutes, with turnovers and misplays leading to several odd-man rushes and the second Sens goal.
For whatever reason, it was a very non-Panthers period.
“We gave up five rush chances in the first we just don’t do that,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “There wasn’t adjustments, there wasn’t a technical problem to our game. Our hands were our feet and our feet were our hands, and that doesn’t work very well.”
QUICK TURNAROUND
It didn’t take Florida long to snap back into form.
The Cats dominated play for the most part during the final two periods, but thanks to a stellar game from new Ottawa goaltender Linus Ullmark, their two-goal opening 20 minuets held up.
You obviously don’t want to see the kind of start that Florida showed up with, but as long as they can use this as a learning experience and rectify the issues, all will be fine.
“I liked the way we built in the game,” said Maurice. “I thought we sawed it off after the first (period), and we certainly spent enough time (in their zone).”
POWER PLAY STRUGGLES
Florida is now 0-for-8 when on the man advantage during their first two games of the season.
The zone time is there, but the quality chances are coming as frequently as Panthers fans have grown accustomed to over the past couple seasons.
During their eight power play opportunities, Florida has mustered just 11 shots on goal.
It will be something to keep an eye on as the team works to smooth out the kinks during their road trip.
“There’s some integration and movement issues,” Maurice admitted. “We’re working on it.”
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