A Look at the Recent Struggles of the Florida Panthers

I still think they'll be fine once the playoffs roll around. Let me know your thoughts.
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[@KevinBrevin]

FINALLY WE HAVE A PANTHERS VIDEO... oh wait we are bad enough to get our own video... damn.

[@shaman9]

THG dropping the truth bombs: "Only 1 of 32 teams will win the Stanley Cup this year"

[@ssirin88]

Huge if true

[@lucyvanpelt6470]

What a shocking statement 🙄

[@Brad-ui7tz]

Totally earned a "Like" on that!

[@hockeyhamrin]

I would argue that losing to competitive teams is more concerning because those are the teams you need to beat come playoff time.

[@OWlsfordshire]

Florida isnt trying to win, regardless of who they face. They play an extremely taxing style of heavy defense. Maurice was known to break the Jets down by playoff time. He's learned from this and the Panthers are preserving their bodies. They've also given the Leafs, Canes, and Bruins a chance to get their revenge during the regular season. It's pretty likely the Panthers will play all 3 in the playoffs agsin.

[@kevalpatel5925]

@@OWlsfordshire Excuses. I highly doubt Maurice wanted the team to lose as many games as they have to "preserve their bodies" instead of securing the number one spot in the Atlantic

[@OWlsfordshire]

@@kevalpatel5925 Excuses for what? Panthers already have a playoff spot vs the easiest opponent. Panthers don't want to get 1st just to play Vasy going Super Saiyan in the first round.

[@HamishMackenzie7]

@Owl They're not trying to win? Stick your head back in the sand.

[@OWlsfordshire]

@@HamishMackenzie7 No, they absolutely aren't. Look how many goals they are letting in each game, that's not normal. They've taken their foot off the gas because of their history with injury and Maurice's history of burning out players. They aren't blocking shots at all, which I agree with. It's not worth the risk of injury. They're already dealing with Ekblad and Verhagae getting hurt.

[@elefprime8809]

Their schedule has been absolutely brutal. Good thing they already clinched their PO spot.

[@derekparsey1168]

Wheel of playoff results when it comes to this team lol

[@TheLinc78]

The Cats are legit. This is coming from a Vegas fan too.

[@jonasgorea3823]

The worst time for a team to slump is right before the playoffs, its not that easy to just flip a switch

[@iCoolaxe]

Conversely late-season momentum tends to have rather little correlation with playoff success.

[@liammonfett8153]

@@iCoolaxereally? I feel like teams who are hot stay hot, mainly cause they have it figured out ( lines, goaltending, pk, ETC.) florida carried into the playoffs on a heater last year and it took em to the finals

[@iCoolaxe]

@@liammonfett8153 You would think so, but the stats suggest that success at the end of the regular season doesn’t really mean much for the playoffs. Of course limping into the playoffs still isn’t an ideal situation.

[@jefflarson1652]

@@liammonfett8153 Florida lost their final 2 games to Carolina and Toronto last season. They basically backed in thanks to Pittsburgh. The series with those two teams they lost to went differently than those last 2 games.

[@macgobhann8712]

​@@liammonfett8153Boston lost one game in like their last 20 before the playoffs only to lose in 7 to the wildcard 2 Panthers. Momentum isn't really that important

[@Wogger72]

Staying healthy is a big factor in a cup run. If my team already make the playoffs taking your foot off the gas a little rest some people who have a nagging injury makes sense to me

[@CyborgNinjaGaming]

This is exactly what they're doing

[@spinin1251]

Taking your foot off the gas with 15-20 games to go to the end of the season may be a bit much. They could easily do it just for the last 5 games or so and play hard maybe in the last game or 2. I'm not convinced that it is such a well thought out and deliberate startegy. Which, at the same time, also doesn't mean that they won't be a threat in the playoffs.

[@peterolbrisch8970]

The coach should tell them if they don't shape up, he's sending them to see U2. That would put the fear into anybody.

[@G0lden-lu6by]

And that they'd have to meet Bono backstage after the torture. They'd win the cup for sure.

[@peterolbrisch8970]

@@G0lden-lu6by After they all threw up of course. Thanks for your reply and have a great day!

[@Mining4Dayz]

Florida just hasnt been playing consistent hockey. The team that showed up in the first 2 periods vs the leafs couldnt beat a timbits league team, the team that came out in the 3rd wont lose to anyone.

[@peterolbrisch8970]

Could be they're laying low. 🤔

[@Brandon318]

I think a big difference for Florida this season compared to last is that FLA went on a heater heading into the playoffs just to barely make the WC2, whereas this year they've seemingly run out of gas and are sputtering across the finish line.

[@TylerMorganShow]

Brobovsky needs a rest

[@FLAPNT]

He had a great support during season from Stoli. I don’t agree rest is an issue. Slightly lower effort before playoffs? Maybe. Hopefully he is at dull speed last week before playoffs start

[@thenextgreat8652]

One given in hockey is that even the best of teams will look mediocre at times during the season. As a fan, even I get exhausted just trying to watch all 82 games my team plays. Imagine what it’s like trying to play at your highest level for 6-7 months against all the other best players in the world.

[@Whisky_4_1]

i appreciate the positive take Shannon, but as a Panthers fan, I'm freaking out. Let's Go Panthers !!!!!

[@Bill_772]

As a panthers fan I’m concerned about the recent play. I do notice we spend so much time and energy along the boards. Wasting some much strength. On the goalie side of things I see poor puck play and defensive plays leaving Bob out to dry some times. I guess play so well over a long time we as fans have gotten used to winning and spoils. As part of being a fan, keep rooting during the good and not so good. Go Panthers!

[@cajunflame4522]

I certianly hope THG is right for the Cat's sake 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@BayBye2011]

as long as you make the playoffs anything can happen

[@n0vwls247]

As a Florida fan, I have definitely been concerned about this skid. Especially after the loss last night. But I saw a clip of PoMo postgame basically saying "We know why we're playing like this. Don't worry. It'll be fine" and that kinda got me thinking that maybe this has been intentional to some degree or at least they expected to not do so well over these last few weeks. If the problem (if there even is one) has actually been identified, then I don't see any reason to panic until were down multiple goals in the 3rd period of an elimination game

[@swarmX]

POMO says a lot of dumb stuff. dude got 2 core guys injured. he doesnt know jack shit. if he did they would have addressed it already.

[@21234u]

@@swarmXthere’s really not a reason to address it, they’re clinched

[@21234u]

reminds me of a family guy clip “Don’t worry about it? Okay!!”

[@stevepicataggio]

Thank you for putting my feelings into words!

[@DogInPajamaPants]

Great video THG!

[@Damphouse]

Haven't been this early since my premature birth

[@razvanzamfir1545]

Got a chuckle out of me, thanks

[@Birdman957]

😂

[@strategic1710]

I’m really excited about this years playoffs because I think a legit case can be made for 13 of the 16 teams currently in. Minus the caps and flyers in the east and preds in the west.

[@craigerickson6308]

Coasting,they will get back into their groove with the last 5 games of the season. Compared to last season when they were busting their butts and bodies just trying to get into the playoffs for 2 months prior to getting in.

[@nerinamak3298]

They are trying to stay fresh and healthy for the playoff run, that much is clear. What is concerning is that they’ve had more injuries now than they did when they were dialed in.

[@jeremyhunter4719]

And bunch of lapses on defense

[@kylecampbell1766]

Problem is that it is having the opposite effect on the team (i.e. Verhaeghe and Ekblad)

[@villekarkkainen1314]

we see what happens in playoffs, im not worrying about last 10 games at all

[@hahayeahokaynope]

As a Devils fan, I've been feeling this pain all season. Florida fans, don't take the bridge just yet...

[@closethockeyfan5284]

Tough schedule is tough? Say it ain't so, Batman!

[@RadioDjMiami]

I watch every game. Since their inception. Love my Cats! But if you wanna know the real reason we're struggling right now.... Here it is: Like you said.... The skid started with the I'm 0-4 loss at Carolina. Since we had won so many before that most might write that off as a bad road game. But it wasn't just that. Carolina plays a strategy that crowds the goal area so it makes it difficult to get a clear shot. Sure the stats might show 40 shots on goal. But they're not quality shots like we were used to in our winning streak. And Carolina isn't concerned with being offensive. They frustrate our offense and wait until they are distracted then go on a rush. We haven't been used to that. They designed the blueprint of how to beat us. Ever since then every team emulates the exact Carolina scheme and strategy. I back and watch the highlights since Carolina. I'm worried cause if Maurice doesn't adjust we'll be a first round knockout. I believe in our roster and our coaching staff. But the league figured us out. Now we need to trick them. 2024 Playoffs!!! Let's GOOOOOOOO!!!!

[@kriminal012]

Interesting analysis. Would like to know who u think could win the Stanley cup then ?

[@RadioDjMiami]

@@kriminal012 Hey! Thanks for responding! Who do I think could win the Stanley Cup this year? That's a great question! I can't remember a season with so many teams still in the hunt on the last day! I don't think the Rangers have the belief in themselves to grind out a run through the ridiculously tough Eastern bracket. They might have won the Presidents Cup but name the last team to win that who went to the finals. Lol. Toronto has no goaltending. Doesn't matter is your top scoring forward had 69 goals. The net is always yawning. Lol. Carolina is the favorite to me. Barring injuries, they have the roster to truly run Rod Brind'amour's scheme. My Panthers might have won the division on the last day but their reward is a meeting with Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Lightning. I'm not sure that's a gift. Toronto would've been a better matchup. But we'll just have to have sick goaltending. And we have to jump on Vasilevskiy quick. It'll be a tight series but if we play our game we'll win. So to me the East comes down to Florida and Carolina. Best goaltending wins that series. The West is Dallas, Winnipeg and Vancouver. But I don't think any of them can beat either Carolina or Florida. Should be the best playoffs we've ever seen! GO CATS!!!!

[@ProggaWoggga]

Here's what's missing in this discussion: 1)quite a few of the 10 games reviewed were blown leads, some in which the team was up by 2 goals 2)the Cats are having a lot more problems breaking the puck out of their own end. They aren't playing as well against the heavy forecheck. 3)this team is NOT the Comback Cats of 21-22 (who could score seemingly at will). They occasionally comeback, but probably no more so than any other team.

[@wakemiamigreatagain]

I know they have had a stretch of tough games against quality opponents. Any team would struggle for wins especially when you've already clinched a playoff spot. I hope you're correct and FL can turn it back on over the last 6 games and our guys can get healthy and stay that way. We also need playoff Bob to show up.

[@tonyv.8781]

We're fine.

[@soflo549]

The X factor last playoffs was no doubt Bobrovsky. I think one of the reasons for his insane run was that he was benched for Alex Lyon 2 weeks before the season ended. He was very rested throughout the entire playoffs and I think with his recent struggles the panthers should think about benching him again. We know stolarz is one of the best backups in the league and can’t hold it down till playoffs. Give Bob a long rest before playoffs and maybe give him a game or 2 before the first series to get back in the groove.

[@jamesruscheinski8602]

more effective team defense in own zone, sharp transition offense passing for scoring chances?

[@clydeblair9622]

Wrong time of the season for lethargy.

[@Deadmanwolfpac93]

Outside of injuries, and probably riding Bob too much to the ground is the team’s D core has really let them down. Kulikov committed at least 4 turnovers in the back to back against the Leafs and Habs which all lead to goals.

[@ianlange132]

A Paul Maurice freakout flipped the switch last year. Perhaps another one of those is necessary.

[@neongvortex6937]

Here after we washed ottawa 6-0 😭

[@The_Card_Place]

Just like with Vegas , this team will be a tuff out imo

[@richardthacker6]

1. They secured a playoff spot, and there is no urgency. 2. They have battled some injuries to key players. 3. There is an illness working its way through the locker room. Forsling, Tkachuk, Verhaeghe. 4. I do not buy that team chemistry was ruined at the trade deadline. There is no Dennis Rodman in the NHL. No one player is going to wreck a team. I am not concerned. Even if we had won the last 8 games, we could just as easily get wiped out in round 1. We see this happen every year to good teams. I'll stop short of predictions, but they will be a tough team to beat in a 7 game series. Let's Go Panthers!!

[@ShaunAnderson_Sauce]

Out in round 1

[@richardthacker6]

@@ShaunAnderson_Sauce Possibly so, anything can happen in the playoffs. I dare say you're from Toronto and conditioned to think this way...

[@ShaunAnderson_Sauce]

@@richardthacker6 no I'm a Boston fan 😂 we'll see you in the second round! I'm sure you'll get past the leafs no problem.

[@richardthacker6]

@ShaunAnderson_Sauce I hope we meet in Round 2 my friend. I'm thinking Boston has bigger plans this year and will not take Florida, or anyone for that matter, lightly this year. It would be a great series.

[@ShaunAnderson_Sauce]

@@richardthacker6 that's what I'm saying it will be such a good series if it happens.

[@hoozoohleague8264]

Don't worry. Bettman won't let his southern teams fall too early

[@faunbudweis]

A team of goons that can score anytime they need, now where have I heard this one...

[@TrueMr.Quinn1]

As a Florida Panthers fan when my father took me to the eastern conference championship game back in 96 when I was 2 years old… I’ve been waiting too long to see them hoist the cup… LETS GO PANTHERS 🐆

[@swarmX]

gonna be waiting a lot longer then man

[@choppergunner8650]

​@@swarmX shut

[@lolo27234]

And you’ll continue to wait

[@swarmX]

@@choppergunner8650 i want them to win, but no signs point to that reality

[@choppergunner8650]

@@lolo27234 nope

[@InsignificantNick]

If they aren't beating teams in the playoffs, isn't that bad, too?

[@swarmX]

yes.

[@Isaac-wy5cr]

As i see it 4 of those games could have went the panthers just from puck luck. then this wouldn't be talked about. Bob ended last regular season in a bit of a slump. lyon came in and got us on the run. So his issues dont worry me yet. thing that worries me is watching the games defense has not looked as good. not sure if the factor or factors are injuries, sealing the playoff birth, or teams figuring it out.

[@captainhobbes4841]

I still think the panthers are better than this but I don’t have to like the current situation

[@connorbrechbill6516]

Not sure how to put it but watching this team’s play during this skid, it feels there is much more plaguing then then what it seems to be on the surface. Yes their schedule was brutal and yes they were battling injuries and illness. But they’ve just looked bad in every phase of the game during this skid. Defense is out of position and gets beat, along with committing some of the most abysmal turnovers I’ve ever seen. Offense is either inconsistent or ineffective. The forcheck isn’t there and they’re effort going after pucks is lacking. And lastly, both the power play and penalty kill have been horrible. The powerplay is a straight up non factor and the PK is surrendering multiple power play goals each night. They’re a far cry away from the elite units from a month ago. Idk what they do to fix it. But they looked lost yesterday. Once Montreal took the lead they were just flailing around out there hoping for a miracle. Idk what they do to fix it but watching their play lately is sending off some major alarms right now for me.

[@franksalazar2628]

Ohhhh no we suck again 😢

[@choppergunner8650]

Panthers will hopefully win the cup. They need to solidify themselves as a franchise, pushing away any relocation talks and keep being Tampa's eternal rival

[@SupaBuma]

There's relocation talks? Maybe during the late 2000's but I haven't heard any recent relocation talks. Hell, they just built a beautiful new practice rink that opens to the public this Saturday in East Fort Lauderdale. It's actually done up quite nicely. I can't wait to check it out!

[@choppergunner8650]

@@SupaBuma no, I'm saying like, I really, REALLY hope that the Panthers don't relocate any time soon or in the future. I fucking love this team

[@SupaBuma]

@@choppergunner8650 Same here! GO Cats! I've been a fan since their inception. Makes me mad that they got Duclair But, I STILL need to make a trip across the Alley and see an Away game.. and the Everblades too!

[@choppergunner8650]

@@GWh135 then you're not a Lightning fan. People say the name "Battle of Florida" for a reason.

[@GWh135]

@@choppergunner8650 Yeah, Panthers fans and neutral fans. Hasn’t been much of a battle though.

[@Cilvathorne]

We’ll prolly beat.. columbus? Hopefully 😅

[@stevenrowe2005]

Verhaeghe is out till the playoffs most likely, Ekblad left in the middle of the last game, tkachuk was out last game. Don’t want to create bad habits but they win playing an intense, in your face style or hockey, hard on the forecheck, physical, as Maurice said they’re not a run and gun team. I think they’re trying to not go all out since they’re had a spot wrapped up and last year showed them how physically brutal a deep run can be. Who knows what happens, they could still lose, but I’m not concerned about them turning up the intensity once the post season rolls around. Just get healthy and take whatever opponent you get

[@scrapking77]

Panthers have nicked up players. I see them getting run out in the first round. They are just not healthy.

[@SamStaticc]

Ez first round W if we finish 2nd or 3rd 🥱 Panthers Avs SCF incoming

[@OWlsfordshire]

Regular season try hards act so baffled when a team like this beats the sox off them in the playoffs every year lol.

[@tkdmike9345]

Helpppppo ussssss

[@serfindukdb1776]

interesting how this 'slump' coincided with the 8 year extension of a certain overrated dman. seriously though, if you make a video that can prove w/ advanced stats that Forsling is an actually good dman that can be relied on for big minutes, clutch moments & defensive responsibilities, then i'll never talk bad about him again. scouts honor, hand to god (or satan if you prefer)

[@connorbrechbill6516]

Forsling has been one of the few players that has been pulling his weight during this skid. If you want to talk about defensemen that have looked awful during this stretch, the three that come to mind are Montour, Mikkola and Kulikov. Especially Kulikov. Dude has assisted in multiple goals to the other team that’s how bad he’s been. Montour and Mikkola are constantly out of position which makes me think that they aren’t gelling as a pair or one or both are hurt. Forsling though has been solid.

[@snake9549]

All playoffs teams are in a slump. Been a boring month.

[@razvanzamfir1545]

I don't disagree that Florida can still be a juggernaut in the playoffs, but Carolina, Toronto, Boston and Montreal wouldn't have to play desperate hockey besides showing something for themselves. As a Habs fan, not sure who I'd like to see lose in a series between Florida and Toronto :D (...but I'm leaning towards Florida)

[@jamesruscheinski8602]

play desperate for goals and leads in games?

[@jdbauer9183]

Florida first round loss

[@RyanHumeniuk]

Against the leafs 😅 lol

[@choppergunner8650]

Shut it

[@legoobear6810]

That's exactly what they want a team playing them to think. If you think you'll walk right through a game against the Panthers, you're sorely mistaken.

[@jasonmarchant4525]

we just suck...that's it

[@Vitamins759]

Paul Maurice teams have no finish. Jets still aren’t past it…

[@DEIVION212]

East is so weak this year it feels like a Florida cup win, they'll beat 2 mid snd 1 good team then go up against whichever team survives the dogfight in thew west. Florida feel like the only team winning it this year and we haaaaate that idea lol

[@ChillButter]

The East compared to the West is weaker, yes...but saying it's 'so weak' is a bold statement. The Rangers and Carolina are very strong teams too (assuming this is the 1 good team you mentioned), but Toronto and Boston are no easy out's either...

[@legoobear6810]

The East is weak? What are you, a Vegas fan?

[@lolo27234]

There pretenders not much to say just a bad team that had puck luck up to this point

[@jerrygreig9506]

Go leafs goooo

[@swarmX]

i know youre more knowledgeable about the game of hockey, but this level of play is incredibly alarming. on top of that, two of our core guys got injured. one is out the rest of the regular season and we dont even know about ekblad yet. goalies are playing horrible, and defense is non existent. we cant beat good OR bad teams. this team is poised for a 1st round exit.

[@ShaunAnderson_Sauce]

Panthers out in round 1. Panthers apologist makes excuses for 10 minutes. Should be the title of the video.

[@Birdman957]

You're just spamming these comments like it means something

[@ShaunAnderson_Sauce]

@@Birdman957 I'm just making my predictions.

[@busfeet2080]

Shannon isn’t a Panthers fan, dude

[@ShaunAnderson_Sauce]

@@busfeet2080 you know what, I'd rather not argue with you. I'm sure you are just trying to defend THG. That's your decision but I'll just say sure man, he's not a Panthers fan.

[@lucyvanpelt6470]

That’s accurate -now if he was speaking about the Vegas Golden Knights it would be a very nuanced venom-since he’s quite the hater. Funny to hear him bag on them any chance he gets.

[@johannespitkamaki1369]

Have they won a game in last two weeks?

[@vincentthekeeper2163]

It was a true slide. They've had 2 wins in the last 10. Like 2-7-1. They look to possibly be pulling out of the nosedive with a 6-0 win tonight,

[@mercywilliams2698]

Beware adding players at the trade deadline..no matter how good the new player..you risk upsetting team chemistry. This is a team that plays as a unit more than most. Tarasenko looking terrific and making lots of good plays. That said..the lines are still a work in progress since his arrival. Let’s go, guys! 😼🥅🏒💥🏆

[@starbright451]

Should bench him for a few games to get back to old habits.

[@legoobear6810]

Lots of injuries, to be honest. Most of our starters haven't been playing these last 10 games consistently. We've clinched and don't need to try and get hurt unnecessarily. As long as we're healthy before the playoffs start, we'll be good.

[@mercywilliams2698]

@@legoobear6810 Looking forward to seeing the Panthers go!! My comments about team chemistry came along shortly before I heard NHL analyst talking about conversation he had with Coach Maurice who said he was doing trial and error trying to figure best lines given Tarasenko new to team. Very encouraged by Barkov and Tarasenko playing well on a line.