Florida Panthers Roller Coaster Reaches Bottom

At least Tomas Vokoun saw this shot coming... (photo: CatShots128)

The first two months of the Florida Panthers season has seen both highs and lows. The year started with an abysmal 2-7-1 record with little signs that this could be a competitive team going forward. Last year’s team leader David Booth suffered a vicious concussion and has been out since late October. Then out of nowhere, the team started putting wins together. A stretch of 8-2-1 ensued, giving Panther fans a glimmer of hope. And then, the roller coaster started falling again. The Cats have struggled since their last win, which came November 21^st, and they are 0-3-2 in their last 5.

But none of their game play can compare to what happened last night. The game itself was heartbreaking enough. The Panthers answered each Atlanta goal, coming back from 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 deficits. The game seemed headed for overtime until Maxim Afinogenov put in the game winner with just 5 seconds left. The real story came earlier, though. After Ilya Kovulchuk put the Thrashers up 2-1 in the 1^st, defenseman Keith Ballard was looking to take his frustration out on the goalposts. Unfortunately, Tomas Vokoun’s head got in the way. Vokoun was eventually taken off on a stretcher and transported to an Atlanta hospital. He was released and did travel home with the team. Vokoun does not appear to have a concussion or any lasting injury other than a lacerated ear, and one would assume as soon as he can put his mask on again, he will be ready to go. As for Ballard, his night did not get any better. Team captain Bryan McCabe and fellow defenseman Bryan Allen had to help settle Ballard’s nerves after the incident, and then Afinogenov’s winning goal appeared to deflect off Ballard’s stick.

After the game, Ballard denied comment, and understandably so. This will be played over and over, on youtube, on SportsCenter, on blooper reels… everywhere. That should be punishment enough. Obviously, it is good news that Vokoun was not more seriously injured. This will, eventually, pass. And looking back at actual hockey news, the Panthers are still just 4 points behind 8^th seed Tampa Bay. Sure, there are four other teams above the Cats, but it is only December. Their recent string of 5 straight games without a win does not look good, but except for their 4-1 loss to Nashville on Saturday, the effort has been there. They managed to earn a point in 2 of those losses. The Panthers will play every other night or back to back nights until December 23^rd, so the opportunity to earn points is there. And perhaps most noticeably, the Panthers have turned up their physical play. The Cats acquired Steve MacIntyre last week, and he sparked fights in his first two games with the Panthers. Rookies Victor Oreskovich and Kenndal McArdle have been asked to play big minutes as injuries have started to pile up, and they have responded with tenacious physical play. This team has shown the potential to compete is there. Whether or not they find any sort of consistency remains to be seen.