 |  | |||
| v. | ||||
| Atlanta Thrashers | Florida Panthers | |||
| BankAtlantic Center | ||||
| 7:00PM | ||||
| TV: SportSouth Radio: 680 the FAN | ||||
| SBNation: Game page, Litter Box Cats | ||||
| TSN Coverage | ||||
| Johan Hedberg | Tomas Vokoun | |||
| (6-2-0, .928% 2.41) | (7-9-4, .919% 2.82) | |||
Jump for game notes.
Panthers Game Notes
Last Game: On Thursday Dec. 3rd, the 'vetch-less Washington Capitals handed the Florida Panthers a brutal 6-2 road loss on the strength of Alexander Semin's 4 point night (2G, 2A).
Last Five: 1-4-0
Special Teams: PP - 15.0% (27th), PK - 75.2% (29th)
Notes for Tonight: When last we met the Florida Panthers, it was a bizzare affair, to say the least. To avoid repetition, we'll leave it at this: it took a last-second goal from Maxim Afinogenov to earn the Thrashers a win. Since that game, the Cats have alternately defeated a road-weary Colorado Avalanche team and been stomped on by the Washington Capitals. Needless to say, Panthers' fans have settled in to an almost shell-shocked acceptance. Florida managed to blow four 2-goal leads en route to a shootout win against the Avs, avoiding a six game losing streak (just ask Bob Hartley how dangerous those can be). Washington had 12 power play opportunities Thursday night, picking up 3 goals. It seems whatever pluck the Panthers had carrying them through the first quarter of the season has run out. Make no mistake, if the Thrashers come out thinking "It's just the Panthers", Florida may just make a game of it. Oh, and indications are Tomas Vokoun is back in net for the Cats.
Who To Watch Out For: Well, there will be no more mention of "tagging" or "targeting" anyone in this space. Panther's center Stephen Weiss has been a bright spot for the team, picking up 14 points and a +5 rating in his last 10 games.
Thrashers Game Notes
Last Game: On Thursday Dec. 3rd, the Atlanta Thrashers scored first and then watched as Matt Moulson scored a natural hat trick to beat them 4-1. Oh yea, that Tavares kid added an empty netter to rub salt in the wound.
Last Five: 4-1-0
Special Teams: PP - 22.3% (7th), PK - 83.8% (7th)
Notes for Tonight: A couple of questions need to be answered.
- Does Ilya Kovalchuk have a doctor's note to keep him from playing defense? As the Falconer pointed out, many of the Thrashers ills from Thursday could've been avoided had their captain played a little more of an "in-your-face" defensive game. Maybe he didn't want to get anybody else sick...
- Are the Thrashers buying their own BS? Look carefully at any rockstar and you'll soon find that the best ones buy into every bit of the hype that surrounds them. Going 8-2-2 over your last 12 games is certainly cause to feel a little better about yourself, but the effort in Thursday's loss to the Islanders was unaceptable.
- Where'd the power play go? In the last five games, the Thrashers have only scored two goals in 13 PP attempts. That's 15%, and that's not good.
Who To Watch Out For: Very tempted to type "no one" and leave it at that. My roster taped to a dartboard precognitave abilities tell me Ron Hainsey is due to break his 11 game pointless streak.
Yea, Hainsey. That sounds good.
Loading comments...