After a 4-3 overtime win in Game 1 and a 4-0 loss in Game 2 against the Nashville Predators at the Bridgestone Arena on Monday, the Florida Panthers parted ways with their annual preseason doubleheader.
To check the captain Alexander Barkov‘s exploits from game 1, click HERE.
“It was good to see some players out of practice because we hadn’t fought yet,” said Panthers coach Paul Maurice after playing a dual role at Music City. “We pushed them really hard for four days. It’s sort of the end of the hardest part of the training camp.”
The two games suspended in June were Maurice’s first behind the bench with the Panthers.
“I was excited,” said Maurice, whose 1,684 coached games is the fourth-most in NHL history. “These are perhaps the first exhibition games I’ve ever looked forward to. There’s a really good feeling in the room among the players. It’s nice to be here.”
While there weren’t any notable goals for the Panthers in Game 2, the goaltender was Spencer Knight gave fans plenty of reasons to smile as the 21-year-old looked handsome on his pre-season debut.
The only blemish on a near-perfect performance from the former first-round pick came when Filip Forsberg, who netted a career-high 42 goals in 2021/22, fired a wicked shot from the slot in the string to give the Predators a 1-0 Lead at 14:23 of the first third.
With 17 saves to his name already – including a couple of big stops against John Leonard in rapid succession from the doorstep at the close of the first period – Knight continued to stand his ground in the second as he made two more saves before being relieved by AlexLyon midway.
At the other end of the ice, Yaroslav Askarov replaced Kevin Lankinen for the Predators.
“I think after so much practice you just want to play games,” said Knight, who had a 19-9-3 record, a .908 saving ratio and 2.79 goals against average in 2021-22. “For me it’s almost refreshing to just get game action and play a fast game against a good team. It’s always fun. … I try to approach every game the same way, whether it’s preseason, regular season or the playoffs. I’m staying pretty chilled and going with the flow.”
With 12:41 in the third period, the Panthers seemed to be holding the game in a draw Nick Cousins got the puck past Askarov, but the goal was denied by a sharp penalty just before. On the power play that followed, Cody Glass fired a shot past Lyon to extend Nashville’s 8-01 lead to 2-0.
Colton Sissons caught the Panthers for a change and increased Florida’s lead to 3-0 at 1:30 p.m. He added another goal with 2:48 left, a point shot from Ryan McDonagh hit Tanner Jeannot before sailing to the back of the cage to make it 4-0.
Askarov combined 12 saves and Lankinen 13 for the shoutout.
Looking ahead, Maurice said the Panthers will change their practices a bit before resuming their preseason with a matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday at FLA Live Arena.
“I think they’re going to switch camps a bit now,” Maurice said. “Part of that is that I’m going to start grouping the more experienced players together and we’re going to try to move towards a speed-based camp rather than a grind-based camp.”
REMARKS
— The Panthers really spread the minutes on the blue line in Game 2, as all six defenders were on the ice for at least 17 minutes against the Predators. Rookie among these blueliners John Ludwig led ice time by 21:27 despite playing just 58 seconds on special teams.
— Sticking with the blue line, that’s where the Panthers found most of their shots. Of the 25 shots on goal in Game 2, 13 came from defenders. All six defenders recorded at least one shot, with prospects for Marek Alscher and Evan Naus each post three.
— Although he hasn’t broken the scoring chart, Florida’s line is off Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart enjoyed some strong possession numbers. When this trio was 5-on-5 on the ice, the Panthers led 13-5 in shot attempts, 6-1 in shots on target and .42-.22 in expected goals.
– Nashville led 13-5 in dangerous shot attempts, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
The Florida Panthers will celebrate their 2022-23 home opener against the Philadelphia Flyers on October 19, 2022 at FLA Live Arena. The first 10,000 fans through the doors will receive a commemorative plan courtesy of Bally Sports Florida. click HERE to buy your tickets today!