The Panthers are fresh off a 3-game road trip sweep of the Red Wings, Rangers, and Devils and to add to the joy, they will soon be greeted by their newest teammate, Vladdy Tarasenko.
Zito literally traded a bag of used pucks and a dirty jock strap to get a guy who is averaging a little under a point per game while playing for one of the most disappointing teams in the NHL this season.
Tarasenko was supposed to be one of the many pieces which were going to help Ottawa make the playoffs for the first time in 7 seasons. Obviously, this is not going to happen, but Vladdy did net 17 goals and 24 apples in his 57 games with the Sens this year. If he could do it on that dumpster fire, imagine what he can do when working with the likes of Barkov, Tkachuk, Reinhart, and Bennett; just to name a few.
On top of that, last night’s victory against the Devils was their sixth straight win since losing 1-0 to Carolina on the road. It keeps Florida firmly at the top of the standings with 20 games to go.
What is more important is what the wins against both the Rangers and Devils showed me as a spectator. Both games were far from flawless and the Cats even looked lackluster at times; however, they continued to find ways to win the game. Whether it was Lomberg lobbing a floater that hits Trouba’s stick to go in or getting a multi-goal game from a grinder like Nick Cousins, the Cats are finding new ways to win.
On top of that, they continue to play like the hard nosed “Rat Kings” that Biznasty has so declared them to be. I would take a gritty player like Nick Cousins or Ryan Lomberg any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Grit wins playoff series!
On top of that, look at the season Reinhart is having! He tucked his 45th goal of the campaign last night with 24 of them coming on the PP.
Then Chuky has been a monster since Christmas. He has netted 13 goals and 27 assists in the 26 games since December 14th.
My only fear as a fan is that the Panthers burn through all of their good “mojo” and then hit a wall in the playoffs. A team can only stay hot for so long so a little hiccup or two on the way to the playoffs might be a good thing to get the team back to center and ready to go when round 1 begins.
With 48 hours left until the trade deadline, I am excited to see what else Billy Z has up his sleeve.
Vamos Gatos!
The Morning Skate 