"I thought the fortitude and resiliency was a really good test for us," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said. "It wasn't coming easy. We had so many different looks where pucks had gone in for us in the past, and lately they haven't been going in.
"We stayed within the game plan, within the structure with how we want to play. We didn't deviate. We didn't cheat to make it better. We stuck to the plan. I think with the grit we showed to stay in the battle, we knew it was going to turn."
With the Panthers sent to an early power play after Anton Lundell took a stick to the face from Erik Brannstrom, Mason Marchment crashed the crease, jumped on a rebound and knocked the puck straight past Anton Forsberg to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead at 10:04 of the first period.
Helping keep that lead intact, Sergei Bobrovsky made several key saves while shorthanded.
"They had a couple chances, 2-on-1's, breakaways, but he was steady," Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour said of Bobrovsky's big stops. "He's been steady all year. He's a backbone."
In the second period, the goals remained hard to come by. Not for lack of trying, the Panthers held onto the puck for nearly the entire middle frame, leading the Senators 30-9 in shot attempts - including 7-0 from high-danger areas - 12-4 in shots on goal and 18-4 in scoring chances.
But in the third period, they finally broke through.
After Patric Hornqvist cashed in on a rebound from just outside the blue paint on the power play to put the Panthers up 2-0 at 3:09, his fourth-line friend, Ryan Lomberg, added to the lead when he tapped in a rolling puck on the goal line to make it a 3-0 contest just 12 seconds later at 3:21.
Looking at Florida's goals, all three of them came on secondary chances right around the net.
"The guys that went to that area tonight we rewarded," Brunette said. "That's playoff hockey-type of goals. [The Senators] did a really good job defending around the net. They didn't give us any really easy opportunities. Going back to the resiliency, for us to hang in there was good."
Earning his second shutout of the season, Bobrovsky finished with 18 saves, while Forsberg, who was really the only thing keeping the game from being a blowout, stopped 45 of 48 shots.
Improving to 36-13-5, the Panthers have reclaimed first place in the Atlantic Division.
"If you want to be one of the top teams in the league, you can't lose three in a row at home," Hornqvist said of getting back into the win column. "We put that behind us, learned from it and I think tonight was our best 60-minute effort in a long time. We didn't give [the Senators] much."
Here are five takeaways Thursday's win in Sunrise…
1. MARCHY HAS POWER
Marchment is making the most of his recent promotion.
Riding his strong season into a spot on the second power-play unit, the breakout forward broke the ice against the Senators when he jammed home a rebound to make it 1-0 in the first period. Only just starting to get work on special teams, it was his first-career point on the power play.
Video: OTT@FLA: Marchment jams one home on the power play
"He's earned it," Brunette said. "He's played at a really high level and he's deserved every opportunity on the power play. He's trying to make the most of it, and tonight it worked out."
Reaching new heights during his second season with the Panthers, Marchment has already set new career-highs in goals (12), assists (18) and points (30) in just 29 games. On quite the tear since late January, he's accumulated 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) over his last 12 games.
"It's not surprise to see him have success," Lomberg said.
2. FROM HIS OFFICE
How many goals has Hornqvist scored from this spot in his career?
Setting up shop in his office on top of the crease, the veteran forward brought fans to their feet when he powered in a rebound on the power play to put the Panthers up 2-0 in the third period.
Video: OTT@FLA: Hornqvist pokes away at a loose puck for PPG
"I can't say enough good things about Horny," Lomberg said. "To have him kind of set the tone and be a leader on the ice when we really needed a win was everything we expect out of him."
Racking up 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) while playing a key role on Florida's high-energy fourth line this season, Hornqvist fired off a team-high six shots on goal against the Senators.
Per NaturalStatTrick.com, the Cats led 8-1 in shots on goal when he was deployed at 5-on-5.
3. LOVE FOR LOMBY
Just 12 seconds after Hornqvist's goal, the Lomberghini followed suit.
With the puck rolling precariously along the goal line after Forsberg had made a save on Frank Vatrano, Lomberg tapped the biscuit into the cage to increase the lead to 3-0 in the third period.
Video: OTT@FLA: Lomberg fires a one-timer that trickles in
"He's an energy bug," Montour said. "He creates some ruckus."
A fan favorite in South Florida, Lomberg, who has already set a new career-high with 12 points (five goals, seven assists) this season, brought the building to life a second time later in the final frame when he dropped the gloves and went toe-to-toe with former Cats blueliner Josh Brown.
"No matter what the case is, we stick together out there," Lomberg said. "I was happy to see the boys stick up for one another and let everyone know that we've all got each other's backs."
Cheering him on the crowd?
None other than PGA superstar Brooks Koepka.
4. BLANKED BY BOB
For the second time this season, Bobrovsky was perfect.
Turning aside all 18 shots that came in his direction, the two-time Vezina Trophy came up big more than once while shorthanded for the Panthers, including stopping a couple of breakaways.
In the first period, two of those clutch saves on the power play came in rapid succession.
Video: OTT@FLA: Bobrovsky stops all 18 shots he faces in win
"He had the toughest job in the world tonight," Brunette said of Bobrovsky's performance. "When you get no shots and then it's a breakaway and another breakaway, to stay mentally focused, for me, I thought that was his greatest asset. The skill level is obviously there. These are hard games to play. The saves that we asked him to make, he made outstanding saves."
Improving to 27-6-3, Bobrovsky leads the NHL in wins at home with 17.
"He was great, no surprise there," Lomberg said of his goalie. "We know what Bob is capable of. He made a few huge saves there in the first on a couple breakaways. That's just who Bob is."
5. NUMBERS GAME
Looking at the numbers, the Panthers definitely deserved a few more goals.
Finishing with a season-high 6.66 xGF (expected goals) against the Senators, Florida held massive advantages over Ottawa in shot attempts (90-38), shots on goal (48-18), scoring chances (54-19) and high-danger shot attempts (20-8), according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
Individually, Sam Reinhart was the "Corsi King" for the Panthers.
Owning a 90.91 CF% at 5-on-5, the Panthers led 10-1 in shot attempts when he was deployed.
"We had some good chances and good zone time," Montour said.
"Shut" - Google News
March 04, 2022 at 11:55AM
https://ift.tt/sJIExKv
5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers shut out Senators, reclaim first place in Atlantic - NHL.com
"Shut" - Google News
https://ift.tt/8CltVk4
https://ift.tt/KIjgW79
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers shut out Senators, reclaim first place in Atlantic - NHL.com"
Post a Comment