Post-Game Talk: #29| New York Islanders @ Florida Panthers | December 12th | 7:00 PM | F/W 3-1

[MattMartin]

Game Preview: Islanders AT Panthers​

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (20-7-2) AT FLORIDA PANTHERS (15-10-5)
7 PM | BB&T CENTER
WATCH: MSG+ | MSG GO
LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM
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The Islanders wrap-up their three-game road trip against the Florida Panthers on Thursday night at BB&T Center. The Isles are 1-1-0 on their current trip after defeating Tampa 5-1 on Monday night. The Isles never trailed the game as Brock Nelson scored twice in the third period, Josh Bailey scored shorthanded, Anders Lee scored on the power play and Ross Johnston also found the back of the net. Semyon Varlamov made 31 saves.

Both teams' most recent opponent was Tampa, as Florida lost 2-1 to the Lightning on Tuesday night. Evgenii Dadonov scored the Panthers lone goal of the game in the third period and Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 46 shots in the loss. The Panthers will face the Islanders for the sixth game of their current nine-game homestand.

ISLES VS. PANTHERS:

The Isles claimed both meetings against the Panthers this season on home ice. On Oct. 12, the Isles grabbed a 3-2 shootout win at NYCB Live. Nelson scored the shootout winner, Lee and Bailey scored in regulation while Varlamov backstopped the win with 35 saves.

On Nov. 9, the Isles won 2-1 at Barclays Center as Barzal and Scott Mayfield scored. Greiss made 37 saves.
Per Eric Hornick's The Skinny: The Isles will be looking to sweep the season series for the first time since 2013 (3-0-0). Overall the Isles have won three straight from the Cats, but all three have been decided by a single goal (including two in shootouts).



ISLES NOTES:

- The Isles improved to a record of 20-7-2 with Monday's win, which is the first time in franchise history that they have won 20 of their first 29 games.

- Johnston opened up scoring of the Isles in the first period. The goal was Johnston's second of the season - and first since Oct. 27 - though he has been limited to 15 games this year. Monday was the third-straight game that Johnston played on the Isles top line alongside Mathew Barzal and Bailey.

- Nelson scored his 10th and 11th goals of the season. Through 29 games this season, Nelson has 23 points (11G, 12A) and is second in the Isles leaderboard in goals and points.

- Bailey had a two-point outing as he scored his eighth goal of the season. Bailey is second on the Isles leaderboard for assists with 13 and third in points with 21 in 29 games. The winger has points in five of his last six games with seven points (1G, 1A) during that span.

- Lee scored his first power-play goal of the season. Through 29 games this season, Lee has 16 points (8G, 8A). Lee has points in four of his last six games with six points (3G, 3A) during that span.

- Barzal had one assist on the night. Barzal leads the Isles in goals (12), assists (14) and points (26) through 29 games this season. The center has points in five of his last six games with six points (3G, 3A) in that span.
- Varlamov made his 15th start of the season and extended his record to 10-3-2. Varlamov has a 2.26 goals against average and a .926 save percentage. Varlamov has won his last three starts and has stopped 122 of the last 126 he's faced over four games.

- Varlamov has split the pipes with Thomas Greiss this season. The Isles are first team since the Sharks in 2006-07 to alternate starting goalies for each of the first 29 games of the season. Greiss has a record of 10-4-0, a 2.24 goals against average and a .930 save percentage.

- Bailey's shorthanded goal was the Isles fourth of the season. The Isles penalty kill went 3-for-3, especially impressive against the NHL's second-ranked power play in Tampa. In the NHL, the Isles PK is ranked 13th with a kill percentage of 82.3.

- Nick Leddy joined the Islanders for practice on Wednesday. Leddy did not play against Tampa, as he sustained a lower-body injury during the final minutes against Dallas on Saturday evening. Head Coach Barry Trotz said it was too early to tell if Leddy will be available on Thursday.
Noah Dobson took Leddy's spot in the lineup on Monday. The Isles rookie blueliner was plus-two on the night, had one hit and two blocks.



PANTHERS NOTES:

- Florida had won two-straight games prior to Tuesday's loss against Tampa. The Panthers currently sit in third place in the Atlantic Division with 35 points and a record of 15-10-5.

- Dadonov scored his 12th goal of the season. Through 30 games this year, Dadonov has 24 points and is tied with Aleksander Barkov and Mike Hoffman for the team lead in power-play goals with five. Dadonov has points in four of his last five games with four points (2G, 2A) in that span.

- Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Panthers with 37 points (11G, 26A) through 30 games this season. The winger is riding a five-game point streak with six points (1G, 5A) during that span.

- Huberdeau and Barkov's 26 assists are tied for the team high. In the NHL, Huberdeau and Barkov's 26 assists are sixth best.

- Hoffman had the secondary assist on Dadonov's goal. Hoffman has 22 points (11G, 11A) through 30 games this season. The winger is riding a three-game point streak with four points (1G, 3A) in that span.

- Bobrovksy made his 23rd start in between the pipes for the Panthers. This season, Bobrovsky has a record of 11-7-4, a 3.19 GAA of and a .898SV%.

- The Panthers power play went 0-for-3 against the Lightning. In the NHL, Florida's power play unit is ranked seventh overall with a conversion percentage of 24.2.

- Florida's penalty kill went 2-for-2 against Tampa. Across the League, the Panthers PK unit is ranked third overall at 85.1%.

- The Panthers loaned Aleksi Saarela to the Springfield Thunderbirds on Wednesday after a three-game stint in the NHL. Jayce Hawryluk was reportedly a full participant in Panthers practice. Hawryluk has been sidelined since Oct. 30 with an upper-body injury.
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Possible Starting Goalies:


Thomas Greiss

Goalies
Player	GP	GS	W	L	T	OT	SA	GA	GAA	S	Sv%	SO	MIN
Thomas Greiss	15	14	10	4	0	0	440	31	2.24	409	.930	0	830
Semyon Varlamov	17	15	10	3	0	2	476	35	2.26	441	.926	1	929

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Sergei Bobrovsky

Goalies
Player	GP	GS	W	L	T	OT	SA	GA	GAA	S	Sv%	SO	MIN
Chris Driedger	2	2	1	1	0	0	52	3	1.53	49	.942	1	119
Sergei Bobrovsky	23	22	11	6	0	4	645	69	3.24	576	.893	1	1,277

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Player Stats:

Islanders
Player	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	PPP	SHG	SHP	GWG	OTG	S	S%	FO%
Mathew Barzal	29	12	14	26	14	14	2	5	0	0	1	0	61	19.7	42.06
Brock Nelson	29	11	12	23	-1	14	2	4	0	0	4	3	94	11.7	51.8
Josh Bailey	29	8	13	21	1	4	1	5	1	1	2	0	29	27.6	50
Anthony Beauvillier	29	9	9	18	7	6	2	4	1	1	1	0	56	16.1	83.33
Derick Brassard	29	7	10	17	2	8	1	4	0	0	1	0	49	14.3	52.5
Anders Lee	29	8	8	16	5	14	1	3	0	0	2	0	69	11.6	43.42
Ryan Pulock	29	4	11	15	1	4	1	4	0	0	2	1	63	6.3	0
Devon Toews	29	2	10	12	8	8	0	2	0	0	1	1	51	3.9	0
Nick Leddy	23	2	9	11	5	6	1	2	0	0	0	0	27	7.4	0
Scott Mayfield	29	4	5	9	5	17	0	0	0	1	1	0	46	8.7	0
Jordan Eberle	19	2	7	9	-2	4	1	3	0	0	0	0	38	5.3	0
Casey Cizikas	24	4	4	8	7	16	0	0	1	3	1	0	37	10.8	56.3
Cal Clutterbuck	29	3	4	7	9	20	0	0	1	2	0	0	31	9.7	44.44
Adam Pelech	29	1	6	7	3	18	0	0	0	1	0	0	40	2.5	0
Johnny Boychuk	28	1	6	7	2	8	1	1	0	0	0	0	43	2.3	0
Leo Komarov	15	0	4	4	2	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	12	0	28.57
Matt Martin	17	2	1	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	13	15.4	33.33
Michael Dal Colle	24	1	2	3	0	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	16	6.3	75
Ross Johnston	15	2	0	2	2	35	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	25	100
Noah Dobson	8	0	2	2	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0	0
Tom Kuhnhackl	6	0	0	0	-1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0	0

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Panthers
Player	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	PPP	SHG	SHP	GWG	OTG	S	S%	FO%
Jonathan Huberdeau	30	11	26	37	7	16	0	13	0	0	2	1	68	16.2	40
Aleksander Barkov	30	10	26	36	4	14	5	11	0	0	2	0	85	11.8	55.32
Keith Yandle	30	3	23	26	6	8	2	15	0	0	0	0	58	5.2	0
Evgenii Dadonov	30	12	12	24	3	2	5	6	0	0	1	0	78	15.4	0
Mike Hoffman	30	11	11	22	-3	12	5	10	0	0	1	0	89	12.4	40
Brett Connolly	29	14	7	21	5	8	3	4	0	0	1	0	53	26.4	30.77
Aaron Ekblad	28	5	12	17	9	14	0	1	0	1	1	1	69	7.2	0
Vincent Trocheck	23	4	10	14	-2	8	0	2	1	1	0	0	57	7	54.24
Frank Vatrano	30	7	6	13	-6	8	1	1	1	1	0	0	72	9.7	25
MacKenzie Weegar	21	3	8	11	0	20	0	0	0	0	0	0	38	7.9	0
Anton Stralman	29	2	8	10	-7	4	0	0	0	1	1	0	37	5.4	0
Denis Malgin	25	3	6	9	-6	6	1	1	0	1	0	0	38	7.9	35.45
Brian Boyle	21	4	4	8	-2	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	32	12.5	55.43
Colton Sceviour	29	2	6	8	-4	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	50	4	37.5
Noel Acciari	26	5	2	7	-4	2	0	0	0	0	2	0	37	13.5	50.82
Josh Brown	24	2	2	4	-5	16	0	0	0	0	1	0	13	15.4	0
Mike Matheson	24	1	2	3	-8	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	54	1.9	0
Jayce Hawryluk	8	1	2	3	-1	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	20	0
Dominic Toninato	13	2	0	2	-2	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	12	16.7	47.62
Mark Pysyk	21	1	1	2	-4	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	17	5.9	0
Aleksi Saarela	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0

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Standings:

Eastern	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	RW	ROW	GF	GA	DIFF	HOME	AWAY	S/O	L10	STRK
1 Washington	33	23	5	5	51	16	20	120	95	+25	9-3-4	14-2-1	3-2	7-2-1	W1
2 Boston	32	20	6	6	46	18	20	109	81	+28	12-1-5	8-5-1	0-4	6-3-1	L3
3 NY Islanders	29	20	7	2	42	13	18	86	69	+17	12-2-1	8-5-1	2-0	5-4-1	W1
4 Carolina	31	19	11	1	39	13	17	103	85	+18	10-5-0	9-6-1	2-0	6-4-0	W3
5 Philadelphia	31	17	9	5	39	12	14	97	88	+9	10-2-4	7-7-1	3-5	7-2-1	L1
6 Pittsburgh	31	17	10	4	38	13	16	104	85	+19	12-4-2	5-6-2	1-0	6-3-1	L1
7 Buffalo	32	15	11	6	36	11	14	101	97	+4	9-3-3	6-8-3	1-1	5-2-3	W2
8 Montréal	32	15	11	6	36	11	13	104	105	-1	8-7-3	7-4-3	2-1	4-5-1	W3
9 Florida	30	15	10	5	35	10	12	106	101	+5	9-5-2	6-5-3	3-3	5-5-0	L1
10 Toronto	32	15	13	4	34	11	14	104	104	0	7-4-4	8-9-0	1-2	6-4-0	W2
11 Tampa Bay	29	15	11	3	33	12	14	105	93	+12	7-6-1	8-5-2	1-0	5-4-1	W1
12 NY Rangers	30	15	12	3	33	13	15	94	94	0	8-6-2	7-6-1	0-1	6-3-1	L1
13 Columbus	30	12	14	4	28	8	12	76	93	-17	8-8-1	4-6-3	0-1	4-6-0	W1
14 Ottawa	32	13	17	2	28	11	13	86	100	-14	8-5-0	5-12-2	0-1	3-6-1	OT1
15 New Jersey	30	9	16	5	23	7	8	74	111	-37	4-7-5	5-9-0	1-4	2-7-1	L2
16 Detroit	32	7	22	3	17	6	7	67	129	-62	4-11-1	3-11-2	0-1	0-10-0	L10

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Click to read more...

 

[MattMartin]

Last Games Lineups​

Islanders
LW	C	RW
ROSS JOHNSTON Goals: 2 Assists: 0	MATHEW BARZAL Goals: 12 Assists: 14	JOSH BAILEY Goals: 8 Assists: 13
ANTHONY BEAUVILLIER Goals: 9 Assists: 9	BROCK NELSON Goals: 11 Assists: 12	MICHAEL DAL COLLE Goals: 1 Assists: 2
ANDERS LEE Goals: 8 Assists: 8	DERICK BRASSARD Goals: 7 Assists: 10	JORDAN EBERLE Goals: 2 Assists: 7
MATT MARTIN Goals: 2 Assists: 1	CASEY CIZIKAS Goals: 4 Assists: 4	CAL CLUTTERBUCK Goals: 3 Assists: 4

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DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS	Defense
ADAM PELECH Goals: 1 Assists: 6	RYAN PULOCK Goals: 4 Assists: 11
DEVON TOEWS Goals: 2 Assists: 10	SCOTT MAYFIELD Goals: 4 Assists: 5
NOAH DOBSON Goals: 0 Assists: 2	JOHNNY BOYCHUK Goals: 1 Assists: 6

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Current Team Injuries.

Player	POS	Injury	Status (Updated)	Notes
Nick Leddy	D	Leg	Ques Thurs (12/10/2019)	Leddy was absent from the lineup during the previous game with a left leg injury, and it is uncertain if he will be available versus the Panthers on Thursday.

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Panthers
JONATHAN HUBERDEAU Goals: 11 Assists: 26​	ALEKSANDER BARKOV Goals: 10 Assists: 26​	EVGENII DADONOV Goals: 12 Assists: 12​
MIKE HOFFMAN Goals: 11 Assists: 11	VINCENT TROCHECK Goals: 4 Assists: 10	BRETT CONNOLLY Goals: 14 Assists: 7
FRANK VATRANO Goals: 7 Assists: 6	ALEKSI SAARELA Goals: 0 Assists: 0	NOEL ACCIARI Goals: 5 Assists: 2
DOMINIC TONINATO Goals: 2 Assists: 0	BRIAN BOYLE Goals: 4 Assists: 4	COLTON SCEVIOUR Goals: 2 Assists: 6

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MACKENZIE WEEGAR Goals: 3 Assists: 8	AARON EKBLAD Goals: 5 Assists: 12
KEITH YANDLE Goals: 3 Assists: 23	ANTON STRALMAN Goals: 2 Assists: 8
MICHAEL MATHESON Goals: 1 Assists: 2	JOSH BROWN Goals: 2 Assists: 2

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Player	POS	Injury	Status (Updated)	Notes
Jayce Hawryluk	C	Upper Body	Late Dec(12/10/2019)	Hawryluk is sidelined due to an upper-body injury. He will likely be out of action until the latter part of December.

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[steveat]

*sigh*...MDC again...Today he's a top 6!

He's on the verge of being surpassed by Johnston and Martin in points...Now that's an achievement!

Good thing he's signed for another year! FFS.

 

[BelovedIsles]

Watched Tampa-Fla 2 nights ago. Tampa 2-1; Tampa outshot them something like 43-28. Bob was good.

IMHO, Fla. played flat, floating in all 3 zones. Thus, I'd expect them to attempt a 60-minute effort. Though I prefer the flat Fla.

Every game in Isles' Country is a must win (mentality wise); do not have the talent here to take any team lightly.

 

[CREW99AW]

Those Eberle and Lee numbers make my eyes bleed. I have really soured on tying up huge bucks on ufas.
And yeah, that includes soon to be ufa Hall, who is not too far from 30.

 

[IslesCLT]

Those Eberle and Lee numbers make my eyes bleed. I have really soured on tying up huge bucks on ufas.
And yeah, that includes soon to be ufa Hall, who is not too far from 30.

You have to remember Eberle missed like 10 games due to injury. Both have been contributing over the last 5 games, so hopefully that continues. And in today's NHL neither of their contracts are considered "big bucks" IMO

 

[Big L]

Since the inception of the Tampa and Panthers franchises, the Isles have only ever won both games in the Florida trip like 3 times. EVER. I’ll try and research it exactly if I have time today. But odds are not in Isles favor of winning this game tonight.

 

[PK Cronin]

Since the inception of the Tampa and Panthers franchises, the Isles have only ever won both games in the Florida trip like 3 times. EVER. I’ll try and research it exactly if I have time today. But odds are not in Isles favor of winning this game tonight.

Winning in Florida is unsustainable.

 

[crasherino]

Since the inception of the Tampa and Panthers franchises, the Isles have only ever won both games in the Florida trip like 3 times. EVER. I’ll try and research it exactly if I have time today. But odds are not in Isles favor of winning this game tonight.

Good luck. Don't hurt yourself. Remember what happened last time you tried to research something as complicated as this....

 

[Strummergas]

Let's Go!

 

[Shot of Bailey]

Why? Why? Why is MDC getting top 6 mins? He must have an incriminating photo of Trotz or Lou. He brings so little to this team and the only time I even know if he's in the lineup is if he takes a penalty.

 

[saintunspecified]

The numbers say (pretty clearly) that NYI's strategy needs to be to not take penalties, and win this one 5 v 5. Florida is great on the PP, great on the PK, good offensively 5v5, but porous defensively 5v5.

 

[crasherino]

Just from a superficial look at the numbers, it would seem to me that the Panthers should give BOB a bit more rest. Tonight would be a good time to start.

I have no idea who Chris Dreidger is but I think - going forward - teams will spend a bit more time looking at the backup goalie spot.

 

[Big L]

Good luck. Don't hurt yourself. Remember what happened last time you tried to research something as complicated as this....

 

[IslandersGER]

Why? Why? Why is MDC getting top 6 mins? He must have an incriminating photo of Trotz or Lou. He brings so little to this team and the only time I even know if he's in the lineup is if he takes a penalty.

maybe it is a photo of Trotz with(!) Lou - that would explain something ^^

 

[KnishOfTheCrease]

Isles 9
Panthers 1

 

[leeroggy]

Just from a superficial look at the numbers, it would seem to me that the Panthers should give BOB a bit more rest. Tonight would be a good time to start.

I have no idea who Chris Dreidger is but I think - going forward - teams will spend a bit more time looking at the backup goalie spot.

From Wiki:

On April 1, 2014, the Ottawa Senators signed Driedger to a three-year entry-level contract.[7] On March 26, 2015, Driedger made his NHL debut with Ottawa, entering a game against the New York Rangers.

After five seasons within the Senators organization, Driedger was released as a free agent. On July 3, 2018, he agreed to a one-year AHL contract with the Springfield Thunderbirds, the primary affiliate to the Florida Panthers.[8] In the 2018–19 season, Driedger initially split his time between the Thunderbirds and Manchester Monarchs of the ECHL, before solidifying his role in the AHL. He made 16 appearances with Springfield before he was signed to a two-way NHL contract with the Florida Panthers for the remainder of the season on February 24, 2019.[9] On April 30, 2019, Driedger signed a two-year contract extension with the Panthers.[10] Towards the beginning of the 2019–20 season, on November 30, 2019, Driedger made his first career start against the Nashville Predators, in which he recorded a 27 save, 3–0 shutout win.

*****

Which means he'll likely make 58 saves on 60 shots, forcing us to win in the shootout . . .

 

[crasherino]

Why? Why? Why is MDC getting top 6 mins? He must have an incriminating photo of Trotz or Lou. He brings so little to this team and the only time I even know if he's in the lineup is if he takes a penalty.

We are one (or maybe two) forwards short of where we need to be - or want to be. There are no great choices to put in the lineup there. Is he the best of the bad choices?* I'm not even sure about that. But its not like we are foresaking this great option on the bench. The alternative is Leo who's been a black hole as far as offense this year. So while I wouldn't really care if MDC was sent down to BP tomorrow, I can't get too upset with him being in the lineup with the hope (against all hopes) that something finally clicks. But that's just my take. You're perfectly well reasoned in being incredulous about him being in the top 6 (assuming he is tonight). He doesn't belong there.

(*quoting Argo)

 

[Mr Misunderstood]

Watched Tampa-Fla 2 nights ago. Tampa 2-1; Tampa outshot them something like 43-28. Bob was good.

IMHO, Fla. played flat, floating in all 3 zones. Thus, I'd expect them to attempt a 60-minute effort. Though I prefer the flat Fla.

Every game in Isles' Country is a must win (mentality wise); do not have the talent here to take any team lightly.

Must win.

 

[crasherino]

Good piece on Ross
Johnston skates his way to Islanders' top line

And even if Leddy doesn't play tonight, glad to see that he's back in the fold relatively quickly. I don't love Dobson on the left side. Even though things are progressing nicely, I still think Dobson should give Johnny B a rest every 3 to 4 games. Nothing wrong with keeping him fresh.

 

[CREW99AW]

You have to remember Eberle missed like 10 games due to injury. Both have been contributing over the last 5 games, so hopefully that continues. And in today's NHL neither of their contracts are considered "big bucks" IMO

I am aware of Eberle missing those 9/10 games earlier in the season.
How long does the rust excuse fly?
Isles have tied up over $12m in Lee/Eberle and they are s******* the bed offensively, while getting top 6 mins and pp icetime.

 

[MJF]

I am aware of Eberle missing those 9/10 games earlier in the season.
How long does the rust excuse fly?
Isles have tied up over $12m in Lee/Eberle and they are s******* the bed offensively, while getting top 6 mins and pp icetime.

One more game. Then we trade his ass or fire Lou for signing him to that awful contract.

 

[crasherino]

One more game. Then we trade his ass or fire Lou for signing him to that awful contract.

Damnnnn.....tough crowd here. Eberle and Lee have like what? 9/10 years in the league each? You'd think they'd get more than 1/3 of a season slightly off their annual numbers leeway....when the team is playing at a historical level. I swear this happened with Lee at least 3x times before. He starts off slow - people are ready to jettison his ass - he gets hot and he's the unanimous choice on the board for Man of the Year. I understand the short memories when times are tough. But if there's ever a moment/place to give a player a bit of leash, I'd think its now and with these guys.

They'll be fine. If you want to complain about what their production will be in 4 years, I guess that's a valid argument.....four years from now (or at least in the off season). But at the end of this season, I'm fairly confident that these two guys will not be the Islander's deficiency.

 

[crasherino]

From Wiki:

On April 1, 2014, the Ottawa Senators signed Driedger to a three-year entry-level contract.[7] On March 26, 2015, Driedger made his NHL debut with Ottawa, entering a game against the New York Rangers.

After five seasons within the Senators organization, Driedger was released as a free agent. On July 3, 2018, he agreed to a one-year AHL contract with the Springfield Thunderbirds, the primary affiliate to the Florida Panthers.[8] In the 2018–19 season, Driedger initially split his time between the Thunderbirds and Manchester Monarchs of the ECHL, before solidifying his role in the AHL. He made 16 appearances with Springfield before he was signed to a two-way NHL contract with the Florida Panthers for the remainder of the season on February 24, 2019.[9] On April 30, 2019, Driedger signed a two-year contract extension with the Panthers.[10] Towards the beginning of the 2019–20 season, on November 30, 2019, Driedger made his first career start against the Nashville Predators, in which he recorded a 27 save, 3–0 shutout win.

*****

Which means he'll likely make 58 saves on 60 shots, forcing us to win in the shootout . . .

Thanks Lee....well played. You pretty much captured the most likely scenario. And I'll happily take the SO win!

 

[CREW99AW]

One more game. Then we trade his ass or fire Lou for signing him to that awful contract.

I expected to regret the Lee deal by season 5, not season 1. Term
was my concern.

As for Eberle....I was not expecting him to return,but did not think the term or salary was too bad.

I have really soured on tying up the highest salaries on ufas. Ladd, Okposo,Nielsen, Eberle, Lee