Post-Game Talk: Lightning 2 @ Panthers 5 - 11/2 * 7 pm EST - v1.1

[PSLguy]

Play solid team defense, clog center ice, don't let their defense play catch at the blue line until they see an opening, play a clean physical game, stay out of the box, and Bob/Dreidger next to play a solid game in goal.

If they execute the above they should get at least three points.

They pretty much did all the above and it worked!

Tampa will try to adjust on Saturday but if the Cats keep playing like last night they will be a force to be reckoned with.

 

[Pigge]

Nice that Connolly got a chance to show why he's good to keep around, as a smart veteran who can play anywhere without being a liability. He wasn't as flashy as Duclair, but the top line did shut down Tampa's top line and both Verhaeghe and Connolly scored. He really does play like a 40-year old, not very fast but wise enough to know where to be on the ice and not get too excited when he gets a shot at an empty net. And he was camped in front of the net for Verhaeghe's goal.

It's also nice that Wennberg continues to get points and not just be awesome and help his teammates score points. He and Connolly represent the kind of player who is smart but sometimes invisible to the casual viewer that you want on a good team. It is a good shift away from the Oilers (and Panthers) model of stacking the team with fast and skilled guys who are hockey dumb and can't win.

This was a wonderful statement win. Nice to get that done immediately so even if Tampa wins the next game or two, everybody knows that the Panthers can run with the big boys. The way they mobbed Connolly after the EN goal suggests the players agree that this was an important game to win. Good times.

 

[GrumpyKelly]

Best game by Tippett so far, he needs more games like this one.

He played with more intensity, hitting etc. like Q said he needs to play. I still don't see much else from him, that first goal was all Luostarinen. But good for him, hopefully he can keep playing the same way and find his niche.

 

[GrumpyKelly]

They pretty much did all the above and it worked!

Tampa will try to adjust on Saturday but if the Cats keep playing like last night they will be a force to be reckoned with.

Yeah that's going to be a good test, Tampa will for sure bring it after losing this one. But the way the team is now playing they'll have a chance again, finding secondary scoring finally is huge.

 

[iam76]

He played with more intensity, hitting etc. like Q said he needs to play. I still don't see much else from him, that first goal was all Luostarinen. But good for him, hopefully he can keep playing the same way and find his niche.

he has shown ability to get the puck. avoid or deke and distribute the puck to exit zones. he has also shown those same skills in offensive zone setting up teamates. he is going to be good. have patience

 

[GrumpyKelly]

he has shown ability to get the puck. avoid or deke and distribute the puck to exit zones. he has also shown those same skills in offensive zone setting up teamates. he is going to be good. have patience

I actually went back and watched all his shifts again and he didn't do anything out of the norm for a nhl player. He hustled and hit and had a good game from that perspective but in terms of playmaking or goal scoring ability there really wasn't much. I mean I would say Franky and Luostarinen had better games overall on that line. That first goal was all Luosta, he created the turnover.

 

[Bag Of Beans]

I actually went back and watched all his shifts again and he didn't do anything out of the norm for a nhl player. He hustled and hit and had a good game from that perspective but in terms of playmaking or goal scoring ability there really wasn't much. I mean I would say Franky and Luostarinen had better games overall on that line. That first goal was all Luosta, he created the turnover.

Not sure why you think that goal was all Starboy. He caused a turnover, yes, but OT took the shot, collected his own rebound going then behind the net quickly passed outfront to Frankie who scored.


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[austropanther]

Thats now what. Two times weve seen Ekblad play the spot on PP we wantes to see him play and scores both times on a one timer

You beat me to it.

He should never leave this spot again

 

[BabyBennettov]

Not sure why you think that goal was all Starboy. He caused a turnover, yes, but OT took the shot, collected his own rebound going then behind the net quickly passed outfront to Frankie who scored.


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But you know that every deflections that result in a goal is Bob’s fault, don’t you ?

So every good thing OT does is the results of his teammates, and every bad thing is his own fault... You should have gotten the memo !

 

[Panteras]

secondary scoring and good solid defense and goaltending lead to a win. Who would've thunk it.

 

[CatscratchFever]

Very encouraging game. Would like to see this sort of play as a team each time out. Build off of this red hot start.

 

[austropanther]

Hell yeah!

lmfao they all mob Connolly cuz they know how much he sucks.

The team did the same when Yandle scored his first of the season... can we see a link there?

 

[Pigge]

Not even mad at Yandle for that. That's about as good of a penalty as you can take.

He barely even touched the opponent on that one, but it's hard to complain when the linesman did take him down. The goon Yandle leads the team with 16 PIM, and at least half of those penalties have been BS calls where he gently touches an opponent's stick with his. The call on Luostarinen was also mind-boggling. Luckily the inconsistent refs haven't ruined too much yet, but they seem intent on it.

 

[GrumpyKelly]

Not sure why you think that goal was all Starboy. He caused a turnover, yes, but OT took the shot, collected his own rebound going then behind the net quickly passed outfront to Frankie who scored.


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I mean first of all, for being supposedly a goal scorer what kind of chances does Tipp need to bury one? The guy can't score to save his life. You make it sound like collecting own rebounds after failing to score is a good thing lol. Sure, it was a nice pass but that six feet pass to the front of the net is a play you can expect most nhl'ers to make. I liked his game yesterday but he needs to stay aggressive and work hard consistently to stay in the lineup.

 

[PSLguy]

I mean first of all, for being supposedly a goal scorer what kind of chances does Tipp need to bury one? The guy can't score to save his life. You make it sound like collecting own rebounds after failing to score is a good thing lol. Sure, it was a nice pass but that six feet pass to the front of the net is a play you can expect most nhl'ers to make. I liked his game yesterday but he needs to stay aggressive and work hard consistently to stay in the lineup.

Wow, Did Tippett run over your dog?

He's only played a handful of games in the NHL. He does not look out of place, he's rung it off the post/crossbar more than once, he is working hard on the ice, and that was a very good play last night following up on his shot to set up a teammate.

 

[IceKitties]

I was critical of Tippett after the first few games, but he's improved a lot since then. Looks way more confident out there, if he keeps improving like this over time he'll definitely start netting some goals.

 

[letsgrowcactus]

secondary scoring and good solid defense and goaltending lead to a win. Who would've thunk it.

Yeah the 2nd and 3rd line clicked yesterday, which is something that's been missing for most of the season so far. Great to see it.

 

[GrumpyKelly]

Wow, Did Tippett run over your dog?

He's only played a handful of games in the NHL. He does not look out of place, he's rung it off the post/crossbar more than once, he is working hard on the ice, and that was a very good play last night following up on his shot to set up a teammate.

I brought this up earlier but he's played only a handful games in the nhl because he isn't very good. Just look at the guys drafted the same year and how many games they've played.

With Tipp IMO it's the classic mistake of mistaking having tools for being a good player. Because he has the tools. Good speed, good hands and a hard shot (although doesn't seem accurate at the pro level). But like some other poster said, it looks like he has blinders on. Yeah, if the play is right in front of him he can make good plays because of his tools but I don't see the toolbox. Reminds me a lot of Jake Virtanen tbh.

 

[Pigge]

Yeah the 2nd and 3rd line clicked yesterday, which is something that's been missing for most of the season so far. Great to see it.

I do not understand the myth about the 2nd line struggling. Wennberg is third on the team with 10 On-ice EV GF. Horny and Huberdeau are close behind with 8, which is only one fewer than Barkov and Duclair.

 

[Jean Luc Discard]

I brought this up earlier but he's played only a handful games in the nhl because he isn't very good. Just look at the guys drafted the same year and how many games they've played.

With Tipp IMO it's the classic mistake of mistaking having tools for being a good player. Because he has the tools. Good speed, good hands and a hard shot (although doesn't seem accurate at the pro level). But like some other poster said, it looks like he has blinders on. Yeah, if the play is right in front of him he can make good plays because of his tools but I don't see the toolbox. Reminds me a lot of Jake Virtanen tbh.

He has those blinders on because he hasn't gotten accustomed to relying on his teammates for scoring goals.
I'm kinda of disappointed that he hasn't improved his skating from his junior days and his wrist shot needs a big wind so that goalies see it coming instead of developing it to the point that all he would ideally need is just a quick flick of the wrists. Similar to one MaxPac has so that basically the puck is already in the back of the net when the goalie is reacting to the shot:

 

[GrumpyKelly]

He has those blinders on because he hasn't gotten accustomed to relying on his teammates for scoring goals.

Maybe but I don't see it that way. I think it's the other thing you said, he's still trying to score like in juniors or even ahl where you have more time to wind it up or just shoot it through the goalie.

 

[ProjectPanthers]

Folks need to relax about Tippett. Not every guy develops at a rapid pace. 20+ years ago it was the norm to not sniff the NHL until you were 21+ smh.

Give the kid some time before you leave him out in the sun to dry up. He's doing just fine and the improvement we've seen in his game is exactly what you want from him. He also barely played any hockey in the calendar year of 2020 so there's bound to be some rest there.

Lol when the board is arguing about the 21 year old kid not scoring enough you know things are going well.

 

[ProjectPanthers]

Maybe but I don't see it that way. I think it's the other thing you said, he's still trying to score like in juniors or even ahl where you have more time to wind it up or just shoot it through the goalie.

I'd say 4/5 junior players suffer from this problem. Almost all of them learn from it. Patience.

 

[KW]

Folks need to relax about Tippett. Not every guy develops at a rapid pace. 20+ years ago it was the norm to not sniff the NHL until you were 21+ smh.

Give the kid some time before you leave him out in the sun to dry up. He's doing just fine and the improvement we've seen in his game is exactly what you want from him. He also barely played any hockey in the calendar year of 2020 so there's bound to be some rest there.

Lol when the board is arguing about the 21 year old kid not scoring enough you know things are going well.

Agreed. Looking at the positive .... OT is actually making small but noticeable improvements game to game. I think the slope is in the same direction all season so far, therefore it’s not a question whether he’s slowly but surely improving and getting used to playing the right way in the NHL (he is), but rather a question of how long until people stop complaining. My guess on that duration is another 3 games or so.

 

[Ghoste]

-ghoste