Pre-Game Talk: Panthers @ Lightning Oct 6: Hockey's back

[Gentle Man]

That's a shame

 

[Jean Luc Discard]

And then we don’t play again till Thursday. I feel like this happens every year to us.

The flip side of this is that the Cats will be playing a lot of back-to-backs. When the league is setting up the dates, this team will be the last one on the list.

 

[PBPantherfan]

And then we don’t play again till Thursday. I feel like this happens every year to us.

Do they do this because the snowbirds aren’t here yet? Are they afraid the building will be empty in October? They could start the season on a road trip but that could be a nightmare if they get off to a bad start.

 

[Beezeral]

And then we don’t play again till Thursday. I feel like this happens every year to us.

it absolutely happens every year. I can't remember the last time the Panthers played on the first two nights of the season.

 

[16Skippy]

That's a shame

Which part?

 

[ucanthanzalthetruth]

Do they do this because the snowbirds aren’t here yet? Are they afraid the building will be empty in October? They could start the season on a road trip but that could be a nightmare if they get off to a bad start.

I think it's more building availability. Also Florida has that big break in early November for the Europe road trip. Really wish that was later in the year.

That's a shame

>Be Dale Tallon
>Watch the defense struggle all year
>Say it's the #1 off season priority
>Opening night comes
>Zero changes
>MFW

 

[Gentle Man]

Which part?

The D pairs. See @ucanthanzalthetruth's post

 

[Mogo]

it absolutely happens every year. I can't remember the last time the Panthers played on the first two nights of the season.

I can't remember when we played the first day. Has to be 10+ years

 

[Gentle Man]

it absolutely happens every year. I can't remember the last time the Panthers played on the first two nights of the season.

Didn't we play a back to back against Chicago in 09? Or 08? In Finland or something like that?

I think that was the season opener.... i'm probably 100% wrong though.

 

[Clint]

>Be Dale Tallon
>Watch the defense struggle all year
>Say it's the #1 off season priority
>Opening night comes
>Zero changes
>MFW

I'd really like to see all three of Yandle, Ekblad, and Matheson split up. Each are talented enough to be the feature on their own pairing as long as they're backed up by a stay-at-home guy.

I really want to see what Matheson in particular can do if the leash is taken off him and he's allowed to start taking more risks. Ekblad simply needs a stay at home partner because his skating and noggin are and always will be questionable. And Yandle has a 10 year track record of aggresively skating the puck through the neutral zone, and while 9 times out of 10 something good happens, 1 time out of 10 a disaster is waiting to happen.

 

[IceManCat]

We might be a playoff team but its hard to get excited about any cup aspiration when the defense is that shaky and bad compared to other teams. Hope those top two lines have a lot of chemistry. Until we get a legit defense will be a 7/8 team in the standings.

 

[GermanPanther]

From the Beginnig of the Season till 3 November we have already 3 Back to back Games. and then the usual November what i find not that bad from the 8th till end of month near every 2 Day a Game.
When you play always like that i see it as something you can find a rythm.

 

[BabyBennettov]

The last real opening night game that I can remember, and I may be wrong on that one...

It is the monster first game of Todd Bertuzzi as a Panther. Amazing first showing, then it all went sour.

Pretty sure it was on NHL opening night that year !

 

[pb1300]

The last real opening night game that I can remember, and I may be wrong on that one...

It is the monster first game of Todd Bertuzzi as a Panther. Amazing first showing, then it all went sour.

Pretty sure it was on NHL opening night that year !

Didnt we score 7 that game?

 

[Beezeral]

we played opening night post lockout year. Wish the NHL would do that every year. it's pretty awesome to have every team in action at one time.

 

[16Skippy]

The D pairs. See @ucanthanzalthetruth's post

I guess I don’t really see what the alternative is given what we have. Hopefully Boggy works out

 

[Gentle Man]

Just looked, we did open the season for the NHL in 2009 at Finland against Chicago Detroit played the 2nd game.

Also



Only 82 games to go.

 

[Drugs Delaney]

Oh man, have fun bud! Hopefully Freeland will be pitching in the game you go to. Kid is a stud.

One of these days I'll make it to a game at Coors and one at the BB&T.

-ghoste

Hopefully they can make a nice run before they potentially lose Nolan Arenado.

 

[Mogo]

Just looked, we did open the season for the NHL in 2009 at Finland against Chicago Detroit played the 2nd game.

Also



Only 82 games to go.

Totally slipped my mind eventho I was @ the games

 

[Jakeybonz]

We might be a playoff team but its hard to get excited about any cup aspiration when the defense is that shaky and bad compared to other teams. Hope those top two lines have a lot of chemistry. Until we get a legit defense will be a 7/8 team in the standings.

completely agree. and after really giving our roster a tougher look I don't think its even a playoff team. 9th place again. both columbus and philly are waaaaay better than us and some team will take 8th from us because we just have a terrible D core and the offense isn't even really all that great. and lu? who knows. doesn't look good to me. any injuries whatsoever and were 9th. just another year in a quarter century of bad rosters.

 

[KW]

completely agree. and after really giving our roster a tougher look I don't think its even a playoff team. 9th place again. both columbus and philly are waaaaay better than us and some team will take 8th from us because we just have a terrible D core and the offense isn't even really all that great. and lu? who knows. doesn't look good to me. any injuries whatsoever and were 9th. just another year in a quarter century of bad rosters.

It’s much easier to be a pessimist than an optimist.

This D group that almost everyone denigrates is the same D group that played some of the best defense in the NHL over the last 35-40 games of last season. Because of that, and since they have the same coaching staff, it’s reasonable to expect a better start than last year.

The offense is improved, the key is to find the right chemistries. There’s no reason to expect them not to improve on PP. There’s no reason to expect them to not play equal or better team defense than last season.

The goalie position is the main question mark, but there too it’s easier to expect failure than take the challenge of achievement.

I know you think you’re being a realist, and hardly anyone else here is, but I think you fail to see that you’re taking the easy way out as a long suffering Panthers fan.

 

[ShootIt]

Didn't watch much of the preseason games but I thought there was some talk about Julian Melchiori maybe taking a spot up here. Was it that MacDonald just outplayed him or did he fade/struggle towards the end?

 

[GrumpyKelly]

Didn't watch much of the preseason games but I thought there was some talk about Julian Melchiori maybe taking a spot up here. Was it that MacDonald just outplayed him or did he fade/struggle towards the end?

Melchiori was ok but we have these bottom D types enough already.

MacD was just as solid defensively but also adds offense. His ceiling is also higher.

 

[RainingRats]

completely agree. and after really giving our roster a tougher look I don't think its even a playoff team. 9th place again. both columbus and philly are waaaaay better than us and some team will take 8th from us because we just have a terrible D core and the offense isn't even really all that great. and lu? who knows. doesn't look good to me. any injuries whatsoever and were 9th. just another year in a quarter century of bad rosters.

There is no way they're waaaaay better than us.

Our top 6 is elite

Our top 9 has the potential to be great. Offensively we should be in the top 10. If the power play gets going we can get closer to 5th overall.

Your complaint about the D core is off base. It's just not terrible. They showed after January of last season they can all play good D.

Any injuries? I don't know about that. We have good depth now.

 

[IceManCat]

Our top 6 is great but we failed to address the big problem last year which was depth in the bottom 6 we are essentially bringing the same bottom 6 as last year. We added Kiselvich to the D-Core which is nice but he is still unproven and will be until his eventual return. I am especially not happy seeing Yandle and Ekblad back together I just don't see a great fit there even though they were decent last year. I was hoping for the coaches to spread the defense and the offense around which doesn't look like is happening this year.