Early scoring provides just enough cushion
Aaron Ekblad (four points) and Mason Marchment (first NHL goal) led the Panthers, who improved to 7-1-1 on the road.
MARCH 6
Now that’s a start.
But about that finish … The Panthers, who had fallen behind and gone scoreless in the first period in each of their previous five games, ended both of those skids on Thursday night, holding on for a 5-4 win over the host Nashville Predators.
Florida is 7-1-1 on the road, the best record in franchise history after nine games. The Panthers also broke a two-game losing streak overall (00-2).
In Thursday’s game, the Panthers led 2-0 after the first period, and they were up 3-0 before Nashville scored midway through the second.
The Predators never led, but they did score four goals on Sergei Bobrovsky (31 saves) in the second half of the game.
“It’s important,” Panthers winger Jonathan Huberdeau said of the team’s start. “We hadn’t scored in the first or second period in a long
time.”
Defenseman Aaron Ekblad was the Panthers’ biggest star of the night with a career-high four points (two goals, two assists), but the game was especially memorable for 25-year-old rookie Mason Marchment, who scored his first NHL goal.
“It was special,” Marchment said. “It was an awesome experience. I never thought it would happen.”
Marchment’s goal from beyond the right circle was set up by a 120-foot stretch pass off the boards from Ekblad. Marchment now has a four-game point streak, and Ekblad’s fourpoint effort is the first by a Panthers defenseman.
The other Panthers goals were scored by Carter Verhaeghe, his first in 10 games; and Huberdeau, who also had an assist.
Aleksander Barkov also had a big game for the Panthers with a seasonhigh three assists.
It was a strong specialteams game for the Panthers, whose penalty-kill unit thwarted a Nashville 5-on-3 advantage for 1:45. The Panthers went 2 for 2 on their PK and 2 for 4 on their power play, which had slumped in the five previous games (1 for 14).
The Panthers coaching staff also deserves credit as a video review wiped out a Nashville goal by ex-Florida winger Rocco Grimaldi. Panthers coach Joel Quenneville challenged for offsides, and he was right. Had the Panthers been wrong, Florida’s lead would’ve been cut to 4-3 with 18:02 left in the third, and the Predators would’ve been given a two-minute power play.
Florida got more good fortune with 5:30 left in the third as a would-be goal by Filip Forsberg was wiped out when his teammate, Roman Josi, was called for slashing a fraction of a second before the puck crossed the line. Had that goal counted, Nashville would’ve cut its deficit to 5-4.
The Predators did get that next goal eventually, with 73 seconds left, with goalie Pekka Rinne pulled for a sixth attacker. But they failed to get the equalizer in a tense final minute.
Bobrovsky, who improved to 7-2-2, said he played a “solid” game.
“I had zero chance on their goals,” he said.
Ekblad was just glad things worked out for the Panthers.
“Teams are going to make a big push at the end — you’ve seen us doing it a few times,” Ekblad said. “We were holding on for dear life at the end.”
THIS AND THAT
Panthers defenseman Anton Stralman suffered a lower-body and only played 11:52, including no shifts in the third period. Quenneville said the injury was not serious.
Panthers forward Anthony Duclair and defenseman Markus Nutivaara both made the trip, a sign they could make it off injured reserve soon.
Panthers winger Frank Vatrano’s three-game goal streak was snapped.
This was the start of a Panthers stretch of five road games in eight nights.
Florida’s healthy scratches were defensemen Riley Stillman and Kevin Connauton.
Adapted from an online discussion.
Hi, Carolyn: My fiance cheated on me about a month into our engagement. We discussed it extensively, he confessed to having unresolved feelings for his cheating partner and we decided to indefinitely postpone the wedding until we figured it out.
He has since cut off all contact with his partner and is throwing himself fully into repairing our relationship, but I seem to be stony and unable to forgive.
It’s making it so that we can’t go to the next stage -reinstating our wedding plans and such. How do I get started? -- How to Forgive?
How to Forgive?: You signed this “How to forgive,” but I think the question you need to answer is why to forgive. And I think “get started” is a separate issue entirely from forgiveness.
You can forgive and also not reinstate your wedding plans “and such.” You can forgive your fiance and still make him an exfiance.
Forgiveness can be something you do for your own peace of mind. To decide erring is human and releasing your anger feels good.
Unless you’re confident about what you want and confident in your reasons for it, you’re not going to be able to do it, though. You’ll keep feeling stony and stuck.
I’m sorry this happened to you. Please know that you’re not locked into any one choice here and you don’t owe anyone anything besides integrity. The way you “figure it out” is yours alone to decide.
But I urge you to forget about the wedding, remove it from your calculations altogether and see what you have -- or don’t have -- together. Clear your mind of dates and expectations. Good luck.
Here’s what readers had to say: --If it hasn’t been that long, then you might feel clearer in a little while. I would also advise taking some time away from him. It sounds like you need to get some air -he’s taking up all the energy.
--Forgiveness doesn’t always mean complete absolution, such that you need to never factor it in going forward. It means you accept they didn’t intend to hurt you, had their reasons, whatever. That you recognize their humanity and ability to screw up and understand it and don’t hold it against them as a grievance that you have with them.
And at the same time, it is perfectly valid to forgive them while still deciding that trusting them again is a risk you choose not to take. That is not holding it against them. It is only recognizing where your feelings have shifted to, while not wishing them any future pain or penalty.