Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Defense needs to tighten up
Panthers begin west coast swing
The Florida Panthers began preparation Monday for a challenging week on the West Coast against three playoff-caliber opponents buoyed by a revitalized offense.
With 10 goals in the past two games, the return of key players from injuries is beginning to yield the type of production that was expected when the season began. That is tempered by the Panthers matching that number in goals against while splitting an odd pair of high-scoring affairs.
What to make of giving up six goals in a lopsided home loss to the Los Angeles Kings, then netting a season-high seven in Saturday’s win at Nashville?
Count goalie Roberto Luongo among those seemingly perplexed by the recent performances.
“Even though I felt good, felt sharp and on top of my game, you look at the stat sheet and you give up four goals on 30 shots,” Luongo said following the 7-4 win against the Predators, adding, “It’s nice to be able to go through something like that and still get the win.”
It’s not a recipe that can be counted on for success this week at San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles. The Sharks and Kings ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, in fewest goals allowed through Sunday.
The next step in a precarious road tour for a team trying to claw its way back into the playoff picture is Wednesday at San Jose, which already has a 4-2 win over the Panthers at Sunrise in November.
Early-season results may be a dubious indicator. The Panthers are a different team now that Jonathan Huberdeau is back from an Achilles tendon injury and reunited with linemates Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr.
Huberdeau has two goals and five points in three games, and the top line has five goals in that stretch. That, and wins in four of the past five games, has the Panthers playing with more confidence than seen all season.
Still, recurring defensive lapses remain troubling.
Even Luongo hasn’t been his usual reliable self, allowing 25 goals in his past seven outings (six starts). He has only two wins during that uncharacteristic run.
That isn’t all on him. Two of the goals Luongo allowed against Nashville were deflected off Panthers defensemen. There was also a shorthanded goal off a turnover by Jussi Jokinen.
“The bounces are just not there right now. You’ve got to keep fighting through those things,” said Luongo, who was grateful for the offensive support. “We’ll take them when we can get five, six [goals] a night, because it’s not going to happen all the time.”
The past two games may be viewed as anomalies in part due to recent vagaries of the schedule. Going into Wednesday, the Panthers will have had only three games in 14 days, then play three in the next four days.
The Panthers aren’t alone in inconsistent performances around the AllStar break and a mandated five-day break every team must take.
Much like the Panthers after their 6-3 loss to the Kings, the Predators were pilloried for their poor showing at home against the Panthers.
Predators coach Peter Laviolette called his team’s performance “gross.”
He said, “There was no passion, no effort. We didn't play with any purpose.”
Sound familiar?
Even San Jose, which leads the Pacific Division by five points, has hit a rough patch lately. The Sharks (34-18-5), led by former Panthers coach Pete DeBoer, had lost four in a row before a 4-1 win over New Jersey on Sunday.
So both teams Wednesday will be coming off uplifting bounce-back wins.
For the Panthers, the resurgence fueled by the reuniting of the No. 1 line couldn’t have come at a better time, and it is already attracting notice around the league. NBC Sports referred to Huberdeau’s comeback at “phenomenal.”
Alluding to the way Huberdeau, Barkov and Jagr have quickly resurrected their chemistry, Peter Ferrell of Thehockeywriters.com, wrote, “Is there any team more fun?”
The answer may come on the remaining four games on the trip (concluding Feb. 20 at St. Louis). With the Panthers three points out of the wild card, the fun will only come if those slick goals lead to wins.