Bleacher Report - Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers Find Their Wings in Buffalo

Robert Young — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:45:30 -0500

Panthers’ fans haven’t been spoiled with top-end offensive performances from their team this season. And there was nothing to suggest it would be different in Buffalo as the Cats took on the outstanding Ryan Miller and his Sabres last night.

However, the Floridians have been playing better of late and collected 11 out of 16 possible points in the previous eight contests.

Only against Washington had the Cats been defeated in regulation time, albeit in two straight games.

The Panthers also had a score to settle with the Sabres; who had come to South Florida and embarrassed the Cats a month ago at the Bank Atlantic Center. The visitors effectively won that match in a 5-1 first period drubbing.

Since then the Cats have slowly started to find their feet and their game is improving despite the occasional setbacks—such as the one in Washington earlier this month (4-7 defeat, despite leading 3-2 when entering the third period).

The defense in particular is looking more unyielding and robust.

The defensemen are now standing up at their blue-line, making less costly turnovers, and are also helping out the goalie by limiting the shots on goal.

Equally, the offense has simplified its approach.

The forwards are being responsible defensively and going more north-south, rather than east-west, when attacking the net.

In addition to the overall simplifying of individual duties, and the more direct approach on a team level, it must also be said that some players in particular are starting to step up their game.

In defense, Keith Ballard is starting to dish out those punishing hits more regularly; Dennis Seidenberg is looking solid and blocking shots; whilst Bryan Allen is starting to find his game again—after having been injured most of last season.

In the offense; players like Rostislav Olesz, Michael Frolik, Stephen Weiss, Cory Stillman, and Nathan Horton, are finding their way back to good old ways after a slow start to the season.

Then, of course, there is Tomas Vokoun...

The Czech goaltender looked decidedly off at the beginning of the campaign, but has since grown in stature between the pipes.

Now that he’s finally being supported by the defense, we can see the real Vokoun starting to emerge.

And the goalie that denied Craig Anderson a starting job in Florida is looking better and more unyielding for every game played.

Apparently Tomas has been working very hard during the offseason to try and improve his game—and now he’s being rewarded for that hard work.

What’s especially impressive with Tomas is his positioning ability.

Vokoun is at his best when he can step up at the top of the crease and just cut off all angles for the shooter—and simply let his powerful body do the job for him. And that’s exactly what he’s doing.

The defense is then there to help him out with any tricky pucks that might come loose—or as in the game in Buffalo—a forward might even come down to make a crucial save (Rostislav Olesz).

That certainly hasn’t always been the case, but now that this infant team-symbiosis is developing in Florida, the Cats and their fans are the main beneficiaries.

In Buffalo, last night the goaltending, defense, and offense, all worked together to grind down the Sabres in their own building.

To their credit, the Florida players didn’t get fazed by Buffalo drawing first blood, but rather kept plugging away until they were rewarded with the equalizer just before the first intermission.

Somehow that goal seemed to deflate the home side as they looked decidedly shaky in the second period.

The Cats then capitalized on a rare Ryan Miller howler and took the lead through Stephen Weiss. It is not often the Sabres netminder makes mistakes; so you’d better take advantage when they come your way.

Perhaps the shock of Miller’s gaffe resonated through Buffalo, but despite only trailing by one goal through much of the second and third periods, it always looked more likely that the Panthers would score the next goal—which they also did.

The home side was then gifted a brief reprieve and a glimpse of a comeback when they cut the lead to one with a late powerplay goal. It was not to be, however, as the Cats got themselves a rare powerplay tally—to restore the two goal parity.

In the end the Sabres threw in the towel and Florida could put some gloss to proceedings by scoring two more late goals to pave the way for a comprehensive 6-2 victory on the road.

Next will follow another stern test as the Panthers roll in to Hockeytown on Friday and then set up camp at the MSG on Saturday.

Both Detroit and the NY Rangers will fancy their chances, but the Cats have found their feet and will hope to continue their streak on the road.

While this was a—by and large—positive performance and step forward for Florida; the fans will nonetheless remain grounded.

We have seen too many good performances followed up by one letdown after another, to get too carried away this time.

Besides, did I mention the next game is against the Red Wings?

The Wings may not be flying as freely as previously in the hockey heavens, but they still pack and impressive punch and come loaded with a fearsome one-two that entails both Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.

The Cats will need to be on their toes for that game; especially as Detroit lost last night at the Joe (to Dallas, 1-3) and will be looking to bounce back quickly after having previously gone 7-1-1.

All too often have South Floridian hockey fans seen impressive play by the Panthers on one day—to then find our hopes of resurgence trampled upon—in the very next game.

While I hope the players can rejoice today in that impressive display I Buffalo, they must also be aware that there is no resting on their laurels this campaign. One win and a few points strung together, doesn’t make a season.

What this team desperately needs is prolonged consistency.

Can you spell that, Cats?

C-o-n-s-i-s-t-e-n-c-y

I know it’s a long word and all—but if this team is to ever move up the standings and make a credible playoff push—the players needs to master that word and its implied implication (I know that’s saying one thing twofold, I just want to make sure the point hits home).

The win in Buffalo, and the roaming offense displayed, is encouraging for sure: I just hope we can get this type of game-play ingrained into the walls of this club, rather than it being the occasional occurrence.

I don’t mean to get all wordy and verbose on you guys, but try and incorporate that word into your collective vocabulary. OK, Panthers?

And try to refrain from the use of sarcasm, please.

Yeah, I know...

Read more Florida Panthers news on BleacherReport.com

The Challenge for Florida Panthers' New Owners

Eric LaForge — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:43:08 -0500

The Florida Panthers have been floating at the bottom of the standings for a long time. It’s not the players that are losing these games, it’s the management. If you were to ask me, I would consider the Panthers to be the worst managed team in the NHL.

As you probably know, the Florida Panthers now have two new owners that have said that they are committed to winning and are going to hold people accountable. That’s exactly what the team needs. They need an owner who will stop at nothing to win games.

It usually takes around five years to build a good team, and the Panthers have been at the bottom of the standings for as long as I can remember. That’s not the fault of the team, that’s the fault of the ownership. For example, take a look at the Pittsburgh Penguins who were dead last in the Eastern Conference a few years ago, and are now the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

Owners that are “committed to winning” are exactly what every team needs. If you ask me, a team can win or lose the Stanley Cup based on who owns the team.

What the two new owners for the Panthers have to accomplish is a lot. I’m sure that they are envisioning a Stanley Cup in the future, but for right now, they have to start building a team.

Florida is, once again, going to have a chance to grab some top draft picks. They need to get some young people on the team that they can start building a team around. Kind of like the Pens did with Sidney Crosby a few years ago.

The problem is that the Panthers aren’t exactly making the kind of money they need to be. They have been struggling financially for the past few years. That’s why they will have a hard time signing a lot of good players. They will have a hard time affording it.

However, they should still sign a few players. Getting a few good players, even though it would cost some money, would increase the advertising revenue that the Panthers could make. It would also give Florida fans a reason to come to games.

Another key factor is a good goalie. They have to keep Vokoun no matter what another team offers for him. A good goalie is the most important player on a team. Even if you have the best offense in the world, you will still lose the majority of your games with a bad goalie.

Take the Detroit Red Wings for example. During the beginning of the year, their goalies were letting in a lot of goals. Both were at the bottom of the league in GAA and save percentage. Their offense couldn’t keep up with the amount of goals the goalies were letting in.

Eventually, something exciting will happen to the Panthers. It may not be this season, it may not even be the next season. Eventually, everything is going to click. The chemistry will be there, the goalie will be there, the scoring will be there, and we’ll see a new Florida team.

However, if they don’t start building the team now, it could be a decade before the Panthers have a shot at anything. I’m really anxious to see how well the Panthers do in the next few seasons and I wish the new owners the best of luck.

Read more Florida Panthers news on BleacherReport.com

New Kings in Panthers-land; Ownership Reshuffle Springs Hope in Sunrise

Robert Young — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:37:58 -0500

The Los Angeles Kings made a rare stop in South Florida and handed the Panthers an equally rare shootout loss Monday evening, defeating the Cats 4-3 in the end.

However, this is not what created most of the buzz in Panthers-land on this particular night.

The murmur in Sunrise was more surrounding the reshuffling of the Florida ownership than the game against the Kings.

Stu Siegel and Cliff Viner will now replace Alan Cohen in the Chairman’s seat.

Cohen will remain as a minority owner in the franchise, but the reins have now been firmly handed over to the Cliff & Stu combo instead.

Alan Cohen took over ownership in the summer of 2000, and remarkably, the club never made the playoffs even once during his nine year tenure.

Hence, many Panthers fans have equated Cohen as some sort of evil spirit—only able to make one poor decision after another.

People close to Cohen say that he deeply cares about the franchise, to the contrary of what most fans would make you believe. But either way, his record does speak for itself: It’s been a prolonged nightmare in South Floridian hockey since the day he took over.

It is likely that fans will rejoice in Cohen’s withdrawal from the hockey scene—and hope that Stu Siegel and Cliff Viner will do a better job with this franchise.

There is a good base for hockey here, as the heyday of 90’s clearly showed, but the many years of mediocrity have in many instances turned fans against their own team and management in particular. Or, they’ve simply deserted the cause due to severe disillusionment.

It will thus be no easy task for Cliff & Stu to change the tarnished image of the Florida Panthers around.

However, if the Cats need a role model, they need look no further than to Chicago and the Blackhawks.

The Hawks went through a similar barren spell of mismanagement and poor results, but thanks to new leadership, new ideas and a successful rebuilding through the draft in particular; Chicago once again have a team to be proud of.

And as a direct consequence, Chicago fans have returned to the arena.

The Florida Panthers need to follow that same path.

Obviously the Blackhawks are an original six club and the support for the sport of hockey in the Windy City has deep roots.

Florida clearly does not have any such roots, and so the challenge here is even greater as the club needs to actively try and convert people to the sport of hockey. And they need to do it in a jam-packet sports market; with all major sports well represented.

There is a razor sharp competition for the South Floridians’ sport-dollars; so it’ll be no easy task!

Nonetheless, it’s not impossible either.

All it takes is some success. Easier said than done perhaps, but with such fierce competition—success is what is required to flourish in this market.

America loves a winner. That is a fact. Just look at Pittsburgh, Washington and Chicago, for clear-cut examples of how success can revitalize a hockey market.

But on the other token—America deplores a loser.

It might not always be said aloud, but secretly many will feel revulsion toward the apparent weakness of a losing side. For too long now the Florida Panthers have been found on this side of the all-important divide.

So, in order for Cliff & Stu to change the direction of this franchise—from the long slippery downhill slope that it’s currently perched upon—sporting success will be the priority.

To create a winning team and a winning mentality throughout the organization is the key to gaining success—and this will be the challenge for Cliff & Stu to try and provide.

Fortunately they seem to not only have their hearts in the right place, being hockey fans themselves and local businessmen at that, but they also seem aware of both the potential and pitfalls within the franchise—which need to be addressed.

In an open letter to Panthers fans, Cliff & Stu present themselves and their leadership style in the following words:

“As local owners who live and work in the South Florida area, we are committed to developing a winning culture within this organization, something we haven’t had over the past few years. In addition, we will bring a stronger measure of accountability and accessibility to this franchise immediately”.

They go on to take a letter from head coach Peter DeBoer book upon the importance of accountability as well:

“We believe in letting people do their jobs – from the general manager and the head coach down to the players themselves. By the same token, if the right decisions are not being made and we are not achieving our goals as a franchise, then it will be our job to hold people accountable for their actions”.

That will be welcome words for Panthers fans. But, at this stage, words won’t suffice; we want results!

The goal of the club going forward was outlined in the following way:

“Our goal is to build a hockey team that can sustain its success year in and year out, by building through the draft and minor leagues, and by making the right decisions in trades and free agency”.

We hope that will be the case.

But it’s not through a lack of trying that this approach has so far failed in South Florida—it’s a lack of understanding of the game. Consequently one bad decision after another has been made throughout the years.

I know for a fact that many Panthers fans are worried about the influence of President and COO Michael Yormark in particular. And I say “worried” with ample sense of understatement.

To the best of my knowledge Yormark is an accomplished businessman that does well in the commerce part of operations. That is not the worry. It is rather that his influence weighs too heavily when it comes to hockey operations as well.

There is a great danger in having businessmen think they can run a sports team despite their lack of understanding in the finer details of the sport itself. Hopefully Cliff & Stu will let GM Randy Sexton and head coach Peter DeBoer run this part of the organization without too much tampering or superfluous restrictions from above.

The owners should set the framework and take overall responsibility for the franchise; instill a winning mentality throughout the organization, keep people accountable, but yet also let those employed get on with what they know best.

It sounds from the open letter that Cliff & Stu understand their role going into this challenge. However, the real challenge—will not only be to live by those words—but also to sculpture action out of those words.

For now the words bring hope, but at the end of the day, it is results that the new owners will be judged upon.

Read more Florida Panthers news on BleacherReport.com