This may be one of the rare times when a team is happy to be playing a back-to-back set.
The Florida Panthers lost an extremely frustrating game on Tuesday night in Montreal, allowing a tying goal with 8.4 seconds left before losing in overtime 3-2.
From the opening puck drop, the game was dripping in playoff intensity.
The physicality, the passion, the effort…it’s what makes hockey the best sport there is, and what makes playoff hockey the best postseason in sports.
There should be more of where that came from as the actual playoffs get closer, but for now let’s go over to Tuesday’s takeaways:
A VERY FLUKY GOAL
The bottom line is that the Panthers were 10 seconds away from a well-earned two points in a very hostile building.
A funky goal that occurred during a sequence that saw several players go exactly where they shouldn’t have because of where the puck ended up bouncing after a strange shot and a block attempt that all felt awkward but ended in jubilation for Montreal…that sum it up okay?
“Just a bad break,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “Over 82 games, you’re going to get one of those. We’ll leave it here.”
CATS DIDN’T PLAY POORLY
When it comes to playing postseason hockey, the Panthers know how to succeed.
They can grind games out with the best of them, and that’s exactly what they did Tuesday in Montreal.
When the Canadiens scored their funky goal in the final seconds, it was their first shot in over eight minutes.
Despite the way things ended up for Florida, Maurice said afterward he was not upset with how his team played.
“Not even a little bit,” he said. “You play the game the way you want to play it. We give up three shots in the third period with a 2-1 lead is nearly perfect. It's a break that won’t happen again. I won't think about the way this game ended again.”
SOLID GAME BY VANECEK
Goaltender Vitek Vanecek’s fourth game with the Panthers was not one many will want to remember, but that has little to do with how he performed.
The 29-year-old was strong throughout and displayed excellent poise and rebound control.
After things went sideways at the end, it’s easy to overlook a solid effort from Florida’s goaltending insurance policy.
He finished with 18 saves, including three on high danger shots.
“I thought in the first (period) he had a couple, then he had one in the second, and then I thought it was a pretty quiet game for him, but he was good when we needed him to be,” said Maurice.
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