CBS4's Steve Goldstein on Roberto Luongo's Hall Of Fame induction and Panthers week ahead
SUNRISE - Roberto Luongo is the first true Florida Panthers player in the Hall of Fame.
Pavel Bure, Joe Nieuwendyk, Ed Belfour, Dino Ciccarelli, and Igor Larionov all played in South Florida but briefly and late in their careers. Despite playing for Vancouver in his prime years, Luongo spent most of his 19-year career as a Panther and continues to work in the team's front office.
Luongo has been a pillar in the community showing his true colors after the Parkland school shooting. An emotional Luongo addressed the arena and TV audience on the ice before the first home game after the horrific shooting. A great player on the ice and a high-quality person off the ice, the South Florida sports landscape is lucky to have the former goalie.
Who Net Now?
Spencer Knight started the last three games in goal. He won the first two2 and coach Paul Maurice decided to roll with the hot hand.
Sergei Bobrovsky will get back in as the NHL season is just too long and grueling to play one goalie too often. Bobrovsky will get on his share of runs this season as well. But it is evident, and no surprise as it was expected at some point, that Knight will take over as the primary goalie.
Bobrovsky is 34. Knight is 21. This was always the plan when Knight was selected in the 1st round of the 2019 draft. The only question was, and is, when will he be ready to be the main man? Bobrovsky is a pro and prepares meticulously. He has pride and won't go quietly which is great for the team. Two high-end players in the same position in a healthy battle for playing time, pushing one another, is a best-case scenario.
Bennett Heating Up
Sam Bennett has been excellent from the time he arrived in South Florida in a trade with Calgary. In the first part of this season he was struggling to score but now has found his touch. He scored twice against Edmonton, with the second goal being an example of the type of player he is.
Bennett, as he usually does, went hard to the net and had a great touch to finish off the play with a pretty goal. With Anton Lundell continuing to develop and Aleksander Barkov as the number one center, Bennett plays a key role on this team. Scoring some goals raises his confidence level and puts him back to where he's been since becoming a Panther.
Staying Home
After splitting the first two games of the homestand, this is a big week of games. Washington, Dallas, and Calgary come to town and then the Panthers go to Columbus on Sunday for the back end of back-to-back games.
After mostly being in a win-one-lose-one mode so far this season, picking up a large majority of points this week is imperative. Saturday will be a special day as Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar return to South Florida. Huberdeau in particular will be fascinating to watch, wearing a different jersey after 10 years as a Panther. The welcome reception from the fans will be emotional for Huberdeau.