Behind The Boards: "The Champs Are Coming, The Champs Are Coming"
A blog by Steve Goldstein
SUNRISE (CBSMiami) - Game 3 of the Florida Panthers' six game home stand has the Stanley Cup champion Black Hawks in town.
Both teams come off wins Saturday night; the Panthers beat Minnesota 2-1 in a shootout.
Tonight will be a different challenge as the Hawks present a big, literally, challenge. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews get all the 'pub', and it's well deserved, but Chicago boasts a number of big, strong forwards that the Panthers must physically match up with.
The Hawks defense is solid led by Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. The Panthers will need to have everyone going tonight to get a win. Tim Thomas has been super the last two games and said he's getting better as he goes along.
That bodes well as does the timely goal scoring of rookie Aleksander Barkov and 20-year old Jonathan Huberdeau. These 2 have been fun to watch and have produced. Panthers' fans are watching stars in the making right before their eyes.
A win tonight would be a huge shot in the arm for the Cats. With Buffalo and Tampa Bay in town this weekend it could shape up to be a solid homestand. A big effort is needed tonight though.
Game time is 7:30 p.m. at the BB&T Center, we are on the air at 7 with the pregame show.