Panthers Continue To Falter In Lockout-Shortened Season
SUNRISE (CBSMiami) – The Florida Panthers continued their spiral Sunday with a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of the Boston Bruins, who have lost only two games on the season.
The Panthers, on the other hand, have continued to lose at a horrible clip and whatever hopes the team had for making the playoffs continue to evaporate with each passing game. Florida it just 5-9-4 on the season and have just 14 points in the Southeast Division.
Florida is next to last in the Southeast Division and has managed just 42 goals on the season, which is just three more than the lowest-scoring team in the league, the Nashville Predators. In the Eastern Conference, Florida is just one point out of last place.
This season, the friendly confines of the BB&T Center have been anything but for the Panthers. Florida is just 2-4-3 on the season at home and just 3-5-1 on the road. Over the team's last 10 games, Florida is 2-4-4.
One of the biggest problems the Panthers have had this season is in between the pipes. Goalies Jose Theodore and Scott Clemmensen are giving up at least 3.37 goals per night and with the team's anemic offense, that's an obvious recipe for disaster.
Florida's failure to turn power plays into any points is also critical on the season. The Cats have converted just one of their last 24 power plays including a four-minute power play against the Bruins during Sunday's game.
"Those are momentum changers in the game," Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said. "There's different areas in the game that change momentum, and that's definitely one of them."
The Panthers do have some bright spots in an otherwise miserable beginning to the season. The team is currently being led in points by first-year center Jonathan Huberdeau, who looks like the real deal after being drafted with the third overall pick just two years ago.
In addition, young goalie Jacob Markstrom is allowing just 3.05 goals per game and is stopping roughly 92 percent of the shots against him in 118 minutes of play over two games.
