Lacerated foot injury to Nathan Horton: No timetable for return as yet

"That is a very deep cuuuut." - Anonymous Panthers' medical staffer going by the name of "Mo". He can be reached at The Palm Isle motel.

Another forward lost to injury, and what is this team all about anyway?

Wins don't come cheap - or often - for the Panthers, and last night's victory was no exception: winger Richard Zednik will be out several weeks with an arm/elbow injury. Any chance JM's been looking for a forward? Now he'll need two.

On a similar note, and it may sound blasphemous, but I worry that last night's win against Carolina might actually hurt the club in the long run. One victory, though huge, troubles me in the sense that the Cats were rock bottom bad, looking up at the entire league above them in the standings. They're against a wall, players waived, threats made, and they scratch out a hard-fought and solid "W". What will we see tomorrow? Do they revert to the same-old same-old against the Devils, now that they've gotten a win to carry them for the next three weeks, while potential roster moves - read: trades - favor the Panthers less as each day moves forward?

Or have they finally gotten the message? All too many times we've seen this pattern: the Cats lose a string of games, season's slipping away, the hope is lost, and then we get a night that stirs the soul and the imagination. You come away from it, jaw on the floor, saying "They've figured it out." The next night, Vokoun (or Auld, or Belfour, or Luongo) is left for dead. There's never any progress. It's like the wins are accidents (and the players need to understand: we've been watching this a lot longer than they've been playing here). Last night was a tremendous game for any hockey fan to watch; close, tense, very few penalties (none, in fact, for Carolina), a divisional match you dream of. The Panthers earned every bit of that win. Who will show up tomorrow?

Belak Clears. What Now?

PantherNation applauds the retention of fan-favorite Belak.

Popular Panther Wade Belak cleared waivers today, though it remains to be seen what direction his relationship with Coach DeBoer might take. Again, they're professionals, so I don't anticipate a further escalation of hostilities in this affair. George Richards at On Frozen Pond has the lowdown. The question now? When will we see him...

In a bit of sublime irony that could only apply to the Cats, defenseman Nick Boynton is out with a concussion. From GR himself: "Likely suffered in his fight Friday in Boston." The very fight Belak should've been on the ice for. Ya just can't write this stuff.

AccuScore Prediction: Devils 3, Cats 2.5

A day off proves to be the only relief Florida will see over the next little while, as the Panthers stare at 3 games in 4 nights, leading off by facing the Devils in lovely Newark, NJ.

AccuScore has the Dev's (I really don't like that term for some reason) up by half a goal over the Cats, who have won three of the past four.

Cory Stillman - Florida's resident offensive "juggernaut" - remains out with concussion symptoms, or an "upper-body" injury in league-speak.

Back to television with this game!

Oscar Goldman Sucks: Stillman Out. Yes, the Entire Road Trip.

Cobbled this together just now, after Puck Daddy referenced On Frozen Pond, but here's the word: Cory Stillman will not play during the West Coast trip, due to the "face" injury he sustained in the first period of that laugher in Atlanta.

This is not welcome news. For a club straining to score goals, the loss of a guy like Stillman is a major-league jones.

Perhaps we can turn to our All-Star candidates to carry the mail through these difficult times.

Stillman Rebuilt, Ready for Action

Cory Stillman, who left the Panthers' last game early in the first period due to a "face" injury, appears to be on the mend and will at this point be in the lineup Thursday in Los Angeles.

It cannot be stressed or exaggerated how important his inclusion to the roster is. With scoring at an absolute minimum (read: sorrrrry) the Cats will need whatever they can get. Is it time yet to go after another scorer? Have the kids been given enough time? Could I do JM's job better than he? Does anyone remember this?:

Stillman Out With "Face" Injury

As if Florida's scoring wasn't extinguished with him in the lineup, forward Cory Stillman has what's been termed a "face" injury. Not "facial injury". "Face injury". I guess that would count as an "upper-body" malady. Some stitches, couple of teeth...you know the drill. He's a hockey player...he'll be back soon.

Skrastins Skating...Ready to Play?

The long layoff between games has benefitted injured defenseman Karlis Skrastins, who appears to be a game-time decision tomorrow against the Wild. Good news for a banged up blueline, with Keith Ballard and both Bryans also suffering aches and pains of various sorts.

McCabe: Back Not Broken

Panthers defenseman Bryan McCabe did not break his back, as revealed by an MRI today.

More to come.

Nothing to See Here: Isles' Chris Lee Released from Hospital

Defenseman Chris Lee was cleared to return to New York today, following an overnight stay in a Broward hospital due to a hit from behind by the Cats' Rostislav Olesz.

Been unsuccessful in finding any video of the incident - cuz, you know, this is Florida - so your guess is as good as mine unless you were in the building. And if by chance you were one of the illustrious 8,800, send me a line and fill me in. Hard to believe - under any circumstance - that Rusty would go out of his way to hurt anything. Still in a holding pattern regarding whether or not a suspension is being considered.

Either way, kudos to Lee and bravo, kid. Good luck making the big club.

UPDATE: Thanks to Ken M. who was at the game and submits the following:

I was at the game and it definitely was not a dirty hit. Rusty got him mostly from the side, I think what led to the injury was that Rusty's momentum took him and Lee into the boards together and Rusty sort of fell on top of Lee awkwardly and he must have landed weird or gotten caught somewhere sensitive.