Happy Thanksgiving! Panthers lose, but steal a point

The Cats didn't give fans much to cheer for throughout yesterday's pre-Thanksgiving matchup against the Devils, but made up for it in the closing minutes of the third period, breathing life into a dead offense, with David Booth banging home a goal with seven seconds remaining to tie the score at 2. Hadn't seen that kind of excitement in the team, or the building, in a long while. The loss was only delayed, finally sealed in OT, but the final ten minutes of the last period were definitely something to build upon. That one point the team scrambled for was as impressive as they come. Nice job against a hot New Jersey squad. Showed some real heart.

Stephen Weiss: 2G,

David Booth: 1G, 1A

Jay Bouwmeester: 1G, 1A

Bryan McCabe: 7(!)SH

Thanks, Illegal Curve.

So Now What?

This guy's a center...and he's available! The one on the right. Jerk.

Here we are, redefining the term "laughingstock", mired at 15th place in the conference. The league? Twenty-ninth. Only Dallas is statistically worse, and there's no way The Brett Hull Experience will allow for that much longer.

Perennial jokes such as Atlanta, Columbus, and Phoenix (um, sorry) are looking down at us in the standings. Every respectable MSM Power Ranking has Florida in 29th or 30th (and you wonder where I've gone with those updates...how many different routes can I travel to arrive at the same spot?).

My two cents? Thanks for asking:

• The "D" is far too porous for a group of this sort. Cullimore escaped serious injury and is day-to-day. Bryan Allen remains the only long-term casualty. Welch has proven to be capable of playing respectably, if unspectacularly, each night. Boynton? Big, strong, fearless...and the perfect complement to conjoined twin - and new fan-favorite - Keith Ballard. Skrastins? Does it all (just ask Phil Kessel). Seriously, steady and reliable. Bryan McCabe? Awesome PP addition, less-than-stellar 5-on-5 play (but we knew this before he arrived). Who's the other guy? Starts with a "B"? The guy who's value is dropping faster than his team's? Oh well...must not be important.
• Goaltending? What's to say? Andy's been the star to this point, but neither he nor Vokoun has - realistically, salaries aside - locked up the starter's spot. Reliability and consistency have been frightening concerns, but face it folks...this tandem is what we've got for the year, and we all know they are both far superior than recent performances have shown. This should at the very least improve.
• Weiss? Vanilla. Horton? Back on the wing. Give it another game or two. Complete flop at center. Booth? As usual, the point of ignition for the entire offense. Stillman? Ah, what could have been. Once again, the Cats need a center. Like really really double badly now. Nylander from Washington? Big contract, little return in his second stint with the Caps. And dealing with a divisional foe is never without great risk. Could he work with Horts? Or (currently benched) Olesz? Might be quite a spark. Who to deal away? Yikes...the Caps are a positionally-sound club, though some cheap defensive help probably wouldn't be frowned upon. What do I know...I'm at work.

To borrow an overused phrase in PantherLand, I'm "frustrated". Sure would be nice if JM gave some indication of life with his office.

New Jersey 3, Frolik 1

That's not entirely fair. The Cats played well for forty minutes. Really well. Compared to the beginning of the season, they looked much more composed in what I have to deem as a strenuously fast-paced final two periods. Pleaqse don't misunderstand: the Devils played some great hockey, and deserved to win. Frolik? First goal. The kid's been robbed time and again...gonna see some good stuff now that the monkey's off his back. Horton? Present, if unremarkable. As usual. Vokoun? Only reason it was close. If that man doesn't tear up the visitor's room...left out to dry far too much in the first period. Didn't deserve to lose this one. Honorable mention: Dvorak had his speed, Zeds brought the plays, and McCabe had the shots. Bouwmeester? No one was hotter on this dude than me in the first five games of the year. Now? Takes a back seat to Ballard, Boynton, Skrastins. I'd include Cully but he was Tonight's Dead, going down with what looked to be a severe leg injury (caused inadvertently by a teammate, of course...did not return).

If nothing else, second- and third-string goalies across the NHL have the Panthers to thank for upping their value come UFA season.

Two requests for the Panthers: One, for the coaching staff: Can we develop someone who has a desire to WIN a faceoff? Two, for the "management": HAD ENOUGH, JM? What further suffering must be endured? I don't ask that we throw away the future, and you know far better than we dime-store fans about the proposals sent your way, but it's one of two things...either the deals faxed to you are lousy, or the deals you have proposed are lousy. Either way, your team on the ice has a record which can only be described as...lousy. And insulting. Don't come back with frightful tales of fat injury lists, and please refrain from slipping to the media that no one is offering fair market value for Bouwmeester. At this stage, there is NO market value for Bouwmeester. Yes, he's gonna be awesome. Yes, he'll be a winner somewhere. No, it won't be here. GET US SOME SUPPORT. Wanna deal Horton? Weiss? Olesz? No arguments from this nut in North Palm. It's the cat on the front, not the name on the back (cliche? Yeeees!) I grow fatigued preaching the hockey - nay, Panthers - gospel from the local rooftops and winding up embarrassed. Again. And again. Make your mark or prove us - those few thousand who have stuck by - wrong...quickly. There are a lot of things - like holidays - to rob the "momentum" from your club. DO. IT. NOW.

Sunday's Forgotten Man

Yes, it's an old picture. Sue me.

Lost in the orgasm of David Booth tributes, let us not kick aside the herculean efforts of goaltender Craig Anderson, whose 44 saves were as good as another three goals-for. You have to see what he did in order to fully appreciate it. Classic Andy; we are beyond lucky to have him.

Enjoy the video since it contains FSN play-by-play broadcaster Steve Goldstein's epic Darth Sideous impersonation.

Continue to bathe in the sunshine and rainbows knowing that Stephen Weiss and Jassen Cullimore had two assists and a plus-2 apiece, with McCabe and Frolik each picking up an assist.

Matthias Called Up

So much for my calling out AccuScore on their "inaccuracies" this morning.

Panthers' rookie center but far more importantly future savior Shawn Matthias has been activated from Rochester this afternoon, presumably to cover for the absence of centers Greg Campbell and/or Stephen Weiss.

This will be Matthias' first NHL game of the young season.

End of Two: Dos - Dos

Right off the bat, Stephen Weiss gave the Cats their first lead, and Zeds grabbed his second assist. Atlanta tied it up late, keeping this one tight, and the crowd mostly at bay.

Observation: The speed - of both clubs - has been intense. The Panthers are literally falling over themselves keeping up with the pace, but hanging in, and making a good game of it. Another couple of weeks and they'll be acclimated...or dead. It's that fast. Forget the last few years...this is a different team. Fantastic to see the carryover, speed- and pass-wise, from last night in Raleigh. Vokoun much sharper, evidently seeing the puck better than yesterday. Weiss is no longer invisible. Duh. Bouwmeester: unquestionably the best defenseman in the division, probably the conference. Fearless, fast, and inventive. Only gets better with each shift. For those - like me - that have waited for his leap to the next level...he's there. PERIOD.

No Belak tonight; assuming he got the hook thanks to the dual penaltiesd he took last night. Zednik is looking ten years younger, as is Dvorak. Need more from Olesz. Atlanta's working hard...this game is closer than lineups would suggest. Not much from Stewart yet (on fourth line), Frolik showing his skills but a bit confused (on third line), Welch has been steady and reliable so far.

Who's the Captain? Stillweissllen!

Don't I feel dumb...make a prediction, get burned. Oh well, I pulled for ya, Horts!

Pete DeBoer named three alternate captains today: Cory Stillman, Bryan Allen, and Stephen Weiss. There will be no single player designated to wear the "C", at least for the time being.

No complaints here.

Renewed Interest in the "C"

"How to draw Olli Jokinen."

It wasn't me, folks. Go here...

Do the Panthers head into the season minus a captain? The talk of the league seems to be centering on captains.

It appears every member of the Cats has worn an "A" over the past two weeks. When asked my opinion, I honestly had no clue; the possiblities are varied and many. However, I've made up my mind.

Weiss has always been a favorite of the pundits. Stillman's got the hardware. McCabe's been a captain. I've seen it written that Ballard has the goods to make for a successful leader.

But it's Horton's ship. Now is the time to turn it over to him, the defacto head of the party, so to speak. A tremendous commitment has been made by the club to build a team around his presence, and anything less than handing him the keys would be a mistake.

Is there risk involved? Of course. He could revert. His mentor was, after all, the last captain of this club. Bad habits? Uninspired play? All a possibility. But I doubt it. Give the kid a chance.

So, The Litter Box officially endorses Nathan Horton for the captaincy (I'm gonna take a boatload of heat if this experiment doesn't work out...).

The Rigors of Travel

Following six games in six nights, and 14 billion miles, the Panthers returned home to Sunrise only to learn their charter had pierced a Langoliers-type wormhole, setting up a final preseason game against...themselves. Eight hours later, Horts and Weisser continue to battle for the puck in the opening faceoff.

Captain Stillman? Weiss? Horton? Kirk? Crunch?

We are still seven weeks from the start of the new season, but inevitable speculation on the Cats' vacant captaincy role can't be helped.

The drama of the Jokinen deal has subsided (is it me or was the outcry in the aftermath pretty mellow? What does that say about Olli?) and the time is rapidly approaching when a new leader must(?) be named. There's always the possibility of Coach DeBoer going the rotation route a la Buffalo, or stick with a trio of alternates. I don't believe this will be case. The club needs a figurehead of strength, one man to turn to when the chips are down. Duh.

Jokinen was many things, but he left an aftertaste of, um, less than a full-blown, respected leader. His friendship with Nathan Horton is a not going to help Horton's cause in gaining the captaincy, if he indeed wants it. Several voices in the blogosphere have spoken about giving Nate the "C" in the thought that the team would be "his" and he would expand his role as scorer and all-around bad-ass. I don't agree that he's quite there yet. After following Olli's lead for so long, he's going to need a complete attitude change under a fresh new authority figure.

We'll obviously cover this subject in greater depth as the season draws closer. As for my take on who should be "The Man", I'm kinda warming up about McCabe's potential arrival. Could be an interesting choice for the "C". "A"s to Weiss, Horton, and Stillman, with all due respect to Bryan Allen. Just a thought.

In any case, James Mirtle had great post this morning featuring polls asking who should be captain of each team with the position open. A lot more vacancies than I imagined.