Cats Claw Back.

New York -- When you start a run like the Panthers have (26-6, last 32 games) you just don't want it to end. I'm sure if you ask Andrew Drummond he'd say the same thing. When you make a charge for your first Championships in the NsHL you just want to continue the ride forever. The fact is maybe nobody cares but when you are still fighting this late in the season it means alot. It means you have beaten the best. It means you are in a dog-fight with the best of the best.

Winning last night felt good ... actually it felt great! It shouldn't because it didn't mean anything. The Panthers are still down 3-2 to the defending champs. I don't know something about extending the series felt right. Of course spending hours pouring over the series and developing new lines to combat a tough foe probably has something to do with it.

"We were so good, we took things for granted," explained Panthers coach Pete DeBoer. "We got smacked in the face by the Rangers, but we didn't roll over. Now we've been given another chance. We must come to play tomorrow night and get this series tied. We made some changes. Mostly to shake up some of our players."

The Rangers have done a great job holding the Panthers first line in check. Evgeni Malkin has not been a force in the series. The southern cats are trying to get some secondary scoring to offset the first line woes.

It worked in game five, Kyle Calder, Jay Bouwmeester and Justin Williams all scored goals and all were scoring for the first time in this series. Kris Draper, Antti Miettinen and Williams all have five points in the series to pace the Panthers.

The power-play which was strong all season has struggled going just 2-24 against the Rangers. In game six it'll be important to establish strong special teams. The Panthers must make the Rangers pay for going to the box.

"Last night we mixed things up," said DeBoer. Draper and Miettinen have played very well this series and we rewarded them with some extra time."

And what about the franchise, Evgeni Malkin, can he find a way to make his mark in the series. He has one or two more games to find a way or else the ride is over.

OT Loss Leaves Cats on Life Support.

New York -- The faint heart beat you hear is from the Florida Panthers. After three straight defeats at the hands of the New York Rangers, the Panthers are clinging to life in the NsHL playoffs.

Game five is played in the most famous building in all of sports, Madison Square Garden, and it could be the spot where the Cats play their final game of the season.

The truth is it's been a dream ride for the three time defending Southeast Division champs. On the night of the trade deadline the team was far back and out of the playoff picture. In fact, they were SELLERS! Who remembers the terrific Sergei Zubov trade? This deal between Calgary and Florida will go down as a potential Cup winning move for one GM and the reason the other gets fired.

Getting back to the Panthers fortunes, they seemed to turn around at the deadline. They won that night and then rattled off 15 more wins to close out the season. They caught the Washington Capitals for the division crown and finished third in the Conference. A remarkable job even if the season would've ended then.

But the playoffs began and the underdog Panthers took out both the Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils. In fact, they took a 1-0 series advantage over the Blueshirts. But this is where the fairy tale seems to have ended. Three straight wins by New York, the last two in Florida, and the fat lady has started to prepare her singing voice.

Tomorrow is game five in the Rangers barn and they have a chance to step on the throat of a dangerous opponent. Who thinks the defending NsHL Champions will play it soft and let their foe off the canvass?

Today at the rink the Panthers were hard at work. A full-out practice with a very surprising twist. All the lines were changed. SAY WHAT!!

Make that a shocking twist ... IronMike doesn't change anything. Get it ... the Iron part is not just a name, it was EARNED the old fashioned way!

"Yeah, some parts have been moved around," said the GM. "It goes against everything I believe in, but we owe it to the players and the fans to try and get this series turned around. Nobody in the room feels like this is the end. We can still make things very difficult for the Rangers. We just need to play our game."

Some of the observations from today's skate included, no power-play time for Jay Bouwmeester, a reduced role for Robert Lang and for the first time a goalie change could be in the works. Ty Conklin has seen every second in the post-season but it could be time for Tim Thomas to play his first game.

Champs Pull Ahead

Florida -- The defending NsHL Champion New York Rangers are on a roll after taking two straight from the Florida Panthers. The Blueshirts played a near perfect road game to claim game three 3-1. The win gives the Champs a 2-1 series advantage in the eastern Conference Final. It`s been 30 games since the Southern Cats dropped two-in-a-row.

The Rangers used a strong offensive game to put the high-powered Panthers on their heels in game three. They played three good periods of hockey and took advantage of their chances.

The line of Andy McDonald, Daniel Briere and Milan Michalek has dominated the last two games and got things rolling last night by scoring the games first goal in the second period. Kris Draper scored to tie it but the champs quickly got that back when Scott Gomez scored with the just three ticks on the clock.

the third period was a clear illustration of how this series has gone so far. The Rangers are undisciplined and take too many penalties and are getting terrific play from their goalie and second line. While the Panthers can`t score on the power-play and are now getting beat in the 5-on-5 game. Last night Andy McDonald scored his third of this series to put the game out of reach.

We need to play better, said Evgeni Malkin. We have to find a way.

The offense dried up in this series for the Cats. They are just 1-19 on the power-play and have received zero offense from Malkin, Kyle Calder and Nathan Horton.

Ranger One, Rangers Zero

New York -- In game one of the Eastern Final, the Florida Panthers were hanging onto to 2-1 advantage in the third period when New York Rangers dman Jaroslav Spacek took another undisciplined penalty. 25 seconds later, Panthers pivot Robert Lang passed back to Paul Ranger on the point. Rangers slapper beat Henrik Lundqvist and the Panthers would take Game One 4-2.

"We played a good road game," explained Pete DeBoer. "We took advantage of our opportunities and i thought we did well to limit them."

The Rangers were in self-destruct mode in this game. After taking an early lead with a Todd Bertuzzi goal just 98 seconds into the game. The Rangers took a few penalties and let the Southern Cats claw back into the game. Michel Ouellet scored to tie the game and the power-play allowed them to get their offense in gear.

In the second frame the Rangers continued a parade to the sin bin including little used Jon 'the sim hates me' Sim taking two minors. This guy played just 6 minutes and spent another 4 sitting in the penalty box. Not exactly the best type of ratio.
Panthers rookie Blake Wheeler, continued his hot playoff run with his 5th of the post season with just 49 seconds remaining in the second. It was tough goal to give-up considering the Rangers were killing penalties very well and they really didn't have a great chance to play a 5-on-5 game.

The Panthers kept up their strong play in the third period thanks to more power-play chances. After the Ranger goal gave the Cats a 3-1 lead, New York responded quickly with a Chris Campoli goal. But they couldn't get any closer and Kris Draper put it out of reach with his third of the playoffs.

Campoli was the man of the match. Two points, a plus 2 and lots of good work on the penalty kill. Evgeni Malkin was held in check by Campoli and the blue-shirts. But he did lead the way in hits and his teammates picked up on his play and actually out-hit the Rangers.

Game two is Monday night in New York.

Horton, Cats Benefit from Change

Florida -- After this mornings skate Nathan Horton was pulled aside and told he was being moved off the number two line. After two sub-par series one would think the Panthers brain trust had finally seen enough of Horton as a top six forward.

But no, Horton was being moved to the first line with Evgeni Malkin and Kyle Calder. The move paid off in game five as the trio combined for 3 goals and 2 helpers as the Panthers beat the New Jersey Devils 4-3 in double overtime.

53 seconds after Andrej Meszaros went off for slashing, Paul Ranger moved the puck over to Malkin who one-timed a shot through Martin Brodeur. The Panthers now head back to the swamp with a 3-2 series advantage.

Panthers GM IronMike talked about the Horton change. "I talked with the coaches after game four," explained mike. "We thought Horton could add some grit to our top line. He's 6'2 and 220 ... he's a large body who can play a big game. Putting Justin Williams on the second line adds some speed. Lang and Wheeler have performed so well and we knew Williams could bring his strong overall game and make them better too."

The second line opened the scoring for the Cats as Wheeler scored his 4th of playoffs assisted by Williams and Lang.

For some GM's in the NsHL these types of moves are commonplace. Trading and flipping players in and out of the line-up are a staple in the make-up of most NsHL teams.
Not in Florida, "If Cito Gaston took up managing hockey he would fit right in with the Panthers," said hockey insider Pierre Macturd. "Most GM's operate at high speed all the time. always making small moves to benefit the club. IronMike in Florida makes moves at the speed of a glacier."

The Panthers might operate different but the results have been very good in the last few years. Can it continue? According to Macturd, "the 4th win is always the hardest ... especially against Marty!"

Playoff Fever or Derby Fever?

Florida -- Game two will be played tonight in Florida between the Panthers and Devils. But the game will be played without Panthers GM IronMike in attendence.

Last night IronMike's private jet flew him and most of the Panthers organization to Kentucky for this year's Run for the Roses. The coaches and players stayed behind to play game two.

"Take the schedule maker off my Christmas list," shouted IronMike about ten minutes before departing Florida. "Give me a frikkin break, it's Derby day!"

"I hope we don't get any injuries," said IronMike. "Our trainers and medical staff will be at the Derby. The first Saturday in May is for the Kentucky Derby. I'm pissed that our players couldn't enjoy it too."

When asked if the GM plans to watch the game he responded quickly. "Not a chance, I won't be in any shape to do anything, I'll be down about ten grand and hammered on Mint Juleps."

IronMike is hoping to strike a very rare daily double. A betting win in the Derby combined with a Panthers win in game two. "Yeah that would be nice. Truth is you can't be a loser on Derby Day. It's the best day of the year."

Obviously we know IronMike likes the Panthers in tonights game. But what about the Derby? "My top three are AMERICAN LION, LOOKIN AT LUCKY & MISSION IMPAZIBLE."