FLAblog

[Y]Emelin on the Move?

2012-01-29T09:30:00.000-08:00

Sunrise, Florida -- In an effort to generate more offense, rumors out of Pantherland suggest GM IronMike is looking to add a forward to his roster.

Prospect Alexei [Y]emelin is the hottest and most frequent name mentioned during trade talks. The hulking 6-2ft forward from Russia is currently playing in the NHL. He has shown an ability to play tough and disciplined although his offensive game has been slow to develop. It also must be said, the players and GM's in the NHL don't have the talent or good looks as those playing and GMing in the NsimHL.

We like Alexei, said GM IronMike. He has become a nice asset for our club. It looks like he can step right in next season and play for our team, at least we expect him too. Will he be dealt? We are looking for ways to improve the team right now. We feel we have a shot to contend. Emelin is an asset. Let's play this out and see what happens.

Ever the poker player, IronMike seems to be indicating he has a strong hand and is willing to bet anything with it to the river.

Rumors indicate the Panthers are shopping picks too. They own 19 picks over the next two drafts.

CATS ROOKIE WATCH:

Josh Harding: has appeared in 9 games recording three wins. He has a tidy 2.17 goals against average and 921 save percentage.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Has played twenty games this season and averaged 7.5 minutes of ice-time per game. He has one goal and one assist [both on the power-play] and has a plus/minus of zero.

Jakob Voracek: Has played all 31 games, some of which on the Panthers top line. He averages almost 17 minutes of ice-time and has produced 14 points this season. He is also 4th on the team in plus-minus with a plus 10.

Goalies First Pro Start: GOONTASTIC

2012-01-02T09:18:00.000-08:00

Sunrise, Florida: Last night's game between Southeast Division rivals Florida and Tampa was supposed to be a special moment for the Southern Cats rookie goalie Josh Harding. After all it was his first pro start in the NsimHL. However, the backstop turned it into a Miami-Street-Fight.

Harding settled into the game perfectly stopping the first two Lightning shots. But at the 14.43 mark of the first stanza Josh Harding started acting more like TONYA HARDING.

With the play deep in the Florida zone, Ryan O'Reilly whistled a shot at Harding who made the save with his trapper. O'Reilly skated threw the blue ice and then continued to the corner of the rink, but he had a follower. Harding left his crease area and charged towards the Tampa Bay forward with his stick raised high in the air. Harding then took a machete-like swing with his goal stick at O'Reilly. Luckily for O'Reilly the netminder missed his target.

All the players converged on the Goon Goalie and his turtled opponent and the linesman grabbed hold and removed Harding from the playing surface. Harding received a Major Penalty and Game Misconduct for his actions.

"The guy is a freak," said O'Reilly. "I mean you saw his actions, he's not sane. I have no idea what he was thinking."

Harding was unavailable for comment after the game and many have speculated he was hidden away from media in the Cats home rink.

Cats coach Peter DeBoer was asked for his comments and seemed taken back by what happened. "We know Josh, he's a good kid. Maybe he got too excited. Maybe something was said for him to act like that. He knows he can't do that in this league."

When the playing resumed, the Panthers received 26 saves from replacement keeper Tim Thomas and a three goal performance from Evgeni Malkin to down the Bolts 3-2.

CATS ROOKIE WATCH:

Josh Harding: played 15 minutes of game action and stopped all three shots faced. He also has 15 minutes in penalties and was tossed from his only start.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Has played six games this season and averaged 11 minutes of ice-time per game. He has no points and is a plus one.

Jakob Voracek: Has played all 13 games, some of which on the Panthers top line. He averages 14 minutes of ice-time and has produced 7 points this season. He is also 4th on the team in plus-minus with a plus 11.

Ranger Quits, Leaves Huge Hole in Roster.

2011-11-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

Sunrise, Florida -- Just days before the start of the season, the Florida Panthers have lost a key component to their defense. Paul Ranger has quit hockey and left the Panthers organization.

Ranger, 27 from Whitby Ontario, has left the league for personal reasons. No other information is known at this time. Rumors floating around Florida were he was upset with the latest contract talks between he and the Panthers. "We don't believe that to be the case," said GM IronMike. "We really can't say for certain why he quit but contract talks were just at the early stages."

Rangers' career had taken off in the past few seasons and was counted on as a 1 or 1a defenseman for the Panthers this season. "I'm not sure how many people realize how good Ranger was ... " said a clearly shaken GM. "He scored 55 points last season, top eight with all defenseman. And he was a plus 14. A Terrific talent at both ends of the rink.'

Ranger came to the Panthers from Anaheim as the main part of a 5 player trade back in 2006:
October 30, 2006 – Florida//Anaheim Trade:

TO FLA: Paul Ranger, Michel Ouellet & Jamie McGinn (Prospect)

TO ANA: Daniel Briere, Year 2007: FLA 5 (Justin Falk)

Paul Ranger career stats:

Year Team GP G A PTS. PIMs +/-

4 FLA 82 2 15 17 22 -8

5 FLA 82 5 23 28 21 -3

6 FLA 82 7 31 38 30 +31

7 FLA 82 10 34 44 26 +21

8 FLA 82 14 41 55 26 +14

He completes his career with 182 points in 410 games played.

Of course this is not the first time something like this has happened during IronMike's reign as GM in Florida. In 2008, during the season, super sniper Ivan Novoseltsev left the team to return home to Europe. He never played another NsHL game.

The loss of Ranger certainly means an expanded role for defenders Braydon Coburn, Mike Mottau and Brett Festerling. Coburn and Mottau should see more action in the crucial minutes of games this season. While Festerling might make the club after spending last season with the Panthers minor league team in Jacksonville.

Schremp Sent Down.

2011-02-06T06:48:00.000-08:00

FLORIDA -- What's the biggest taboo around the NsHL these days. It's the word DEMOTION. No player agent wants to hear the word, especially if it's about their player. But, the reality is the NsHL is the toughest league in the world and hard decisions are made every day.

This week when the Kessel's of this world are worried about their precious ego, a hard-working young man was demoted to the minor leagues without any fanfare. More shocking is he went without a dust-up and without whining and moaning like the normal pampered athlete.

Rob Schremp was dropped from the Florida Panthers roster. The once highly touted centre was relagated to the Panthers' American Hockey League farm club in Jacksonville, Florida.

Schremp, selected in the first round by the Panthers, 14th overall in the 2004 entry draft. He signed and played his first pro-season in 2009.

Last season he got his first taste for life in the NsHL. He played five games and was held pointless. This season he averaged almost nine minutes per game over 36 games and had just one assist.

"We still see positive signs in Robbie," said Panthers head coach Pete DeBoer.

"There's plenty of areas he can help us now, but he need a little more dimension to his game. We played him on the wing and on the fourth line and decided he needed more ice-time. For his long-term growth the best thing is for him to go down, work hard, mature his game, and when he comes back to us, he's ready to play."

Panthers Acquire Blake

2011-02-05T08:52:00.000-08:00

FLORIDA -- It comes as no surprise to see another trade between Florida and Nashville. The only shock is the minor nature of the deal. In the past these two teams have made some blockbuster deals moving the biggest names in hockey.

This week the Panthers acquired 37-year-old winger Jason Blake from the Preds for a fifth-round draft pick in 2012.

Florida general manager IronMike said he made the deal to acquire a veteran forward to help the Southern Cats [18-20-4 through 42 games] in their battle for a playoff spot down the stretch run.

"Jason's a player I've liked for a long time and we wanted to pursue him this past off-season," IronMike said. "But, the speed in which he moved took us by surprise and we never got in the bidding. Currently we have a very short window to get our season turned around. We need to start making up ground and we hope the addition of Blake is the first step."

Mike says the deal was done quickly because of the great relationship between the two general managers.

"It took about 24 hours, we talked briefly and then hammered out the deal the next day. Richard is a class GM. Very easy talks. From our view we get quality veteran leadership before the deadline, we felt Jason was a perfect fit. We wanted a guy to place into our top six and we wanted leadership from a proven NsHL producer."

In 38 games for the Predators this season, Blake scored five goals and 11 assists. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Panthers Announce Front Office Hiring

2010-11-26T20:41:00.000-08:00

Florida -- The Florida Panthers announced today the hiring of KYLE WAHLGREN as new assistant general manager.

"Kyle Wahlgren brings great knowledge and a fresh approach to our hockey staff," said Panthers GM IronMike. "He has shown us skills in roster management, scouting and line match-ups. He'll help the Panthers hockey club in many different areas."

Kyle is currently in Janesville, WI home to the Johan 'Moose' Hedberg Public Library. Why they worship a Swedish born goalie is one of several Janesville facts Mr. Wahlgren will be able help us understand. The other might be why Janesville is known as the City of Brad Park?

Anyways, it's assumed Kyle will move to Jacksonville in order to thoroughly understand the Panthers minor league system. In order to contact Mr. Wahlgren please note his address kwahlgren36 at gmail.com ...... and please jump over to Chicago Blackhawks blog - www.chicagosportsauthority.com.

Obviously with this type of background, Kyle will be a huge asset for the Panthers and the entire NsHL.

Cats Claw Back.

2010-05-23T16:20:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-05-22T15:36:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-07T18:20:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-05-01T07:49:00.000-07:00

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."

Waiting Game

2010-04-03T08:40:00.000-07:00

Florida -- With the entire weekend free of hockey games, the Florida Panthers have turned to some other sports to ease the wait. The Panthers currently hold down first in the Southeast Division. They are 3 points clear of the Washington Capitals with four games left to play. But, the Caps are sitting with five games left to play.

On friday while the Caps were battling the San Jose Sharks, the Panthers team met at Strikers for some bowling. The scores weren't the greatest but nobody cared, the night was good for some laughs and to get away from the grind.

"It's not often you get a full weekend with no games and no travelling," said Panthers forward Kris Draper. "we are having a blast this weekend."

Florida is currently riding a 12 game winning streak and it's been 24 games since they were outshot (Buffalo). Holding the hot stick for the Cats is Evgeni Malkin (10 goals during the win streak) and rookie Blake Wheeler (7 goals). Robert Lang and Wheeler each have 3 game winners during this streak.

The race for the Southeast is down to just the Caps and Cats. Washington beat San Jose 2-1 on Friday and then they play Carolina on Saturday and Calgary on Sunday. Winning the next two would give the Division lead back to the Caps.

"We want home ice," said Draper. "We want our fans involved and we want to give them another Division crown."

So while the Caps are slugging it out on the ice the Panthers are scheduled to visit the beach on Saturday and then it's off to play Jai-Alai on Sunday. At 190mph, Jai-alai is one of the fastest games going. "Let's see how well they play with us finishing our checks," joked Draper. "We might stick a net out their and see if they can score on Timmy."

Next game for Florida is Monday night against the Atlanta Thrashers followed by a game in Buffalo.

Conklin, Cats Shutout Caps.

2010-03-27T13:16:00.000-07:00

Washington -- The Florida Panthers won their ninth in-a-row in style stunning the home crowd and increasing their lead in the Southeast Division to three points.

Ty Conklin stopped 22 shots for his second shutout of the season and Evgeni Malkin had two goals and a helper as the Panthers continued their hot streak with a 5-0 victory over the Washington Capitals last night.

Conklin signed in the off-season to be the number one goalie in Florida won his team leading 24th game. Malkin scored the game winner with Nathan Horton, Justin Williams and Michel Ouellet also scoring for the Panthers.

The power-play was a huge weapon for the Southern Cats Friday night. Scoring three goals on the power-play while not taking any penalties was a huge advantage in this game.

Washington drops to three points behind the Panthers in the Southeast with a precious three games in hand. The Caps are still in charge of their own destiny. Next weekend they play three times while the Panthers do not play a single game. Obviously the Caps would like to play well and zip past the resting Panthers.

"We can't worry about those games in hand," Panthers captain Ed Jovanovski said. "You always do a little scoreboard watching. But our focus has always remained on our opponents."

The Panthers focus has been crystal clear this season, Jovanovski explains. "Back in November we read about the Washington - Atlanta bet. They totally tossed us aside. We were nothing to them. Our coaching staff posted it onto our wall and we have used it as motivation all season long. We want to win the Southeast again. Beating those teams three years straight would be huge for us."

Streaking Panthers Eyeing Playoffs.

2010-03-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

Florida -- Last night's 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators extended the Florida Panthers winning streak to four and saw the team climb into 7th in the Eastern Conference.

Florida held the Sens to a season low 15 shots against and received a game winning goal from Blake Wheeler his second in the last three games. "Overall i was very happy with the win tonight, said Cats coach Pete DeBoer. "I thought we contained them pretty good, but they made it close and scored on limited chances and it shows what a good team Ottawa is."

Sixteen games ago, the Panthers battled and lost to the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 in a shootout. Even though they lost, it was a game which might have turned the season around for Florida.

Since losing to Buffalo, the Panthers are 12-4 with significant wins over Washington, Atlanta, Dallas and Ottawa. During this streak the Panthers have used a powerful offensive push to their advantage. The last time a team out-shot the Panthers was the Buffalo loss 16 games ago.

Southeast Scene:
With precious few games remaining the Washington Capitals are hanging on by a thread to their Division lead. They are currently stumbling down-the-stretch with a three point advantage over Atlanta and Florida. The Caps are certainly looking over their shoulder and wondering if they can stay the course and close out the Division title. With three games in hand on both their rivals they should be able to nail down the title.

MALKIN KEEPS HIS BEACH HOUSE

2010-03-04T20:31:00.000-08:00

Sunrise, Florida -- The Florida Panthers signed Russian forward Evgeni Malkin to a new five-year contract worth $28.5 million on Monday.

Malkin, who leads his team in goals and points, is entering the final year of his rookie contract with the Panthers. After practice on Monday Malkin and Florida GM IronMike ripped up his old deal and signed a replacement. The new deal is effective immediately.

"We are very excited to have Evgeni signed to a long-term contract," said Panthers general manager IronMike.

"This is an important signing for our club. We are overjoyed with Evgeni and with his devotion to the future of the franchise and the city. This signing continues to ensure the young core of this team can stay intact for years to come. I want to thank Evgeni and his agent Mark Kopsack."

Malkin was dealt to Florida from the Nashville Predators on January 22, 2006. Malkin followed up his Selanne Trophy-winning rookie campaign by scoring a league high 93 points. Which helped him win the Gretzky Award this past season.

He added 18 points in 20 playoff games, as the Panthers lost to the Vancouver Canucks in the ’06 NsHL Cup final.

Later on Monday the club also announced they had locked up goalie Tim Thomas to a four-year contract. Sources say the deal could be worth up to $11 million.

Thomas, 35, has played so well this season the Panthers were forced to set-up a two-man rotation system for their goalies.

"Timmy has become a mainstay in such a short time. Every start, every practice he works very hard to earn his playing time. Now his numbers are matching his committment," IronMike said.

"We now believe with Ty and Timmy we have the type of goalies to compete with anyone in the league."

Panthers Moving Zubov

2010-02-06T17:18:00.000-08:00

Florida -- After another home loss the Florida Panthers find they are far removed from the playoffs in the tough Eastern Conference.

Panthers GM IronMike has announced Star dman Sergei Zubov will be moved to a contender.

Zubov has a terrific combination of DEFENSE (74), SCORING (69) and PASSING (73). Making Sergei the ideal player to help a team looking to improve any of those areas. His EXPERIENCE and LEADERSHIP will benefit all teams making a playoff run.

Zubov's current stats:
4 goals
21 assists
+1

Pittsburgh Kid Impresses NsHL GM's

2010-02-05T19:26:00.000-08:00

Mississauga, ON -- It was a MAJOR night in the OHL this evening as NsHL GM's IronMike McComish and Spencer Cawker were in the Hershey Centre watching the Mississauga Majors play host to the Saginaw Spirit. It turned out to be a tale of two prospects.

Rookie Spirit forward Vince Trocheck caught the eye of both GM's with his two point night pacing the Spirit to a big 4-2 road win. He showed good skill for an OHL rookie. But it was his pretty third period roof job which made the GM's really take notice of the Pittsburgh PA product.

"I was impressed with the game tonight," said IronMike. "Saginaw competed hard at both ends and were clearly the better team on this night."

As for young Trocheck, "He played a big game. He showed he could finish when given a chance. I realize he needs to get bigger and continue his development. But, in 2011 i'm sure a lot of NsHL GM's will be looking at this kid at the draft."

With a wink of eye IronMike completed his thoughts on Trocheck with this statement. As you know, the Pittsburgh area is highly scouted in the NsHL. It wouldn't shock me to find out 3 or 4 GM's already have him on their short list. And if they don't ..... they will now."

But we said this was a tale of two prospects and the other young lad in the spotlight tonight was Casey Cizikas. GM Cawker selected Cizikas in the 2009 NsHL entry draft. The highly successful Washington Capitals GM dropped everything to attend the game and check out his prized prospect. Let's just say he didn't like what he saw.

After scoring a goal in the first period to get his team in the game. Cizikas took three minor penalties in the final 21 minutes of play. "I think he was trying too hard," said IronMike. "It looked like he was a little nervous playing in front of the Caps big boss man."

As the buzzer went to end the game, a stern Spencer made a few gestures to his minions who went to the Majors dressing room to fetch Cizikas. Nobody is aware of what took place in the closed door meeting. Although rumors have already started to circulate in Washington over the availablity of Cizikas.

NOTES: Other players on display tonight were Chris Carrozzi (SJ prospect), Tim Billingsley (PIT prospect), Cameron Gaunce (NJD prospect), Jordan Szwarz (DAL prospect), the very big Cody Sol (TB prospect) and Edward Pasquale (LAK prospect). Carrozzi took the loss in goal for the Majors. Szwarz had a good game with two points and the first star. Pasquale was the winning goalie for Saginaw.

Cats Roller Coaster Season Continues.

2010-01-17T14:34:00.000-08:00

The first two months of the Florida Panthers season has seen both highs and lows. The year started with a poor 6-10 record with little signs that this was the playoff team from the previous two seasons.

Last year’s League Leading scorer Evgeni Malkin was off to a slow start. Then out of nowhere, the team started putting wins together. Their next period of games saw the Southern Cats go 8-4 with a season high 5 game winning-streak mixed into the middle of this stretch.

The fans in Southern Florida were talking playoffs again and had hope for a big season. Just as the Championship parade route was being finalized, the roller coaster started falling again. The Cats have struggled in their last four, as they are 1-3 in that span.

On the plus side of this ledger, the Cats point to Nathan Horton who leads the team in Goals, points, plus/minus, shots and game-winning goals.

Jay Bouwmeester is playing much better in his second stint with Florida. His 8 goals and 19 points are tops of any Panthers defender. His 722 minutes played are top five in the NsHL.

Florida is 2^nd in the League in goals scored at 2.97 per game. The power-play is clicking on all cylinders too. Scoring at a rate of 23% it is ranked second in the League. The Penalty Kill is going well for the Panthers. Ranked 7^th with 87.65% rate.

On the negative side, front line players Malkin and Kyle Calder are struggling with consistency. Malkin is a minus 9 and Calder has just 7 goals.

The Panthers are not playing well 5 on 5. With a special teams ranked 2^nd in the League you would think the Panthers would be thriving. But their play 5 on 5 is letting them down and it has cost the team.

The Cats sit just four points above the bottom team in the league. They are so much closer to the bottom then they are to the top. This might be the most shocking development in this season.

This team has shown the potential to compete is there. Whether or not they find any sort of consistency remains to be seen.

2010-01-10T16:23:00.000-08:00

go COWBOYS !!

bring on the Vikes

Panthers Franchise Leaders

2010-01-03T08:20:00.000-08:00

Franchise Leaders
	Career leader
Games	Branislav Mezei	489
Goals	Kyle Calder	142
Power-Play Goals	Jason Spezza	25
Shorthanded Goals	Marc Savard	5
Game Winning Goals	Kyle Calder	21
Assists	Kyle Calder	186
Points	Kyle Calder	328
Shots on goal	Kyle Calder	1,029
Best Plus/Minus	Kyle Calder	53
Penalty Minutes	Ivan Majesky	395
Goaltender Games	Patrick Lalime	324
Goaltender Wins	Patrick Lalime	133
Shutouts	Patrick Lalime	13


Single Season Records		TEAM

Record		Total	Year
Most Wins		46	2008–09 (Y6)
Fewest Wins		29	2004-05 (Y2)
Most Defeats		42	2004-05 (Y2)
Fewest Defeats		25	2008-09 (Y6)
Most Ties		16	2003-04 (Y1)
Fewest Ties		6	2007-08 (Y5)
Most Points		103	2008-09 (Y6)
Fewest Points		70	2004-05 (Y2)
Most Goals For		275	2008-09 (Y6)
Fewest Goals For		194	2004-05 (Y2)
Most Goals Against		266	2005–06 (Y3)
Fewest Goals Against		211	2003-04 (Y1)


Skaters

Record	Player	Total	Year
Goals	Kyle Calder	36	2008–09 (Y6)
Assists	Evgeni Malkin	59	2008–09 (Y6)
Points	Evgeni Malkin	93	2008–09 (Y6)
Power Play Goals	Jason Spezza	13	2005–06 (Y3)
Shots on Goal	Kyle Calder	263	2006-07 (Y4)
Penalties in Minutes	Ivan Majesky	160	2005–06 (Y3)

Goalies

Record	Player	Total	Year
Games Played	Patrick Lalime	82	2004–05 (Y2)
Wins	Patrick Lalime	35	2008–09 (Y6)
Shutouts	Patrick Lalime	7	2004–05 (Y2)

Kreps Nets First as Cats Beat Thrash

2009-12-28T13:40:00.001-08:00

Atlanta, GA -- Kamil Kreps scored his first career NsHL goal as the Florida Panthers defeated the Atlanta Thrashers 4-1 last night at Phillips Arena.

Florida dominated much of play outshooting the Thrashers 43-24. Thrashers goaler Evgeni Nabokov was valiant in the loss. His counterpart, Brian Boucher took just his second win on the season stopping 23 of 24 shots.

Jay Bouwmeester was a huge factor all night long for the Panthers. Bouwmeester scored the games first goal and then assisted on the other three to finish off as the game first star.

Kreps historic goal came at 13.55 of the first period. Kreps took a pass from Justin Williams and fired a shot through the legs of the Atlanta keeper. "It feels really good," said Kreps. "The coaching staff thought i could help the team. I've had some chances, tonight it shows how important it is to get pucks through to the net. I just have to keep shooting and hope more go in."

And what happened to the puck. "Justin made sure the puck got to our bench," a happy Kreps added. "It's a nice feeling, but tomorrow we play again so you kind of need to forget it for now and keep playing."

Nathan Horton scored his 8th and Williams added one of his own late in the third. Derek Roy scored for the Thrashers as they fell to fifth place in the Southeast Division.

A terrible incident occurred in the game during the second period. Thrashers defender Kevin Bieksa was ejected from the game at the start of the second frame. Bieksa received a major and a game misconduct for being a poo-head. Watch for the NsHL league brass to review the incident and come down hard on more players for being poo-heads. Apparently several GM's in the Eastern Conference encourage their players in this regard and it would be smart to stop this behaviour now.

Panthers Name Captain

2009-12-13T14:12:00.000-08:00

Florida -- Peter DeBoer the Florida Panthers head coach announced the club has named Ed Jovanovski as it's captain. Joining Jovanovski as assistant captains will be forwards Evgeni Malkin and Justin Williams.

"Ed was the best choice for our team," said DeBoer. "His leadership and experience are invaluable. He is a natural leader and works like a coach to the younger players in the room."

Jovanovski is playing his 7th season in the NsHL and has averaged 32 points per season. Ed has been a +82 over the course of his career and logged 654 penalty minutes. Jovanovski is playing his third season with Florida after signing as a free agent on October 15, 2007.

Many view newly appointed assistant captain, Evgeni Malkin as the club's future captain. He is the face of the franchise and it's best player. Malkin won the Wayne Gretzky Trophy in '09 and the Teemu Selanne Trophy in '08.

Justin Williams is easily one of the most popular players on the club and now will wear a letter on his jersey. All three leaders were acquired by current Panthers GM IronMike. They were brought in to make a difference and to take the organization to higher levels. This announcement is another step in that direction.

DeBoer and Deboys Finding their Stride

2009-12-12T10:17:00.000-08:00

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - When the flurry of coaching changes settled down earlier this season the Florida Panthers were happy to announce the hiring of Pete DeBoer as their new bench boss. The transition from Junior coach to head man in the NsHL has been a rocky road.

"You're trying to get everything done, learning the personnel, going through everything for the first time in the NsHL. It was overwhelming," DeBoer said. "Now that the season is underway I feel much more comfortable in all of those areas."

DeBoer has been called a players' coach by some. “He's a guy who will be honest and fair to you. He's going to tell you the truth,” said Cats winger Justin Williams. “He has an open-door policy and in just a few games the players feel real comfortable playing for Pete.”

"I think the first 10 or 12 games will be a tough transition,” said Deboer. “Keenan was a strong coach and the players were used to his way. Once we establish some accountability and reward for playing time based on merit, I think they will respond."

DeBoer can be hard on his players something the team experienced first-hand after a recent three-game losing skid. But nothing compared to the volatility of Mike Keenan.

"I don't think I’ll change my game," DeBoer said. "An 82-game schedule is a grind and you must use different tactics and techniques. But, I can’t change what has worked for me in the past." So far that formula has worked just fine. Deboer is a two-time winner of OHL Coach of the Year award and coached the Kitchener Rangers to a Memorial Cup victory in 2003.

Caps lucky to meet wounded Cats

2009-04-12T09:45:00.000-07:00

Washington -- Easter Sunday is a day the Washington Capitals can count themselves lucky. They get to host a banged-up Florida Panthers squad who would probably rather stay at home in sunny Florida and lick their wounds.

But the schedule must go on and the Southern Cats have made the trip to DC minus three starters. It could not come at a better time for the Capitals as they are making a huge late push for a playoff spot and they need every point.

In what could be a preview of a round one playoff series, Florida meets Washington coming off a 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. A result which also helped the very "lucky" Capitals as the Bolts are one point behind Washington in the playoff chase.

The Capitals enter the game off a 2-1 loss to the Champion Vancouver Canucks.

For the Panthers, Ed Jovanovski, Branislav Mezei and Marc Savard will all miss the game do to injury. Savard (broken nose) and Jovanovski (bruised heel) are in the worst shape and will miss 2-3 games. Look for waiver claim Karlis Skrastins to make his first appearence in a Panther uniform.

Cats clinch division .. claim Skrastins for playoff run

2009-04-09T17:29:00.000-07:00

Florida -- The Florida Panthers defeated the New York Rangers 4-3 last night to clinch their second straight Southeast Division. Kris Draper and PJ Axelsson each had two points to pace the Panthers to the home victory.

The game was undecided going into the final minute of play. Jay Bouwmeester rushed the puck into the Rangers end. Jay pulled up and passed the puck to Kyle Calder in the corner. Calder's pass into the slot was one-timed under the bar by Evgeni Malkin. Giving the Panthers a 4-3 advantage with just 38 seconds to play.

The win moved the Panthers to within one point of the Rangers for first overall in the East. Both teams have eight games left in the regular season. The final stretch should provide some excitement at the top of the table.

Karlis Skrastins Added to Florida Roster

The Florida Panthers added some depth to their roster with the waiver claim of Karlis Skrastins. Skrastins was placed on waivers by the Edmonton Oilers and Panthers management were quick to jump in and add Karlis to their team.

"Karlis adds some great depth" said GM IronMike. "We've told Karlis to get settled into South Florida because he will certainly provide a role for our team this season and next. We like what he can bring every night. He's a sound player at both ends of the rink. The coaching staff had no reservations about bringing him onto our team."

Watch for Skrastins to make his debut for the Cats this weekend.
Karlis Skrastins:
Season 6 ... played 21 games for Edmonton and had 3 goals and two assists.
Season 5 ... played 82 games for Nashville and recorded 4 goals and 11 assists.
Season 4 ... played 73 games for Colorado & San Jose and had 1 goal and 4 helpers.
Season 3 ... played 79 games for Colorado and recorded 3 goals and 5 assists.
Season 2 ... played 62 games for Colorado and had 1 goal and 9 helpers.

Cats beat Wild in straight sets: 5-2, 5-2.

2009-03-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

Florida -- The Florida Panthers extended their winning streak to five games last night with a 5-2 win at home over the Minnesota Wild.

The game was the back half of a home-and-home series. The Southern Cats took game one by the exact same 5-2 score.

The first game in Minnesota saw the Panthers erase a 2-0 second period deficit with 5 unanswered goals. Kyle Calder powered the Cats with a two goal game. Nathan Horton scored his 18th of the season and it stood as the game winner. Slick Cats defender, Sergei Zubov had a three point night with a goal and two helpers. Patrick Lalime was in goal for Florida and took the win. Ryan Miller was pulled from the game in the third by Wild coach Jacques Lemaire.

The second game was played in front of a sold out crowd in South Florida. The home team pounced on the Wild and held a 3-0 lead after two. Jay Bouwmeester scored his first in a Panther uniform this season and Evgeni Malkin scored the winner. Mike Modano and Derrick Walser scored third period goals for the Wild. Lalime won his second straight battle over Miller. Lemaire had his hook out again as he pulled Miller in favour of veteran Curtis Joseph.

Game Notes: The Panthers are 6-1-1 since the Jason Spezza - Jay Bouwmeester trade....the Cats have 25 sellouts this season from 28 home dates....Malkin and Marc Savard are one-two in the NsHL Scoring race....Malkin came back a little too early from his groin injury (ouch!)....he is expected to play Saturday night in Los Angeles although he will play a much more minor role.

Panthers rout Thrashers 7-1

2009-03-15T13:07:00.000-07:00

Florida -- The Florida Panthers made their sold out home crowd happy as Branislav Mezei had two goals and an assist to help lead the team to a 7-1 win over the Atlanta Thrashers Saturday night at the Enterprise Car Rental Center.

The Panthers (28-16-5) opened up scoring on a power play at 10:26 of the first period when Marc Savard centered a pass to Mezei who scored from the slot. Nathan Horton and Antti Miettinen also scored first period markers as the Cats jumped out to a 3-0 lead.

“We were flying at the start of the game,” said Head Coach Mike Keenan. “With 18 shots in the opening period it allowed us to take control and never let them get going.”

Horton scored his second goal of the game 5-hole on Atlanta goalie Evgeni Nabokov at 8:19 of the second from the right circle off a pass from Kyle Calder as the Panthers took a 4-0 lead. Panthers defender Braydon Coburn scored his 9^th of the season to make it 5-0 after two.

The Thrashers (21-25-3) got on the board at 10:54 of the third when Mike Cammalleri scored on the power-play. At 17:09 of the third period Patrick Eaves scored as he banked the puck of the back of Ty Conklin who replaced Nabokov to start the third. Mezei capped off scoring at 19:13 when he took a pass from Miettinen and scored glove-side on Conklin, making the final score 7-1 Florida.

“He had a strong game,” Miettinen said of Mezei. “The big guy was a force in both ends of the rink. Hitting, scoring and providing great defense.”

Manny Fernandez had 19 saves on 20 shots to win his 8th of the season. Nabokov had 19 saves on 24 shots while backup Conklin had six saves on eight shots after replacing Nabokov at the start of the third.

Game Notes: Marc Savard had a big game for Florida pitching in four helpers ... Ed Jovanovski played 25 minutes and was a plus four ... Savard leads the NsHL with a plus27 ... He also leads the league with 39 assists ... second year pivot Evgeni Malkin continues to lead the league in points with 59 points ... He’ll need to play the best hockey of his life to lead the league through the second half of the season ... the NsHL is a very strong league and a host of Superstar players are breathing down his neck including teammate Marc Savard.

Panthers sign two

2009-03-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

Florida -- The Florida Panthers signed two players to contracts last night. The Panthers signed 23 year-old center Matt Fornataro and 25 year-old right-winger Brandon Segal.

Earlier this week the Panthers made one of the most talked about trades in recent memory when they traded Jason Spezza and Daniel Carcillo to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Jay Bouwmeester and a draft pick. Because they lost two starting forwards from their roster the Panthers management decided it was time to re-stock the shelves.

Both Fornataro and Segal will be sent to the minors to get some added seasoning with the Jacksonville Jokers.

Fornataro, originally from Calgary, Alberta spent four seasons with New Hampshire University where he tallied 118 points in 158 games.
**for you NHL fans, Matt was signed by the San Jose Sharks in 2008 and currently plays with the Worcsheter Sharks**

Segal, originally from Richmond, British Columbia played in the Western Hockey League with the Calgary Hitman. He scored 206 points and had 434 penalty minutes in his Junior career.

**for you NHL fans, Brandon played his FIRST NHL GAME on March 3 for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Segal has suited up twice for TB and averaged about 13 minutes of ice-time.**

Cats get defensive.

2009-03-12T22:34:00.000-07:00

Florida -- The Florida Panthers made a shocking trade last night acquiring Jay Bouwmeester from the Nashville Predators. In Jay the Panthers get a 6'4 220 lb defenseman who can handle things at both ends of the rink. The smooth skating Bouwmeester has 18 points in 45 games this season.

The deal was a costly one as the Panthers gave up Jason Spezza. It was the classic deal that helps both teams. The Predators pick up a pivot who will play number one minutes while the Panthers bring the help they need on defense.

The trade breaksdown as follows:

TO FLA - Jay Bouwmeester and a first round pick in this year's draft (ATL)

TO NAS - Jason Spezza and Daniel Carcillo

Panthers GM Ironmike has this to say ..... "It was tough trade to make. Jason Spezza has been the face of this franchise for a number of years and posted big numbers for our club. We thank Jason for his contribution and for what he brought to our team. Daniel Carcillo is a young hard nosed winger who is just starting to make a name for himself in this league. We thank Daniel for his effort this season and wish him well in the future.
This season we have struggled on defense. The team is second in the league in team scoring but near the bottom in team defence. We have regularly given up too many quality scoring chances. It shows up on the scoreboard every night and we wanted to address this problem before the playoffs. Jay Bouwmeester can solidify our defense for years to come. He can shutdown top players and he can join the rush to create scoring chances. He skates and handles the puck well and we think he'll will fit in well with our defense corps."

Bouwmeester will suit up tonight when the Panthers play Montreal. The speculation is he'll be paired with veteran Chris Chelios. Bouwmeester should also see playing time on the power play with slick defender Sergei Zubov.

Spezza on the move??!?

2009-03-10T16:21:00.000-07:00

Florida -- The Florida Panthers announced Jason Spezza would not be in the line-up for their Wednesday game at home against their Southeast rival the Atlanta Thrashers.

Spezza is 100% healthy and the speculation is he could be on the move this week. The Panthers did not make any moves during the recent trade summit although they were hard work talking to many different teams.

"Jason will not play tomorrow night," said Panthers GM Ironmike. "We've been in contact with the Spezza camp and they understand we are trying to do what is best for the team and what's best for Jason Spezza. I'm not sure what will happen over the next 24-48 hours. But i can guarantee Jason will have fresh legs and be ready to play at an elite level later this week."

Obviously the whole story is not being released by Panthers Management. It appears the next few days will be vital to Florida Panthers and the rest of the NsHL.

Panthers 2008 Draft Review

2008-07-20T08:56:00.000-07:00

2008 NsHL Draft – First round – 30^th overall

Name: Nicolas Deschamps

Position: C

Shoots: Left

Height: 6-0

Weight: 173 lbs

Birthdate: 1990-01-06

Hometown: Delson, Quebec

Deschamps was ranked 35^th by NHL Scouting and he continues to rise in the rankings. Florida liked his talents and completed a trade to move down in the draft (from 26 to 30) to not only secure his rights but also pick up another 2^nd round pick (44^th overall).

Deschamps is a very good skater who battles hard for the puck. He played for Canada at the U18 Championship in April, where he helped the team to win gold. He scored three goals for Canada in his seven games. Deschamps is a player projected to be 2^nd or 3^rd liner with great work ethic and leadership.

2008 NsHL Draft – Second round – 44^th overall

Name: Jake Allen

Goalie

Height: 6-1

Weight: 175 lbs

Birthdate: 1990-08-07

Hometown: Fredricton, New Brunswick

By trading the 26^th overall pick in the draft, Florida took the player they wanted in Deschamps and got a bonus player at the 44^th position. Panthers scouts elected to improve team depth in goal with the selection of Jake Allen.

Allen played for Canada’s under-18 squad, leading Canada to a sweep of all seven games, picking up two shutouts in the process, posting an astounding .948 save percentage, and leading Canada to the gold medal.

Allen is quick between the pipes and great at moving the puck. He’s also strong at controlling the puck when he makes a save, limiting rebounds.

2008 NsHL Draft – Second round – 56^th overall

Name: Shawn Lalonde

Position: D

Shoots: Right

Height: 6-0

Weight: 175 lbs

Birthdate: 1990-03-10

Hometown: Orleans, Ontario

Lalonde is one of the best skaters in the draft. The Panthers picked him up because of his skating but they also get a quality puck-moving defenseman to develop on the farm.

Shawn will play next season in Belleville working on his game.

2008 NsHL Draft – Third round – 86^th overall

Name: Adam Henrique

Position: C

Shoots: Left

Height: 5-11

Weight: 183 lbs

Birthdate: 1990-02-06

Hometown: Burford, Ontario

Henrique is a solid two-way player. He scored 44 points two season in-a-row with Windsor. This past spring he had five points in five Playoff games.

He excels on face-offs and the penalty kill. He’ll get a chance to play on an improved Windsor team this season and that could help his already good offensive skills and instincts.

He projects as a third line, two-way center, who can score 15 goals a season.

2008 NsHL Draft – Fourth round – 116^th overall

Name: Nathan Moon

Position: C

Shoots: Right

Height: 5-11

Weight: 179 lbs

Birthdate: 1990-01-04

Hometown: Belleville, Ontario

The Panthers did not own a fifth round pick this year but they wanted to grab Moon who was projected to be a high fifth round pick. Panther’s management made one call to GM Miller in Nashville and arranged a four pick swap which nets the Panthers the high fifth rounder they wanted.

But on draft day Panthers Management got a little antsy. As they were about to make their fourth round selection Panthers GM IronMike began to waiver. He might have been bluffed out by another poker-playing GM or maybe he had reason to be worried.

Regardless, the Panthers war-room called out Moon as their fourth round pick screwing up their draft board.

In Moon, they get an offensive-minded forward with big offensive upside. He scored 77 points on a bad Kingston Frontenacs team of the OHL. Moon is young and probably can play two more seasons in the OHL working on his game. Florida likes his ability to play all three forward positions.

2008 NsHL Draft – Fifth round – 121st overall

Name: Justin Azevedo

Position: C

Shoots: Right

Height: 5-7

Weight: 183 lbs

Birthdate: 1988-04-01

Hometown: West Lorne, Ontario

Justin was the leading scoring in the OHL. His limitations have been well-documented. But this late in the draft the Panthers are more-than-willing to take a gamble on the kid. Plus the Panthers have always been known to favour OHL players so this pick is no shock to those who know IronMike.

"We think Justin can play in this league, “ IronMike said. “The kid is a winner and has character that we feel can make the difference."

Cats cursed by Tjutin-khamun

2008-05-31T16:11:00.000-07:00

Florida -- With the Florida Panthers up 2-0 in the NsHL Cup Finals the scene shifted to their home in Sunrise Florida.

Fedor Tjutin wrist shot found the back of the net and the Vancouver Canucks found themselves back in the series.

Tjutin scored twice and Doug Weight and Milan Hejduk each added a goal as the Canucks beat the Panthers 4-3 to take game three of the NsHL Final.

Florida still leads the best-of-seven series 2-1, winning 4-1 and 5-2 in the first two games.

The Canucks were full value for the win tonight as they came back from 2-1 and 3-2 deficits.

"Nobody quit," Doug Weight said. "Everybody was confident and it showed tonight. We played a solid road game tonight."

Game notes: The Cup Final is a definite road show with the road team winning all three games ...... Evgeni Malkin and Justin Williams scored in game three and have scored in back-to-back games ....... Nathan Norton added an assist and now leads the Panthers with 6 points in the series ..... the power-play was terrific in game three ..... the Canucks were a perfect one-for-one and the Panthers were 2 for 3 ...... the Panthers suffered another injury in game three when Antti Miettinen left the game with bruised shoulder and he will not play in game four ....... Patrick Eaves will get his first taste of action in the Cup Final.

Florida


EVEN STRENGTH

    CENTER                LEFT WING             RIGHT WING            DEFENCE               DEFENCE
1  Jason Spezza          Antti Miettinen       Evgeni Malkin         Sergei Zubov          Ivan Majesky
2  Marc Savard           Kyle Calder           Juraj Kolnik          Ed Jovanovski         Paul Ranger
3  Mike Sillinger        Justin Williams       Nathan Horton         Jason York            Branislav Mezei
4  Alyn Mccauley         Jay Pandolfo          Evgeni Malkin         Jason Strudwick       Ed Jovanovski


POWER PLAY

    CENTER                LEFT WING             RIGHT WING            DEFENCE               DEFENCE
1  Marc Savard           Kyle Calder           Evgeni Malkin         Sergei Zubov          Ed Jovanovski
2  Mike Sillinger        Justin Williams       Nathan Horton         Ivan Majesky          Paul Ranger


PENALTY KILL

    CENTER                WINGER                DEFENCE               DEFENCE
1  Alyn Mccauley         Jay Pandolfo          Sergei Zubov          Ivan Majesky
2  Mike Sillinger        Kyle Calder           Paul Ranger           Ed Jovanovski


STARTING GOALIE

  Patrick Lalime


SCRATCHES

  Patrick Eaves (Healthy)
  Joel Bouchard (Healthy)
  Petr Taticek (Healthy)

Vancouver


EVEN STRENGTH

    CENTER                LEFT WING             RIGHT WING            DEFENCE               DEFENCE
1  Brendan Morrison      Fredrik Modin         Milan Hejduk          Paul Martin           Martin Skoula
2  Doug Weight           Brenden Morrow        Shane Doan            Brad Stuart           Fedor Tjutin
3  Henrik Sedin          Daniel Sedin          Kirk Maltby           Mathieu Dandenault    Daniel Mcgillis
4  Doug Weight           Brenden Morrow        Milan Hejduk          Brad Stuart           Martin Skoula


POWER PLAY

    CENTER                LEFT WING             RIGHT WING            DEFENCE               DEFENCE
1  Brendan Morrison      Fredrik Modin         Milan Hejduk          Paul Martin           Brad Stuart
2  Doug Weight           Brenden Morrow        Shane Doan            Martin Skoula         Fedor Tjutin


PENALTY KILL

    CENTER                WINGER                DEFENCE               DEFENCE
1  Jason Arnott          Kirk Maltby           Martin Skoula         Fedor Tjutin
2  Henrik Sedin          Chuck Kobasew         Paul Martin           Daniel Mcgillis


STARTING GOALIE

  Rick DiPietro


SCRATCHES

  Ron Hainsey (Healthy)
  Brooks Orpik (Healthy)
  Trevor Letowski (Healthy)

31 seconds of horror

2008-05-31T15:27:00.000-07:00

Vancouver -- Game two of the NsHL Final was decided in a span of 31 seconds. The Florida Panthers won game two 5-2 and now have a two nothing advantage in the series.

The home crowd was stunned and watched in horror as the visitors scored three goals in the span of 31 seconds in the first period.

Jason York opened the scoring when his flutterball got past Canucks back-up goalie Chris Osgood. Just 19 seconds later Justin Williams got past the defense and beat Osgood glove side to make it 2-0. 12 seconds later Sergei Zubov long pass connected to Evgeni Malkin and from the top of the left circle he blasted a shot passed Osgood.

31 seconds and three goals and the Panthers were off to the races. The crowd was fit to be tied.

"I kept counting the Canucks players, it seemed we were playing without 5 guys," said Canucks fan Dennis Kearns. "What the &$#! happened?"

The visiting Panthers kept up the pace. Juraj Kolnik scored to make it 4-0 and the home crowd turned on Osgood. The crowd gave him the bronx cheer from that point on. After Paul Martin made 4-1 the Panthers went in for the kill. Zubov and Jason Spezza set up their third goal of the night this one converted by Antti Miettinen. This goal spelled the end of Osgood's night.

The Southern cats held the advantage of play the rest of the way and cruised to a 5-2 win.

Rick Dipietro played well to cement his status as the Canucks number one. He will obviously play the rest of the series healthy or not.

Game notes: The game turned out to be a battle of back-ups as Coach Keenan suprised most by starting Manny Fernandez over Patrick Lalime ...... The Canucks camp said Dipietro is battling flu type symptoms ...... when the media asked Keenan about the health of Lalime the coach answered "flu, sure that sounds like what he has" ........ Fernandez left the game in the second period holding his elbow ...... Keenan said he was day-to-day with an upper body injury ...... Ed Jovanovski was a physical force tonight leading all players with 7 hits.

Horton hears a who ... scores too!

2008-05-25T10:50:00.000-07:00

Vancouver -- Nathan Horton scored twice and Patrick Lalime made 26 saves as the Florida Panthers took Game 1 of the NsHL Cup Final on Saturday night 4-1 over the Vancouver Canucks .

Ed Jovanovski opened the scoring early in the second period with a quick snapshot past Canucks goalie Rick Dipietro.

Horton then wheeled down the wing and fired a wrist shot through the pads of Dipetro. Vancouver sniper, Milan Hejduk blasted a one-timer past Lalime to make the score 2-1 for the Panthers as they took the second break.

Horton and Mike Sillinger scored late in the third to pad the lead.

"Horton had 11 points heading into the Final," explained Coach Keenan. "With only two goals in the post season he's been finding other ways to help us. Tonight he looked like the great power forward that we all think he can be."

The Canucks were flying in the opening ten minutes of the game. They clearly took control early and Lalime was called upon to make some key saves in the first frame.

"We gave up some chances," said Sillinger. "Patty was strong in the nets. He's been terrific for us."

Once the Panthers got through the first period and the strong start of the Canucks. They settled down and played a great game in the final two periods to earn the victory. The early second period goal was a key and then scoring on a power play soon after was enough to quiet the crowd and take much of the steam out of the Canucks attack.

Game notes: Jovanovski's first period goal was his first of the post-season ..... Jovocop led all skaters with 25 minutes of ice-time ...... both teams rolled over four lines and received some good quality minutes from the third and fourth lines ..... Florida received three goals from their third line and the fourth line scored the only goal for the Canucks ...... Lalime will not skate today as he is battling fatigue ...... he has been listed as a game-time decision for Game 2.

Vancouver


EVEN STRENGTH

    CENTER                LEFT WING             RIGHT WING            DEFENCE               DEFENCE
1  Brendan Morrison      Fredrik Modin         Milan Hejduk          Paul Martin           Martin Skoula
2  Doug Weight           Brenden Morrow        Shane Doan            Brad Stuart           Fedor Tjutin
3  Jason Arnott          Daniel Sedin          Kirk Maltby           Ron Hainsey           Daniel Mcgillis
4  Henrik Sedin          Chuck Kobasew         Milan Hejduk          Brad Stuart           Mathieu Dandenault


POWER PLAY

    CENTER                LEFT WING             RIGHT WING            DEFENCE               DEFENCE
1  Brendan Morrison      Fredrik Modin         Milan Hejduk          Paul Martin           Brad Stuart
2  Doug Weight           Brenden Morrow        Shane Doan            Martin Skoula         Fedor Tjutin


PENALTY KILL

    CENTER                WINGER                DEFENCE               DEFENCE
1  Jason Arnott          Kirk Maltby           Martin Skoula         Fedor Tjutin
2  Henrik Sedin          Chuck Kobasew         Paul Martin           Daniel Mcgillis


STARTING GOALIE

Rick DiPietro


SCRATCHES

Brooks Orpik (Healthy)
Valtteri Filppula (Healthy)
Trevor Letowski (Healthy)

Florida


EVEN STRENGTH

    CENTER                LEFT WING             RIGHT WING            DEFENCE               DEFENCE
1  Jason Spezza          Antti Miettinen       Evgeni Malkin         Sergei Zubov          Ivan Majesky
2  Marc Savard           Kyle Calder           Juraj Kolnik          Ed Jovanovski         Paul Ranger
3  Mike Sillinger        Justin Williams       Nathan Horton         Jason York            Branislav Mezei
4  Alyn Mccauley         Jay Pandolfo          Evgeni Malkin         Jason Strudwick       Ed Jovanovski


POWER PLAY

    CENTER                LEFT WING             RIGHT WING            DEFENCE               DEFENCE
1  Marc Savard           Kyle Calder           Evgeni Malkin         Sergei Zubov          Ed Jovanovski
2  Mike Sillinger        Justin Williams       Nathan Horton         Ivan Majesky          Paul Ranger


PENALTY KILL

    CENTER                WINGER                DEFENCE               DEFENCE
1  Alyn Mccauley         Jay Pandolfo          Sergei Zubov          Ivan Majesky
2  Mike Sillinger        Kyle Calder           Paul Ranger           Ed Jovanovski


STARTING GOALIE

 Patrick Lalime


SCRATCHES

 Patrick Eaves (Healthy)
 Joel Bouchard (Healthy)
 Petr Taticek (Healthy)

Cats feel like dogs.

2008-05-24T11:43:00.000-07:00

Vancouver -- As the NsHL Cup Final gets ready to begin later today the Florida Panthers are hoping to overcome the odds and win one more series.

Coach Keenan held his first press conference yesterday and told the media his team is a huge underdog. "The Canucks have a great team," explained Keenan. "They are everyone's choice. They are solid down the middle and we have always thought that was one of our strengths too."

The coach was quick with the cliche to the media. According to Keenan its the Panthers against the rest of the world. He said the Cats have to take it one game at a time. He was also very kind to Patrick Lalime saying "Our goalie has really bailed us out."

With the cliches out of the way he complained that his GM is jinxing his team and he even took a few shots at his players for carrying the trophy around Scotiabank Place last week. "I guess we should have explained to these guys what you do with the trophy," said Keenan. "Don't touch it!!"

Panthers players Mike Sillinger and Jay Pandolfo skated around the Ottawa rink with the trophy and then rushed it into the dressing room where it was hoisted by all the players.

"This team is killing me," said Keenan. "You know i had a full head of hair last week. Now its gone."

Game notes: The Panthers head into the Final as healthy as can be expected at this time of year. Lalime has recovered from the injury which forced him out of game four against the Sens. Keenan has confirmed Lalime will start the opener ..... a few line-up changes are planned by the Panthers but Keenan was tight lipped about what that could mean ...... one switch in practice had Marc Savard skating with wingers Kyle Calder and Juraj Kolnik ........ secondary scoring will need to continue if the Southern Cats have a chance of beating the Canucks ....... Nathan Horton, Kolnik, Calder, Savard and Justin Williams will all need to be at their best in the NsHL Final.

Dream season rolls on, NsHL Cup is up next.

2008-05-22T19:44:00.000-07:00

Florida -- For the Florida Panthers its been a spring of firsts. The played their first NsHL playoff game. Then they took out the New Jersey Devils to win their first playoff series. After beating the Philadelphia Flyers they had a chance to play against the Ottawa Senators.

The Sens series brought two more firsts to the franchise. The 4-0 series sweep was the first playoff sweep for the Southern Cats. But more importantly, the win meant the team had captured its first Eastern Conference Championship. Which leads to another first, a birth in the NsHL Cup. Whats next?

The Panthers started the playoffs with only two players with Cup rings. Jason York had played on a Cup winning team in New Jersey. While Alyn McCauley was a "black ace" for the San Jose Sharks in their Championship run.

Not exactly a huge amount of playoff savvy in the Panthers dressing room. But the Cats have been full value for their playoff victories.

Series One v. New Jersey:

The Panthers wore down the Devils. They battled hard every game and took over the series with game 3 and 4 wins in the swamp. The Devils just seemed to wilt late in the series.

Cats top players:

Jason Spezza 11 points
Evgeni Malkin 6 points

The top line of Spezza, Malkin and Miettinen was put together during this series and it paid off big for all three. Another big story was the play of Juraj Kolnik who had two goals in the series, both game winners. The defense was led by the great play at both ends from Sergei Zubov. Let's not forget the veteran York. The light scoring dman had two goals in the series, one a game winner.

Series Two v. Philadelphia:

The toughest series for the Panthers. They will look back at this series and say they didn't win but they survived. Four one-goal decisions in this series shows how tight it was. Injuries hurt the Panthers as they couldn't ice their full squad. A 4-0 shutout win in Philadelphia was the highlight and let everyone know the Cats were for real.

Cats top players:

Nathan Horton 7 points
Petr Taticek 7 points
Justin Williams 7 points

With all the injuries (and the Marc Savard suspension) the Panthers had to make some changes to their front lines. One change was the call-up of Petr Taticek. His play with Horton and Williams was one of the keys to their play in this series. Williams scored five goals in the six game series. Paul Ranger had a big offensive series from the blue line and Kolnik continued to score big goals. Ed Jovanovski had a good series and is starting to become the dominant Panthers dman. Laying out big hits, logging lots of ice-time and chipping in on offense too.

Series Three v. Ottawa:

The series sweep of the Sens was about the Cats keeping the pedal to the medal. But it was also about the poor play of Ottawa.

Cats top players:

Mike Sillinger 7 points
Evgeni Malkin 6 points
Jason Spezza 6 points

The cats now won three series with a different players leading the scoring in all three. Sillinger was the big story in games one and two. With Spezza and Savard beiong in and out of the line-up it was crucial for Sillinger to step up his game. Ranger had another good series and is starting to become their top offensive threat from the blue-line. Miettinen had a good series scoring three goals including the winner in games two and three. Malkin and Spezza ripped up the Sens in game four scoring 5 points each. The Malkin hattrick in game four was the best individual performance from a Panther this season.

Heading into the NsHL Cup Championship the Florida Panthers have several players who have stepped up in these playoffs. But they have only one true MVP, Patrick Lalime.

Lalime has been rock solid all spring. His record is 10-2 and he has a sparkling 1.78 GAA. He also has two shutouts this spring. The Cats will need another great series from Lalime to win its first NsHL Title.

2004 deal haunts 2008 Sens

2008-05-14T20:37:00.000-07:00

Ottawa -- Who could ever imagine the type of impact a trade could have 4 years after the fact. A massive trade between the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers several years ago is being felt on the ice in this years Eastern Conference Final.

The blockbuster deal was as follows:

July 22, 2004 – Florida//Ottawa Trade:

TO FLA: Jason Spezza, Patrick Lalime, Igor Mirnov (prospect), Patrick Eaves (prospect) & Year 2006: OTT 4 (traded to NASH on 01/22/06)

TO OTT: Roberto Luongo & Year 2005: FLA 1

The trade involved some big names moving around. Jason Spezza and Roberto Luongo are Franchise changing type of athletes.

The early returns on this deal were pretty one sided as the Senators won back to back Presidents Trophies in '04-05 and '05-06. The Sens are still a major force in the NsHL as their march to the Eastern Final showed this season.

Luongo is now in Los Angeles and has his team two games away from a birth in the Championship Series.

In the long term this trade is proving to be quite a problem for the Senators. Lalime (a trade throw-in) is currently backstopping the Panthers to a series win over the Sens. Lalime has faced 97 shots in the Eastern Final and stopped 92 of them. He's been the main difference in this series as he outplays the goalie tandem in Ottawa.

Jason Spezza is also making life very tough on his former team. Spezza plays on the number one line for Florida and they've produced two of the three game winners against Ottawa in this East Final.

Panthers current management spoke out about the trade after practise today. "The current administration owes a great deal to the previous GM. The deal has helped build the Franchise to its point today. We recognize the potential in Spezza and felt great to have him in the organization. Patrick and Jason are key ingredients to every thing we've accomplished to date and we hope they continue to make life miserable for their former mates."

The Panthers hope to continue to frustrate the Sens and the rest of the NsHL with Spezza and Lalime leading the way.

Florida beats Ottawa to take 3-0 series lead.

2008-05-13T20:52:00.000-07:00

Ottawa -- Antti Miettinen scored his second game winner in a row to propel the Florida Panthers into a commanding 3-0 series lead.

The Ottawa Senators pumped up by the home crowd had a tremendous first period on Tuesday night. But the Sens could not beat their former teammate Patrick Lalime.

Lalime stopped 14 shots in the first period to set the tone for the rest of the night.

"Patty has been terrific for us," said Jason Spezza. "They came out flying and he kept us in the game."

After weathering the storm, the Southern Cats scored late in the first period thanks to a Paul Ranger one-timer. It was Rangers 5th goal in his last 9 playoff games for the Panthers.

Kyle Calder scored a short-handed goal in the second period which deflated the Sens and lifted the Panthers to a 2-0 lead. It was a lead they needed as the Sens fought back in period three to make it close. Miettinen's game winner was sandwiched between Ottawa goals from Cammalleri and Phaneuf.

Game four goes Thursday night with Ottawa needing the win to stay alive.

GAME NOTES: Mike Sillinger continues his brilliant play versus the Sens. Sillinger had two assists in game three which gives him 7 points in the series ...... Marc Savard was back in the line-up after sitting out the last four games due to a suspension ..... Petr Taticek was sent to the press box to make room for Savard ..... Taticek had seven points in seven playoff games ..... Jonas Hiller was the surprise starter in goal for Ottawa. He made 25 saves in a losing cause.

Sillinger Stops Sens

2008-05-10T05:41:00.000-07:00

Florida -- The Florida Panthers won the first battle over the Ottawa Senators in the war to claim the Eastern Crown. In front of another soldout crowd, the Panthers won game one of the best of seven series 4-2.

It could easily be said the Southern Cats actually survived more than won the game. Although they more than kept up with the grit of the Sens, Ottawa had much more of the attack time and peppered Panthers goalie Patrick Lalime all night long.

Although outshot by the Sens 41-29, the Panthers had control of the scoreboard for much of the game. Mike Sillinger was leading the charge for the Cats with 2 goals and a helper. While Paul Ranger added two points including the Game Winner.

The Big Cats grabbed a quick 1-0 advantage early in the first on a power-play goal by Ivan Majesky. Less than a minute later, Sillinger banged away a rebound for his first of the night and the Panthers were off to a flying start.

The Sens got a goal from Brandon Bochenski in the opening frame and then tied the game midway through the second period on a goal by Scott Thornton. The Sens certainly owned the middle stanza and were starting to take over momentum in the game.

But the third period proved to be a time for Sillinger to shine. He set-up the eventual game winner by Ranger at 4.07 and then scored late in the frame on a pretty little deke.

The game did have some messy moments. Several scrums and yap-fests took place during the game. In the third period, Scott Thornton hit the Panthers star pivot Jason Spezza with a clean crunching hit. His linemate Evgeni Malkin took a long run at Thornton and his boarding penalty was the only call on the play.

Coach Keenan was not happy with Malkin taking the penalty but did like his stars jam saying afterwards:
"We can't take silly penalties like that. This team will make us pay ... for sure. I thought we battled well tonight and obviously Evgeni was showing what he thought of the hit on Jason. Sticking up for a fallen teammate is something he probably would not have done earlier this season. I don't think the coaching staff has any problems with our performance tonight. But we don't want too much undisciplined play."

GAME NOTES: Patrick Lalime continues to be the biggest story of these playoffs. Lalime stopped 39 of 41 shots and upped his record to 8-2 in the post season...... David Aebischer got the call for the Sens and stopped 25 of 29 shots. The goalie call for game two should be interesting for the Sens coaches. It could be anyone ... maybe even the ghost of Percy LeSueur.......Jason Spezza is listed as a game time decision for game two with an upper body injury. Spezza has been nagged with several injuries in this post season run. He missed one game last series against the Philadelphia Flyers and left game one in obvious distress.......The Cats rolled four lines most of the game showing a nice balanced attack........The Sens used just three lines forcing Steve Begin and Wayne Primeau to be stuck riding the pine all night.......Ed Jovanovski was a strong force again last night playing a team leading 24 minutes......The line of Sillinger, Kyle Calder and Juraj "playoff performer" Kolnik was a combined +9 with 2 goals 4 assists and ten shots on goal.

Panthers Make Eastern Final

2008-05-07T19:51:00.000-07:00

Florida -- The Florida Panthers Playoff run will continue for atleast one more series after they eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.

The Panthers played only one game in the series with a full line-up. In the first two games they played without Jason Spezza and Evgeni Malkin as the pair were injured in game one and missing from game two. The team scored 2-1 victories in both games to take a 2-0 advantage over the Flyers.

In the third game, Marc Savard was out of the line-up nursing an injury and the team won a key road game 5-3. Game four was the only game the Cats iced their full line-up. It resulted in a 4-3 overtime loss. The Flyers had crawled back into the series down 3-1.

In the final two games of the series the Panthers played without Marc Savard who was suspended by the league. After losing game five 3-2, the Panthers played a perfect game six and shutout the Flyers 4-0.

The Series versus Philadelphia was a very close one. Four of the six games were settled by one goal. The Panthers did not take a penalty over the final two games. It turned out to be important because the Panthers gave up 3 powerplay goals during the first four games of the series.

Important players in the series included:

The line of Nathan Horton, Justin Williams and Petr Taticek. This line was put together because of injuries to Spezza and Savard. The line combined to score 6 goals and 15 assists along with one game winner. The line was getting stronger as the series went on, Williams scored 5 goals in the final four games. Petr Taticek had 7 points in just five games.

On defense, the top pairing was Paul Ranger and Ed Jovanovski. Ranger had three goals and five points. Jovanovski added three helpers in the series and provided good tough play from the blueline. Jovocop played in all situations and was often double shifted to take advantage of his solid play.

Other solid performances came from Juraj Kolnik and Patrick Lalime. Kolnik played an intense series and contributed many big hits. Kolnik leads the Panthers in hits during this playoff run. He chipped in three goals during the series including the Series winner. Patrick Lalime is now 7-2 in these playoffs and leads all goalies in playoff shutouts with two.

Ranger a Danger as Cats Win Game Two.

2008-04-26T18:53:00.000-07:00

Sunrise, Floida -- Despite missing their two best players, the Florida Panthers gutted out a 2-1 home victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. They now lead the series 2-0.

Jason Spezza and Evgeni Malkin were the top two scorers during the regular season for the Panthers. But both got hurt in game one and missed game two. The Panthers played a different type of game tonight. They were counting punching more and they lacked a physical edge for the first time this post season. But the fact remains they came through with a large victory on home ice.

For the second straight game Paul Ranger scored with a blast from the point.

"Ranger has elevated his game this season," said Panthers GM IronMike McComish. "It's so important to have that secondary scoring, especially with the injuries we faced tonight. Paul is getting his point shot on net and it's finding the mark this series. Obviously we hope he keeps it going."

Early in the final frame the Panthers received a big goal from the fourth line when Alyn McCauley scored his 3rd of the post season. It turned out to be a vital goal as the Flyers scored late to make it close.

The injury bug continues to bite the Cats in this series. Marc Savard left the game early in the second period. He was seen limping off the ice to the trainers room. But a release from the team after the game lists Savard as day-to-day with an upper body injury. Go figure!

Game Notes: Patrick Lalime won his fifth straight playoff game. He now has a 1.36 GAA in the post season......Patrick Eaves played his third game in the post season taking the place of Evgeni Malkin......Petr Taticek was called up from the Jacksonville Jokers to play on the second line. He replaced Jason Spezza and assisted on the first goal of the game by Paul Ranger......Most insiders questioned the Panthers decision to acquire Alyn McCauley at the trade deadline. McCauley is making it look like a very wise move. Alyn now has a team leading three goals in the Playoffs......The Panthers have listed Jason Spezza, Evgeni Malkin and Marc Savard as game-time decisions for game three in Philadelphia on Monday night.......Speaking of Philadelphia, Bruno St. Jacques was added to the line-up for game two replacing the suspended Chris Phillips. St. Jacques played 19 quality minutes in his first game this post-season.

Kolnik Earns Top Line Consideration.

2008-04-25T18:19:00.000-07:00

Sunrise, Florida -- Juraj Kolnik is like most of the Florida Panthers, until this season he had no Playoff experience. Kolnik differs from all the other members of the Southern Cats because half way through this season he was still toiling in the minors.

Kolnik who had played 74 games in '03-04 and '04-05 under a different Panthers management was a player who was still trying to find his way in the NsHL. But just before his third season things changed in Florida as new GM McComish changed the look of the wingers on the pro roster.

"We brought in Williams and Pandolfo ... Miettinen was emerging," explained the GM. "We thought Juraj needed to find his game with Jacksonville."

Just when he thought he might become a permanent fixture in the "wrong" part of Florida. Kolnik was called up to replace Patrick Eaves in the line-up. Aside from his usual hard-hitting style, Kolnik potted two goals including the game-winner in Washington one night and had impressed enough to stay for the long haul.

"Every time I get a chance to get a shot I try to put the puck on the net,'' said Kolnik, who has two goals in his six playoff games. "Playing with Savvy and Calder, I just go to the net hard and try to bang in the corners.''

Whatever the strategy its paying off in the Playoffs. Kolnik is fourth on the team in Playoff scoring with 5 points in 6 games, including game winners in game three and five in the New Jersey series.

The amount of injuries suffered lately by the Panthers could mean the line of Kolnik, Savard and Calder will be skating as the top line in game two versus Philadelphia.

Game Notes: The Panthers wounded, Nathan Horton, Jason Spezza and Evgeni Malkin all skated today but none went all-out. All are listed with upper body injuries, Horton gave a thumbs up when asked if he will play in game two. Coach Keenan said both Malkin and Spezza will be game time decisions for game two.

The Philadelphia Flyers will have to play without defenseman Chris Phillips in game two tomorrow. Phillips has been given a one game suspension by the NsHL for his brutal hit on Malkin from game one.

Cats Take Game One

2008-04-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

Florida -- Round two of the NsHL Playoffs began tonight with a rough-n-tumble game between Florida and Philadelphia. The Cats clawed their way to a hard-earned 2-1 victory to take a 1-0 series advantage.

The first period was evenly played but the Flyers showed they came to play a hard-nosed banging and crashing game. Gilbert Brule took the first of three charging penalties on the night for the Flyers.

Cats Coach Keenan: "They were running our guys all night. One thing is for sure, they found out in a hurry we can play that game too."

The second period saw the Cats take charge. Paul Ranger scored his first point of the post season when his point blast found the back of the net early in the second frame. Evgeni Malkin then fired a one-timer past Flyers goalie Evgeni Nabokov to make it two-zip.

During the second period, Panthers top scoring pivot, Jason Spezza left with an upper-body injury. Spezza did not return to the game and had a quick and terse "no comment" when asked if he would play in game two.

The third period had an edge to it from the outset. 36 minutes in penalties were called and the Panthers lost another Superstar to injury. Malkin left the game after a dirty hit from Flyers defender Chris Phillips. Malkin was taken to a local hospital for observation. Phillips received a two minute penalty, a ten minute misconduct and was ejected from the contest.

When hockey was being played it was all Panthers in the frame. But, Nabakov would keep his team in the game . The Flyers would rally thanks to a Ruslan Fedotenko goal to cut the lead in half. But the Southern Cats kept their advantage and won game one.

Game Notes: Nathan Horton was back in the line-up after missing game 4 and 5 of the first round series versus New Jersey. Horton was clearly not his normal self posting no hits and a minus-1.

Patrick Lalime made his 4th straight start in goal and stopped 17 of 18 shots to earn the win.

Paul Ranger had 5 shots on goal including one goal after being held pointless by the Devils. Ed Jovanovski was a massive star in game one. He logged 25 minutes was a plus-2, fired 3 shots and 6 hits plus he took a penalty and added a helper on Rangers goal.

Cats Grab 3 of 4 from Bolts.

2008-03-27T20:09:00.000-07:00

-FLORIDA-

A midweek double-header between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning saw the Panthers take 3 of a possible 4 points. The Cats won the first contest 4-3 and both teams skated to a 4-4 draw two days later. Florida keeps a little distance between them and the Carolina Hurricanes in the Southeast Division.

The game Tuesday night was a nail-biter. A game Tampa will look back on as one that got away. Leading 3-2 with about 2 minutes to play the Bolts were called for two penalties which turned into two power-play goals for the Panthers. First was a long point blast from Paul Ranger which found its way through a maze of skates and legs. Then with just 36 seconds left on the clock Antti Miettinen scored the game winner.

Ranger was the star on this night for the Southern Cats with a goal and two helpers. Kyle Calder scored his 26th early in the third frame. Joel Bouchard got the comeback started by scoring the only goal in a lackluster second period.

Game two of the short series went Thursday and it saw the Bolts grab another advantage. Leading 4-2 midway through the game, Tampa could not close-out the stubborn Cats. Tonight it was Nathan Horton as the hero with two goals to give the Panthers the tie. Horton now has 24 goals on the season, a career high.

"I thought we played a much better game tonight," offered Coach Keenan. "The other night we took advantage of some power-plays, tonight we really played hard and played a full 60 minutes. We took the body and had plenty of scoring chances."

Patrick Lalime was named the starter for both games and earned the praises of the coach. "We knew these were two huge games for us against a division rival, we called on Patrick and he gave us what we needed."

Game Notes:

The addition of Alyn McCauley has allowed the coaching staff to ice four solid and balanced lines. Mike Sillinger and Jay Pandolfo have anchored the fourth line and are starting to contribute in limited ice-time. Sillinger scored two in a wild 7-6 win over Atlanta. Pandolfo scored a goal against Tampa while playing just 5 minutes.

Nathan Horton has scored three goals in the last three games and is having a breakout year for the Panthers. His play has lessened the mid-season loss of Ivan Novoseltsev.

The Panthers have spent some time recently trying to improve its special teams. The power-play has looked much improved but the penalty killing has not. The opposition has scored a power-play goal in five straight games against the Cats. During those five games, the Panthers have given up 7 goals in the last 16 short-handed attempts. Coach Keenan will no doubt have some not so nice things to say to his PK units.

Up next ... a trip to Washington to face the Caps.

Panthers Streak Towards Playoffs; Add Depth at Deadline.

2008-03-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

FLORIDA -- The Florida Panthers have taken points in seven straight games. The streak started with a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. It continued with a win over Southeast rival the Washington Capitals, then road wins over Los Angeles Kings and Carolina Hurricanes. The Southern Cats made it five straight wins when they clobbered the Atlanta Thrashers 6-1.

A sellout crowd then watched as the Panthers fought the New Jersey Devils to a 2-2 tie. Then last night on the road against the Colorado Avalanche , Ed Jovanovski scored in the third period as the teams skated to a 4-all draw.

The late season surge has enabled the Panthers to build a seven point cushion over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the race for the Southeast Division Title. The Panthers are seeking their first Division crown under the Management of IronMike.

In the past twenty games, the Southern Cats have posted a record of 12-6-2 while making a steady climb up the Eastern Conference table. They've managed to get within 3 points of Conference leading New York Rangers. With 14 games to play in the regular season, the sun is certainly bright in Florida as they gear up for spring hockey.

Panthers Add McCauley at the Deadline.

The Florida Panthers went into deadline day looking to fine tune its line-up as they prepare for the stretch drive. Nobody was looking for bigs things from IronMike at this deadline. His team is built through youth and they've developed really well this season.

It was thought the Cats had two minor holes to fill, one at center and one on defense. No additions were added to the blue-line, although it was thought for most of the day the Panthers were the leading candidates to get M.A. Bergeron out of Edmonton.

The team added a center when they sent, farm hand Mike Greene (no not that Mike Greene) and a 5th round pick in 2008 to the Oilers for Alyn McCauley.

In McCauley the Cats acquired a smooth-skating two-way pivot who is always working hard for his teammates. Alyn is a UFA after this season.

TEAM NOTES: Two Panthers were named to the Eastern Conference All-star team. Jason Spezza and rookie phenom Evgeni Malkin will be skating against the West all-stars in the annual NsHL game.

Up next for the Panthers is a trip to Carolina to play the Canes. Then two at home versus the Atlanta Thrashers.

Panthers Scouting Prospects

2008-02-17T08:15:00.001-08:00

Brampton, Ont -- Panthers GM has left the playoff drive and trade deadline talks behind for the day. The Florida management team are in Brampton today scouting some of the best prospects on the planet.

The Panthers are always looking for great young talent. On display today at the "bunker" in Brampton are:

Lining up for the Hometown Battalion:

CODY HODGSON #19 ... gifted Center entered the 2007-08 campaign as one of International Scouting Service's top-10 rated prospects for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft .

MATT DUCHENE #9 ... soaring up the prospect ranks ... watch for him in the '09 draft.

CORY EMMERTON #25 ... drafted by DET in the NsHL

BOB SANGUINETTI #24 ... drafted by MIN in the NSHL

For the visiting PETES:

ZACH BOGOSIAN #4 ... "Boggs" to his mates ... dman will be hot property in '08 draft

JOHN ARMSTRONG #11 .. drafted by WSH in the NsHL

Of course the Panthers are hoping to see Petes goalie TREVOR CANN in action today. Cann was picked in round two (40th overall) of the '07 NsHL draft by Florida.

**Notes**
Watch the FLABLOG for all the exciting news from Panther-land as the trade deadline approaches. With the Panthers fighting for a playoff spot it is expected the team will be buying at the deadline.

Cats Sneak Past Isles; Horton Nets Hattrick.

2008-02-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

Florida - The New York Islanders and the Florida Panthers played a wide open, friendly game of shinny tonight. The game was a high scoring affair with not one penalty. Kyle Calder scored the game winner in the third and the Southern Cats hung on for a 5-4 win.

The Panthers carried the play for the first two periods. They out-shot the Isles 28-15 through two frames and held a 4-2 advantage on the scoreboard. Panthers winger Nathan Horton scored three goals in the first two periods to pace the Panthers.

In the third, it was all New York. They were charging hard at Florida for much of the third period and Saku Koivu scored to cut the lead to one with just three minutes to play. Panthers goalie, Manny Fernandez held sway and the Panthers escaped with a one goal win.

NOTES: Marc Savard assisted on all three goals by Horton. Isles defender, Mattias Ohlund left the game with an injury, its not expected to be anything serious. The Panthers have six forwards with 14 or more goals. Calder leads with 19. Paul Ranger has been moved to the second line playing with Ed Jovanovski, against the Isles he played 23 minutes and was a plus2.

Panthers Rally After Losing Novoseltsev

2008-01-12T08:32:00.000-08:00

The Florida Panthers have lost a key player in their quest for a playoff spot. Ivan Novoseltsev has been released by the team so that he may join the Amur Tigers Khabarovsk of the Russian League.

"We needed to do the right thing," said Coach Keenan. "Ivan expressed a desire to go back home and play in front of family and friends. In all fairness, how could we say no. He has meant so much to this team, a fan favorite and a favorite on and off the ice with players and the management team in Florida."

Novoseltsev, 28 years-old, a Florida Panther since the beginning was a key player in their offense. Ivan averaged 28 goals, 57 points and 4 game winners per season for 4 seasons with the Panthers.

After a slow start to the 07-08 season, Ivan had begun to start scoring again and regained his spot as a top six forward on the club.

"If anybody saw him play against Tampa Bay the other day," Keenan explained. "They would easily see how much he adds to the team."

In Tampa, on game 27 of the schedule, Ivan played his best game of the season and earned the first star in the Panthers 4-4 tie against their Southeast Division rival.

Novoseltsev was one of only three players (Mezei & Majesky the others) from 03-04 squad still on the club when this season began. Veteran pivot Marc Savard could see the benefit of having Ivan around. "Yeah, for sure ... he made us all better players. If you gave him too much time around the net he would bury any chance." Said Savard. "We miss him in the room and he makes the other team worry. He goes to the net and he can finish."

In his final three games as a Panther, the team went 2-0-1 and Ivan had 2 goals, 2 helpers, was a plus 4 and averaged 22 minutes of ice team. "No doubt our younger players will now have to pick up the slack of not having him around." Said Keenan. "Guys like Eaves, Horton, and Miettinen will be heavily counted upon to fill the void."

The last word goes to Savard: "We understand why Ivan had to leave, Russia makes it comfortable for their stars, lower taxes and lots of free perks ... but make no mistake Novo will always be a Florida Panther, we believe he would still be here if he could ... but we back him and understand why he is no longer part of the club. The team is confident we can rally around this and dedicate the season to him while finishing what we and he started."

Panthers Quick from the Gate

2007-12-02T09:32:00.000-08:00

Florida - The Florida Panthers raced out of the gates and promptly won 5 out of 8 points available in their first four games. They established an early lead in the tight Southeast Division.
The Southeast promises to be a competitive division this season thanks to the great rebuilding jobs done in Florida, Atlanta and Washington.
The Panthers won their season opener in Buffalo on the strength of two Kyle Calder goals, the winner in OT. The next night a sellout crowd cheered loudly as the Southern Cats skated to a 2-2 tie with Chicago. Justin Williams was the hero scoring both Panthers goals.
Florida traveled to Tampa Bay to tangle with their State brothers and received three goals from the defense on their way to a 4-2 road win over a key divisional rival. Jason York scored the game winner and Ed Jovanovski notched his first for the Cats since he was signed in Free Agency.
The Panthers fourth game was against Dallas in Florida with another sellout crowd announced. They lost the game 2-1 but the fans got to witness the first NsHL goal from rookie sensation Evgeni Malkin.
Notebook:
Williams leads the Panthers in most offensive categories. Ivan Majesky has started very well, no doubt enjoying his time paired with Sergei Zubov. Majesky has three points, ten hits, ten shots and a plus2 rating.
Patrick Lalime has played well in goal, posting a record of 1-1-1 in three games. Lalime has a tidy 1.60 average and .940 save percentage. Manny Fernandez won his only start making 18 saves in Tampa.
Next Game:
The Cats head to the swamps of Jersey for a monday night tilt against the Devils. Tuesday night the team plays Edmonton at home.

NsHL Florida Panthers History

2007-11-25T14:04:00.000-08:00

NsHL Florida Panthers History

October 15, 2007 - Player signing:

o Ed Jovanovski $6.35m * 4 yrs and $150k signing bonus

September 15, 2007 – Player signings:

o Greg Campbell $1.144m * 1 yr

o John Tripp $473k * 1 yr

o Joe Dipenta $539k * 1 yr

o Byron Ritchie $539k * 1 yr

o Jan Lasak $880k * 1 yr

o Mike Green $473k * 1 yr

o Kristian Kudroc $550k * 1 yr

o Sheldon Brookbank $671k * 1 yr

o Juraj Kolnik $968k * 1 yr

o Simon Lajeunesse $968k * 1 yr

o Alexei Smirnov $1,300,750 * 1 yr

o Paul Elliot $671k * 1 yr

o Branislav Mezei $1.331m * 1 yr

o Kyle Rossiter $990k * 1 yr

o Brian Pothier $770k * 1 yr

o Jaroslav Bednar $605k * 1 yr

o Karel Pilar $1,017,500 * 1 yr

September 14, 2007 – Player signings:

o Josh Harding $900k * 3 yrs and $1m signing bonus

o Patrick Eaves $950k * 3 yr and $1.25m signing bonus

o Braydon Coburn $975k * 3 yrs and $1.5m signing bonus

o Evgeni Malkin $1m * 3 yrs and $4m signing bonus

September 1, 2007 – NsHL Florida Panthers release:

o Petr Kadlec

o Toni Koivisto

o Topi Jaakola

o Denis Yachmenev

o Chris Eade

July 22, 2007 - 2007 NsHL Entry Draft

o Round One (10^th overall) – Jakub Voracek (RW) QMJHL

o Round Two (40^th overall) – Trevor Cann (G) OHL

o Round Three (70^th overall) – Evgeni Dadonov (RW) RUS

o Round Four (100^th overall) – Denis Reul (D) GER

o Round Five (135^th overall from VAN) – Paul Carey (C) USAHS

o Round Six (160^th overall) – Matt Marshall (C/RW) USAHS

o Round Seven (190^th overall) – Johan Alcen (LW) SWE

May 19, 2007 – NHL re-rate:

o Nathan Horton

o Justin Williams

March 30, 2007 – 2006-07 NsHL Final Standings:

Florida Panthers finish 11^th in Eastern Conference & 4^th in Southeast division
Final Record: 82 games: 34-38-10-0 78 pts.
Home Record: 41 games: 22-15-4

February 3, 2007 – NsHL Florida Panthers announce:

o Ticket prices changed to $23

January 27, 2007 – Mid-season PDP’s:

o Paul Ranger +1 PA & PC Total: 2 pts.

o Jason Spezza +2 PC & SC Total: 2 pts.

November 25, 2006 – Waiver Draft:

o Peter Schaefer claimed by New York Islanders

o Niklas Hagman claimed by Edmonton

November 16, 2006 – Pre-season PDP’s:

o Paul Ranger +2 IT & DF Total: 4 pts.

o Antti Miettinen +2 SC & IT, +1 PA & PC Total: 4 pts.

October 30, 2006 – Florida//Anaheim Trade:

TO FLA: Paul Ranger, Michel Ouellet & Jamie McGinn (Prospect)

TO ANA: Daniel Briere, Year 2007: FLA 5 (Justin Falk)

September 20, 2006 - Player signing:

o Joel Bouchard $600k * 3 yrs and $100k signing bonus

o Jason York $1.6m * 2 yrs and $400k signing bonus

September 14, 2006 - Player signing:

o Sergei Zubov $6.45m * 4 yrs and $800k signing bonus

o Mike Sillinger $2.6m * 4 yrs and $500k signing bonus

September 5, 2006 – Player signings:

o Alexei Smirnov $1.1825m * 1 yr

August 28, 2006 – Player signings:

o Eric Meloche $880k * 1 yr

o John Tripp $430k * 1 yr

o Joe Dipenta $490k * 1 yr

o Byron Ritchie $490k * 1 yr

o Jan Lasak $800k * 1 yr

o Mike Green $430k * 1 yr

o Kristian Kudroc $500k * 1 yr

o Sheldon Brookbank $610k * 1 yr

o Juraj Kolnik $880k * 1 yr

o Simon Lajeunesse $880k * 1 yr

o Niklas Hagman $1.380m * 1 yr

o Paul Elliot $610k * 1 yr

o Branislav Mezei $1.21m * 1 yr

o Jeff Paul $750k * 3 yrs

o Nathan Horton $1.4m * 4 yrs and $300k signing bonus

August 14, 2006 – Player signings:

o Kyle Calder $3.4m * 4 yrs and $300k signing bonus

o Antti Miettinen $1.6m * 3 yrs and $250k signing bonus and $250k ROY bonus

July 22, 2006 - 2006 NsHL Entry Draft

o Round One (10^th overall) – Jonathan Bernier (G) QMJHL

July 8, 2006 – Florida//Vancouver Trade:

TO FLA: Patrick Davis (prospect) & Year 2007: VAN 5 (Paul Carey)

TO VAN: Year 2006: FLA 2 & FLA 4

May 5, 2006 – NHL re-rate:

o Marc Savard

April 13, 2006 - NsHL announces:

o 2006 All NsHL Team: 2^nd Team Jason Spezza ( C) Florida Panthers

o 2006 All NsHL Rookie Team: 1^st Team Antti Miettinen (LW) Florida

April 8, 2006 - NsHL announces:

o 2006 Rookie of the Year: Antti Miettinen (LW) Florida Panthers

March 30, 2006 – 2005-06 NsHL Final Standings:

Florida Panthers finish 11^th in Eastern Conference & 4^th in Southeast division
Final Record: 82 games: 34-38-10-0 78 pts.
Home Record: 41 games: 22-15-4

March 14, 2006 - Player signing:

o Marc Savard $2.9m * 4 yrs and $300k signing bonus plus a no trade agreement for Season 3, 4 and 5

March 13, 2006 - Player signing:

o Jason Strudwick $1.1m * 4 yrs and $200k signing bonus

February 23, 2006 - Player signing:

o Jason Spezza $3.25m * 4 yrs and $300k signing bonus plus a no trade agreement for Season 3 and 4

February 15, 2006 – Credit Report:

Credit rating: A+
Projected Cash Pool: $48,234,041
Projected 05-06 Profit: $6,464,619

January 25, 2006 – Florida//Minnesota Trade:

TO FLA: Jason Strudwick

TO MIN: Year 2006: FLA 5, FLA 6 (166^th overall)

January 25, 2006 – Florida//Columbus Trade:

TO FLA: Darby Hendrickson

TO CBJ: Year 2006: FLA 6 (167^th overall)

January 22, 2006 – Florida//Nashville Trade:

TO FLA: Evgeni Malkin (prospect)

TO NASH: Jay Bouwmeester, Martin Lojek, Year 2006: OTT 4, FLA 6 & 7

January 19, 2006 – Mid-season PDP’s:

o Antti Miettinen +1 PA & PC Total: 2 pts.

o Ivan Novoseltsev +2 PC Total: 2 pts.

o Jay Bouwmeester +2 DF Total: 2 pts.

January 3, 2006 – Florida//Anaheim Trade:

TO FLA: Karel Pilar

TO ANA: Year 2006: FLA 7

November 26, 2006 – Waiver Draft:

o Cale Hulse claimed with first and only selection

November 9, 2005 – Pre-season PDP’s:

o Jason Spezza +2 SC Total: 2 pts.

o Ivan Novoseltsev +2 SC & PA Total: 4 pts.

o Kyle Calder +1 PA & PC +2 SC Total: 4 pts.

October 4, 2005 – Player signings:

o Eric Meloche $792k * 1 yr

o John Tripp $385k * 1 yr

o Joe Dipenta $440k * 1 yr

o Byron Ritchie $440k * 1 yr

o Jeff Paul $357.5k * 1 yr

o Mike Green $385k * 1 yr

o Sean O’Connor $825k * 1 yr

o Sheldon Brookbank $550k * 1 yr

September 26, 2005 – Free agent signings:

o Bryan Muir $600k * 2 yrs

o Lyle Odelein $650k * 2 yrs

o Jay Pandolfo $825k * 3 yrs

September 14, 2005 – Free agent signing:

o Manny Fernandez $950k * 4 yrs

September 1, 2005 – Player signings:

o Dominic Moore $1.12m * 3 yrs plus $50k signing bonus

o Mike Van Ryn $1.64m * 4 yrs plus $75k signing bonus

o Greg Campbell $1.04m * 2 yrs plus $50k signing bonus

o Petr Taticek $1.311m * 3 yrs plus $75k signing bonus

o Ivan Novoseltsev $1.75m * 3 yrs plus $300k signing bonus

o Kyle Rossiter $900k * 2 yrs plus $50k signing bonus

o Jaroslave Bednar $550k * 2 yrs plus $50k signing bonus

o Ivan Majesky $1.5m * 3 yrs plus $150k signing bonus

o Peter Schaefer $750k * 2 yrs plus $50k signing bonus

August 27, 2005 - 2005 NsHL Entry Draft

o No Selections

August 23, 2005 – Florida//Minnesota Trade:

TO FLA: Blake Wheeler (prospect) & Josh Harding (prospect)

TO MIN: Year 2005: NSH 1, FLA 2, & Year 2006: FLA 3

July 22, 2005 – NHL re-rate:

o Daniel Briere

July 20, 2005 – Florida//Nashville Trade:

TO FLA: Jan Lasak & Grant Lewis (prospect)

TO NASH: Dean Mcammond, Year 2005: FLA 5, FLA 6, & ATL 7

July 18, 2005 – Florida//Anaheim Trade:

TO FLA: Justin Williams, & Year 2005: BUF 9

TO ANA: Andreas Lilja, Year 2005: FLA 3, & $250k

June 10, 2005 – NsHL Florida Panthers announce:

o IronMike as GM

May 3, 2005 – 2004-05 NsHL Final Standings:

Florida Panthers finish 13^th in Eastern Conference & 5^th in Southeast division
Final Record: 82 29-42-11-1 70 pts.
Home Record: 41 17-17-7

January 28, 2005 – Florida//New York Islanders Trade:

TO FLA: Kyle Calder & Braydon Coburn (prospect)

TO NYI: Kristian Huselius & $600k

August 16, 2004 – NsHL Florida Panthers release:

o Eric Beaudoin

o Kip Brennan

o Rob Ray

August 16, 2004 – Florida//Pittsburgh Trade:

TO FLA: Brian Pothier, Eric Meloche & Peter Schaefer

TO PIT: Denis Shvidki, Peter Hafner & $950k

August 2, 2004 – Florida//New York Islanders Trade:

TO FLA: Luc Robitaille (rights)

TO NYI: Ryan Jardine & Year 2006: FLA 9

July 24, 2004 - 2004 NsHL Entry Draft

Round One (14^th overall, from Washington) – Robbie Schremp ( C) OHL
Round One (25^th overall, from Detroit) – Zdenek Bahensky (RW) WHL
Round Four (92^nd overall, from Pittsburgh) – Alexei Yemelin (D)
Round Six (152^nd overall, from Pittsburgh) – Valeri Klimov (D) RUS
Round Six (180^th overall, NY Islanders) – Bret Nasby (D) OHL

July 22, 2004 – Florida//Nashville Trade:

TO FLA: Year 2005: NSH 1 (traded to MIN 8/23/05)

TO NASH: Year 2004: LA 1 (Andy Rogers), FLA 5 (Roman Kukemberg), & FLA 7 (Scott Parse)

July 22, 2004 – Florida//Ottawa Trade:

TO FLA: Jason Spezza, Patrick Lalime, Igor Mirnov (prospect), Patrick Eaves (prospect) & Year 2006: OTT 4 (traded to NASH on 01/22/06)

TO OTT: Roberto Luongo & Year 2005: FLA 1

July 20, 2004 – Florida//Carolina Trade:

TO FLA: Year 2004: LA 1 (traded to NASH on 7/22/04)

TO CAR: Filip Novak

July 20, 2004 – Florida//Dallas Trade:

TO FLA: Antti Miettinen, Marc Savard, Yared Hagos (prospect) & Year 2004: DET 1 (Zdenek Bahensky)

TO DAL: Olli Jokinen & Year 2004: FLA 2 (Enver Lisin)

July 17, 2004 – Florida//Ottawa Trade:

TO FLA: Dennis Bonvie & Shaun Van Allen (old guy)

TO OTT: Darby Hendrickson & Year 2005: FLA 8

July 16, 2004 – Florida//Dallas Trade:

TO FLA: Year 2004: WSH 1 (Robbie Schremp), NYI 6 (Bret Nasby) & PIT 6 (Valeri Klimov)

TO OTT: Brad May & Stephen Weiss

April 9, 2004 – 2003-04 NsHL Final Standings:

Florida Panthers finish 10^th in Eastern Conference & 4^th in Southeast division
Final Record: 82 32-34-16-2 82 pts.
Home Record: 41 15-16-10

Panthers Go Big!!

2007-11-24T15:35:00.000-08:00

FLORIDA -- The new season is only a few days away. A new season brings a renewed hope for Panthers hockey. The Florida Panthers are still looking for their first playoff birth in the NsHL under IronMike.

The off-season was filled with a few simple additions to the team. But they were big names in more ways than one.

Considering the first addition: EVGENI MALKIN. A true Superstar in the making. Malkin can score, pass and make his teammates play better around him.

The next to arrive was Patrick Eaves. Number one on his sweater number one in our hearts. Okay ... so thats a little much. Fact is Eaves will be hard pressed to make this team. The Panthers are strong on the wing with Calder, Williams, Horton, Novoseltsev, Pandolfo and former Rookie of the Year Miettinen. But it got much more crowded when Malkin arrived and now might be the worst time for Eaves to attempt to crack this line-up.

The next addition to the team came via free agency. Very early into the free agency period the Panthers announced the signing of bruising defenseman Ed Jovanovski. With Strudwick, Majesky and Mezei on the blueline the Panthers tough defense just got much tougher with Jovocop added to the mix.