Panthers Team Report

INSIDE SHOTS

The Panthers are good at getting leads.

They aren’t very good at keeping them.

Saturday night was another example of the Panthers giving up a late lead and taking their chances in overtime. Sometimes that works, but Saturday was not one of those nights. The Thrashers scored with a little more than a minute left in the third period to tie the game but later hit the goalpost twice in the shootout.

Since losing to the Kings in a shootout on Nov. 16, the Panthers have lost four of the seven games in which they’ve held a lead in the third period. The Panthers had a 1-0 lead thanks to Stephen Weiss’(notes) power play goal early in the third period Saturday, but Kamil Kreps(notes) was called for hooking with 3:14 left and the Thrashers scored with 1:04 remaining—Kreps was out of the box but was not in good defensive position.

“There’s something we’re doing because we’re always doing it,” goalie Tomas Vokoun(notes) lamented after the game.

Thrashers 2, Panthers 1  (SO): Tomas Vokoun was back in net for the Panthers and was solid, giving up just one goal to one of the league’s most exciting offensive teams.

Vokoun and the Florida penalty kill held the Thrashers off the board during a lengthy chance that took up close to half of the period. Florida’s Michael Frolik(notes) was ejected and was hit with a five-minute boarding penalty, and Mike Duco(notes) and Bryan McCabe(notes) were hit with penalties moments after the Panthers killed off one. All told, the Thrashers had close to nine minutes of successive power play time and failed to score.

Stephen Weiss gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead on a power play goal early in the third, but the Thrashers tied it with 1:04 left as Ilya Kovalchuk(notes) ripped off a shot from the left circle that beat Vokoun (36 saves).

The Panthers went 1-for-4 in the shootout with Steven Reinprecht(notes) scoring and Nathan Horton(notes) and Rostislav Olesz(notes) hitting the iron. Atlanta’s Rich Peverley(notes) won it in the fourth round for the Thrashers.

NOTES, QUOTES

• G Tomas Vokoun returned to the ice less than a week after undergoing surgery on his left ear. Saying his ear “felt better than I thought it would,” Vokoun returned to start for the Panthers on Saturday night against the Thrashers.

Vokoun, inadvertently struck in the helmet by teammate Keith Ballard’s(notes) stick on Monday, practiced on Thursday minus his helmet. He tried working out with his mask on Friday and after his ear looked OK Saturday, decided he was going to play.

Vokoun has to use his old mask since the one he was wearing on Monday was damaged by the blow from Ballard. The team’s athletic trainer has also fashioned a cushioned bandage for his left ear, poking a hole in the wrapping so he can hear a little better.

“I feel good enough to play, so it’s up to the trainers and the coach,” Vokoun said before Saturday’s game.

“I’ve bumped my head when moving and it felt fine. I wouldn’t say I could go if I couldn’t do it. I thought this would be worse than it is. The doctor in (Atlanta) did a great job stitching it up. There’s no infection.”

The Panthers sent back rookie goalie Alexander Salak(notes) on Friday in anticipation of Vokoun’s return. Salak made his NHL debut with the Panthers on Oct. 9 and saw his most extensive NHL action in relief of Scott Clemmensen(notes) on Thursday at Washington.

Salak came to the Panthers after starting the AHL season 15-1 with the Amerks.

• There’s no doubting the Panthers are getting most of their offensive production from their top line—Nathan Horton and Stephen Weiss have combined for 14 goals in the last 13 games.

Coach Pete DeBoer says both players should be 80-point producers in the league, and the duo is on pace to come close this season.

“Both those guys have carried us offensively,” said DeBoer. “When I got here, Weiss was a 40-point guy. He jumped to 60 last year. I think he’s an 80-point guy in this league, and that’s where he should be. Nathan, too. He should be 30 goals and 80 points. We need those guys to put up those kinds of numbers to compete, especially with Cory Stillman(notes) and David Booth(notes) out.”

• Add Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau to the list of people not happy with Mike Duco for his retaliation on Washington’s Alexandre Giroux(notes) Thursday.

In the third period, Giroux checked Dmitry Kulikov(notes) hard into the glass, and Duco—coming onto the ice for his shift—went straight after him and started throwing punches. Giroux did not retaliate, and Duco was ejected from the game.

“You get a good hit and not a hard hit and you take exception to the hit,” Boudreau said. “Hockey used to be that you hit a guy hard and that’s what it’s all about. Now you hit a guy hard and you think you have to retaliate. It’s stupid. It’s a dumb thing.”

Said Giroux: “I thought it was a clean hit, so I didn’t expect anything to happen after that. When it’s 6-0, I guess guys are a little frustrated.”

• Rumors that Florida rookie Dmitry Kulikov would be loaned to the Russian national team for the World Juniors are false. The Panthers have no intention of allowing Kulikov to miss time for that tournament, although he could be contending for a spot on the Russian team at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

• Panthers minor leaguer Graham Mink(notes) was named captain of the Planet USA team for the AHL All-Star Game.

Quote To Note:   “We played a pretty damn good hockey game, again. But we found a way to lose it. We have to find a way to end up on the other way of things.”—Defenseman Bryan McCabe after Florida’s 2-1 shootout loss to the Thrashers.

ROSTER REPORT

Goaltenders:   Tomas Vokoun, Scott Clemmensen

Defensemen:   Bryan McCabe, Keith Ballard, Jordan Leopold(notes), Dennis Seidenberg(notes), Bryan Allen(notes), Dmitry Kulikov

First Line:   Michael Frolik-Stephen Weiss-Nathan Horton

Second Line:   Rostislav Olesz-Steven Reinprecht-Radek Dvorak(notes)

Third Line:   Gregory Campbell(notes)-Dominic Moore-Victor Oreskovich(notes)

Fourth Line:   Kamil Kreps-Jeff Taffe(notes)-Mike Duco

Player Notes:  

• G Tomas Vokoun came back from his now infamous lacerated ear injury on Saturday and said he felt fine. He sure looked it; Vokoun made 36 saves.

• C Stephen Weiss got his second career hat trick on Wednesday and scored Florida’s first goal Thursday and Saturday. Weiss has scored goals in four straight games and has at least a point in the last six.

• D Dmitry Kulikov’s long shot from the blue line was deflected in by C Stephen Weiss. Kulikov, 19, has two points in the last three games and has eight assists this season.

Medical Watch:  

• G Tomas Vokoun has a lacerated left ear but returned to start Saturday’s game.

• RW Kenndal McArdle(notes) is out the next few weeks with an injured shoulder.

• LW Cory Stillman injured his left knee in last Friday’s win against the Red Wings and could miss the next month.

• LW David Booth has been out the last month with a concussion, and there is no timetable for his return.

• LW Nick Tarnasky(notes) had facial surgery after being injured in Florida’s preseason opener against Ottawa. Tarnasky is on injured reserve.