The Panthers started the game off quite well and were looking like a new hockey team. Two-way play between the forwards and defense looked great and was something we hadn’t seen for a while. The defense were moving the puck up quickly to the forwards, while hanging back and protecting Luongo in front of goal. For the first time this year, the Panthers were looking clean and tidy defensively.
It didn’t take long for the Cats to strike first as Jonathan Huberdeau put Florida on the board early on. While skating right into open territory, Vinnie Trocheck found an open Huberdeau and fed him the puck immediately.