Panthers face long playoff odds, but game has finally recovered

 

Five months after Hurricane Wilma slammed much of their area, the Florida Panthers are finally managing to overcome the storm's effect on them. It might even be in time to save this season.

 

'We just have to keep pushing ahead,' Joe Nieuwendyk says. (Getty Images) The Panthers are playing their best hockey right now, riding a team-record seven-game winning streak that has justifiably raised their hopes about making the playoffs. It hasn't been a fluke either for a team that went through a big makeover after the lockout and now looks a lot more comfortable playing new coach Jacques Martin's system.

 

More important, goaltender Roberto Luongo is on his game, captain Olli Jokinen is spearheading an offense and power play that is producing on a timely if not necessarily prodigious basis, and the veterans brought in this year as free agents -- Gary Roberts, Joe Nieuwendyk, Chris Gratton and Martin Gelinas -- are providing the locker room leadership and on-ice contributions this young team needs from them. All is going well these days, and suddenly the postseason berth that seemed all but impossible for the Panthers only about a month ago is within reach.

 

"Things have changed fast, but that's what we've been striving for," said Nieuwendyk. "We just have to keep pushing ahead."

 

Problem is that time is running shorter than it should because of the lingering impact of Wilma.

 

Florida is in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with 10 games left, six points out of the final playoff spot, which is now shared by three teams. The Atlanta Thrashers are ninth, one point ahead, and Toronto is 11th, one point behind, which means the Panthers are scrambling to the finish line with five other teams. It's a tough-size pack to break away from and one that Florida might have avoided had Mother Nature been a little gentler earlier this season.

 

Grouped among the also-rans for much of the season, the Panthers have actually been a lot more effective than their standing indicates, playing at least .500 hockey every month except November, when the damage caused by Wilma forced them to reschedule two home dates and spend most of the month living out of suitcases. Florida played 11 of 14 games on the road, and went 1-9-3, including six losses by only one goal, but they picked up five of 26 available points, or about eight points fewer than their seasonal average would suggest.

 

Eight points? Hello playoff spot today.

 

"Would of, should of, could of, nothing's going to change," said defenseman Sean Hill. "But for sure, it's going to be hard not to point to that if we don't make the playoffs." Of course hockey players being hockey players, the Panthers won't blame the environmental circumstances for their situation, but Martin said there is little doubt it played a role in the team's struggles. "A lot of our players had to deal with a new experience," Martin said. "The severity of it this year, the trauma a lot of players' wives and girlfriends had to go through, I think that was a factor, for sure.

 

It just wasn't the only major off-ice issue the Panthers have had to deal with. The others involved their top two young stars, Luongo and Jokinen, both of whom began the season signed only for this season and with question marks about their long-term futures with the team.

 

In Luongo's case, the Panthers had a bit of a comfort zone because he can't become an unrestricted free agent until after next season, but a bitter arbitration last summer left an obvious bad taste in the goalie's mouth. Luongo struggled early in the season, and when he rejected of a five-year, $30 million extension offer in January while questioning the team's commitment to building a winner, he heated up trade rumors that lasted until the March deadline passed.

 

Jokinen's name was in the rumor mill as well because he rejected a four-year, $16 million offer in February. After starring for Finland at the Olympics, Jokinen was considered the biggest prize available in the weeks leading to the deadline and was strongly pursued by both Ottawa and Calgary, but the Panthers added $5 million to the package and got their captain re-signed a day before dealing concluded. Florida gave veteran Chris Gratton a new deal that day as well, which seemed to send a vote of confidence throughout a locker room that had been distracted by talks of trades and shakeups.

 

The effect has been palatable. The Panthers whipped Ottawa the night Jokinen signed, and then won back-to-back games against the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes beginning two days later. Florida has counted the Tampa Bay Lighting and New York Rangers among their victims since then, and with six of their final nine games after Friday's visit to Carolina at home, they are as positive as a team can be when the odds are heavily against it.

 

Even Luongo, who still hasn't decided whether to re-sign, is sounding the right notes.

 

"We're playing well and we're a lot more confident these days," Luongo said. "The last few weeks have been really positive and the guys here really believe we have a chance.

 

"It's not going to be easy obviously because there's a lot of teams fighting, but as long as we keep winning, anything can happen."

 

 

 

Another great article on our run from NHL.com

 

Red-hot Florida Panthers won't give up on miracle run towards playoff berth

 

(CP) - The Florida Panthers remain hard-pressed the make the playoffs - but don't tell that to the hottest team in hockey.

 

Mike Keenan's Panthers are 10-1-0 in their last 11 games, sitting six points out of a playoff spot before Montreal, Tampa Bay and New Jersey hit the ice Thursday night.

 

"We've got 10 games to see if we can climb to a point where we can eliminate a couple of teams," the Florida GM said Thursday. "And we play Toronto once, Atlanta twice and Tampa Bay three times. So we have a chance to derail them if we play well."

 

They're one point ahead of the 11th-place Leafs and one point behind ninth-place Atlanta before the Thrashers took on Tampa on Thursday night. The Panthers will try to set a franchise record with their eighth consecutive win when they take on the Hurricanes in Carolina on Friday night.

 

The recent run started with a March 8 rout of powerhouse Ottawa, a 6-2 win that came on the eve of the trading deadline, when Keenan was able to re-sign star captain Olli Jokinen to a $21-million US, four-year deal instead of trading the pending unrestricted free agent.

 

The signing, which came on the heels of also getting Chris Gratton under contract, reverberated throughout the organization and spurred on the team.

 

"It energized the room, there's no question about it, it energized the team," said Keenan. "Jokinen and Gratton are well-respected players on our team.

 

"Those were good decisions for us," he added. "They didn't have to sign, we appreciate them staying. I'm glad they did. They could have tested the free-agent market."

 

Those signings, coupled with his team's recent stretch, may be enough to convince star goalie Roberto Luongo to stay as well. Luongo, who turns 27 next Tuesday, will be a restricted free agent July 1. He's already rejected two sizeable offers from Keenan this season: $30 million over five seasons and $23 million over four years.

 

The reason? Luongo wants to wait and see if the Panthers are going in the right direction before committing his future to them.

 

"I thought we gave him two very substantial offers," said Keenan. "And that was his concern that he expressed to us that he wasn't sure the team was going to be moving forward. I think, or I hope, that this will help influence his decision as he evaluates possible negotiations in the next few months.

 

"We'll talk after the season is over."

 

Keenan hopes his prized goalie comes around.

 

"The team is coming together. Roberto has to see himself as part of the solution rather than trying to be pragmatic and waiting for a result before he decides whether he wants to contribute or not. He's a talented young goaltender, he has a lot to prove to himself and his teammates as far as his ability to play in the playoffs or play deep in the playoffs."

 

Keenan inherited a young but promising team in May 2004 and went about signing veteran players to help bring everyone along.

 

"The veterans we signed over the course of the last two years I think have had a big influence on the team," said Keenan. "Gary Roberts, Joe Nieuwendyk, Martin Gelinas, Jozef Stumpel and Chris Gratton would be the forwards that have really influenced the youngsters as well as a Sean Hill on defence.

 

"And I think (backup goalie) Jamie McLennan has been good for Luongo. When I had Chico Resch, he hardly played behind (Ron) Hextall in Philly but he was a great influence on him just like McLennan is on Luongo."

 

After Friday's road game, the Panthers play six of their final nine games at home, where they are 22-9-4 this season.

They're one point ahead of the 11th-place Leafs and one point behind ninth-place Atlanta before the Thrashers took on Tampa on Thursday night. The Panthers will try to set a franchise record with their eighth consecutive win when they take on the Hurricanes in Carolina on Friday night.

 

Toronto isn't playing good at all lately. With Belfour gone, young Mikael Tellqvist is in goal. He's done a decent job for them to this point but their former hard hitting defense is struggling.

 

Same with Carolina who are only two points away from clinching the division but just can't seem to close it out as they got shut out by the Caps last night, their backup goalie making 49 saves.

 

The Thrashers have been playing well but I think the Panthers have been playing better.

 

Making the playoffs won't be easy but if we keep up this run, it is entirely possible.

Another article! This time from Bob Mckenzie of TSN:

 

McKenzie: Watching out for the Panthers

 

Bob McKenzie for TSN.ca

 

People always ask me if I have a favorite team that I cheer for.

 

The answer is no, as the fan in me died a long time ago.

 

But I do cheer for good stories, so I'll admit that, I'm rooting for the Florida Panthers to beat the odds and make the playoffs.

 

It's not so much that the Panthers are on a roll (and boy, are they on a roll).

 

But you have to consider their six straight wins. Dating back to a 6-2 victory over Ottawa the day before the trade deadline, the Panthers have won eight of nine games.

 

They've had overtime wins over Carolina and Tampa Bay, shootout victories over the Capitals, Lightning and Bruins and those wins over Washington and Boston came on the road, where the Panthers have been terrible this season.

 

Going into Tuesday night's action, they sit in 10th place, six points behind the Montreal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils, with the Atlanta Thrashers nestled in between.

 

What makes this story appealing is not just that the Panthers are hot.

 

It's that the organization took the high road at the trade deadline and dismissed the notion that a team with long odds of not making the playoffs should offload assets for future considerations.

 

The Panthers stepped up and signed Olli Jokinen rather than trade him. And they did the same with Chris Gratton.

 

And as head coach Jacques Martin pointed out the week before the deadline, with more than a quarter of the season still to play, why would they throw in the towel?

 

The Panthers have given their fans a reason to believe, a reason to come to the rink. And if the 18,000 plus that were there for the shootout win over the Rangers last Friday is any indication, that's a good sign for the future of the franchise.

 

Making the playoffs won't be easy for Florida, but it will definitely be interesting.

 

If they can do well in road games this week in Pittsburgh and Carolina, six of their last nine are at home.

 

They've got three games left with Tampa Bay and a pair with Atlanta. If Montreal or New Jersey stumble and Florida continues to stay hot, they have a chance.

 

They deserve something not only for their effort, but their approach.

 

It's a great story and here's hoping they can fashion a happy ending.

 

For TSN.ca, I'm Bob McKenzie.

I wonder what the most points a team has overcome in the last 10 games to make the playoffs.

I wonder what the most points a team has overcome in the last 10 games to make the playoffs.

Oh I am sure in the old days of hockey they made up at least 8 point differences. It would be amazing, though, if the Panthers managed to sneak into the playoffs.

If it weren't for earlier in the year, the Panthers would be on the top teams in the playoffs, but to overcome their earlier and make the playoffs would totally pwn. Nothing would be more awesome than go to watch some playoff hockey right down the expressway.

http://www.nhl.com/news/2006/03/266484.html

 

Red-hot Florida Panthers won't give up on miracle run towards playoff berth

 

(CP) - The Florida Panthers remain hard-pressed the make the playoffs - but don't tell that to the hottest team in hockey.

 

Mike Keenan's Panthers are 10-1-0 in their last 11 games, sitting six points out of a playoff spot before Montreal, Tampa Bay and New Jersey hit the ice Thursday night.

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"We've got 10 games to see if we can climb to a point where we can eliminate a couple of teams," the Florida GM said Thursday. "And we play Toronto once, Atlanta twice and Tampa Bay three times. So we have a chance to derail them if we play well."

 

They're one point ahead of the 11th-place Leafs and one point behind ninth-place Atlanta before the Thrashers took on Tampa on Thursday night. The Panthers will try to set a franchise record with their eighth consecutive win when they take on the Hurricanes in Carolina on Friday night.

 

The recent run started with a March 8 rout of powerhouse Ottawa, a 6-2 win that came on the eve of the trading deadline, when Keenan was able to re-sign star captain Olli Jokinen to a $21-million US, four-year deal instead of trading the pending unrestricted free agent.

 

The signing, which came on the heels of also getting Chris Gratton under contract, reverberated throughout the organization and spurred on the team.

 

"It energized the room, there's no question about it, it energized the team," said Keenan. "Jokinen and Gratton are well-respected players on our team.

 

"Those were good decisions for us," he added. "They didn't have to sign, we appreciate them staying. I'm glad they did. They could have tested the free-agent market."

 

Those signings, coupled with his team's recent stretch, may be enough to convince star goalie Roberto Luongo to stay as well. Luongo, who turns 27 next Tuesday, will be a restricted free agent July 1. He's already rejected two sizeable offers from Keenan this season: $30 million over five seasons and $23 million over four years.

 

The reason? Luongo wants to wait and see if the Panthers are going in the right direction before committing his future to them.

 

"I thought we gave him two very substantial offers," said Keenan. "And that was his concern that he expressed to us that he wasn't sure the team was going to be moving forward. I think, or I hope, that this will help influence his decision as he evaluates possible negotiations in the next few months.

 

"We'll talk after the season is over."

 

Keenan hopes his prized goalie comes around.

 

"The team is coming together. Roberto has to see himself as part of the solution rather than trying to be pragmatic and waiting for a result before he decides whether he wants to contribute or not. He's a talented young goaltender, he has a lot to prove to himself and his teammates as far as his ability to play in the playoffs or play deep in the playoffs."

 

Keenan inherited a young but promising team in May 2004 and went about signing veteran players to help bring everyone along.

 

"The veterans we signed over the course of the last two years I think have had a big influence on the team," said Keenan. "Gary Roberts, Joe Nieuwendyk, Martin Gelinas, Jozef Stumpel and Chris Gratton would be the forwards that have really influenced the youngsters as well as a Sean Hill on defence.

 

"And I think (backup goalie) Jamie McLennan has been good for Luongo. When I had Chico Resch, he hardly played behind (Ron) Hextall in Philly but he was a great influence on him just like McLennan is on Luongo."

 

After Friday's road game, the Panthers play six of their final nine games at home, where they are 22-9-4 this season.

 

 

good article on us

I posted it already under the sportsline article thread.