Splitting their annual preseason doubleheader, the Florida Panthers followed up a 4-3 overtime win in Game 1 with a 4-0 loss in Game 2 to the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Monday.
To check out captain Alexander Barkov‘s heroics from Game 1, click HERE.
“It was good to see some players outside of a practice because we hadn’t scrimmaged yet,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said after pulling double duty in the Music City. “We pushed them really hard for four days. This is kind of the end of the most grueling part of training camp.”
Hired in June, the two games were Maurice’s first behind the bench with the Panthers.
“I was excited,” said Maurice, whose 1,684 games coached are the fourth-most in NHL history. “It might be the first exhibition games that I’ve ever been excited for. There’s a really good feeling in the room among the players. It’s nice to be around.”
While there were no goals to speak of for the Panthers in Game 2, goaltender Spencer Knight Gave fans plenty of reasons to smile as the 21-year-old looked sharp in his preseason debut.
The only blemish on a near-perfect performance for the former first-round pick came when Filip Forsberg, who scored a career-high 42 goals in 2021-22, snapped a wicked shot into the twine from the slot to give the Predators a 1. -0 advantage at 14:23 of the first period.
With 17 saves already to his credit — including a few major stops on John Leonard in rapid succession from the doorstep to close out the first period — Knight continued to stand tall in the second as he made two more saves before being relieved by Alex Lyon at the midway point.
At the other end of the ice, Yaroslav Askarov relieved Kevin Lankinen for the Predators.
“I think after so many practices you just want to play games,” said Knight, who posted a 19-9-3 record, .908 save percentage and 2.79 goals-against average in 2021-22. “To me, it’s almost refreshing to just get game-action and play an up-tempo game against a good team. It’s always fun. … I try to approach every game the same whether it’s the preseason, regular season or playoffs. I stay pretty laid back and go with the flow.”
With 12:41 left in the third period, the Panthers appeared to tie the game Nick Cousins got the puck past Askarov, but the goal was negated by a slashing penalty moments earlier. On the ensuing power play, Cody Glass fired a shot past Lyon to extend Nashville’s lead to 2-0 at 8:01.
Catching the Panthers in a change, Colton Sissons scored on a breakaway to increase Florida’s deficit to 3-0 at 13:30. Adding one more goal with 2:48 left in regulation, a point shot from Ryan McDonagh hit off Tanner Jeannot before sailing into the back of the cage to make it 4-0.
Combining for the shoutout, Askarov made 12 saves and Lankinen made 13.
Looking ahead, Maurice said the Panthers will modify their practices a bit before continuing their preseason with a matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes at FLA Live Arena on Thursday.
“I think they’ll be a little bit of a change in camp now going forward,” Maurice said. “Part of that is that I’ll start to put more veteran players in one group, and we’ll look to move to more of a speed-based camp instead of a grind-based camp.”
NOTES
— The Panthers really spread out the minutes on the blue line in Game 2 as all six defensemen took the ice for at least 17 minutes against the Predators. Among those blueliners, rookie John Ludwig led the way with 21:27 of ice time despite playing just 58 seconds on special teams.
— Sticking with the blue line, that’s where the Panthers found most of their shots. Of the 25 shots on goal they had in Game 2, 13 came from defensemen. All six defensemen recorded at least one shot, with prospects Marek Alscher and Evan Nause each posting three.
— Despite not cracking the scoresheet, Florida’s line of Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart enjoyed some strong possession numbers. When that trio was on the ice at 5-on-5, the Panthers led 13-5 in shot attempts, 6-1 in shots on goal and 0.42-0.22 in expected goals.
— Nashville led 13-5 in high-danger shot attempts, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
The Florida Panthers will celebrate their 2022-23 Home Opener at FLA Live Arena against the Philadelphia Flyers on October 19, 2022. The first 10,000 fans through the doors will receive a commemorative magnet schedule courtesy of Bally Sports Florida. Click HERE to purchase your tickets today!
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