MULTIPLE Panthers Updates... This has MASSIVE implications | Florida Panthers News

This is huge news for the Florida Panthers regarding one of their players who has missed significant ice time and is possible return to the playoffs when he will return I'll let you know coming up and The Panthers have a hot goaltender and a couple of hot hands on offense that are gonna contribute Well into the playoffs the Panthers hope they can ride those guys all the way through to another Stanley Cup title this year guys. Thank you so much for joining me on Panthers digest I am Greg Andrews and please hit that subscribe button down below You need to stay in the know and up-to-date with anything and everything that has to do with your defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers as they start their journey to possible back-to-back Stanley Cup championships So we are gonna start off with talking about this gentleman right here We have been Bennett back, but the story here is really about Matthew Kachuk There's a little bit of conflicting reports because earlier about two three weeks ago when the coaching staff and medical staff reported on Kachuk and his possible return to the lineup. They said he should be ready By game one of the playoffs now, there are some reports coming from the Panthers medical staff personnel Coaches stating that hey, he looks to be on track But as Paul Murray says as you can see here, you know, we might miss a game, but it's not a couple of weeks I mean, that's a good sign, but it's not the greatest to me that says well, you know what? He is still not where we want him to be But we have to see how he practices even in this report. It says Matthew Kachuk will be on ice He will be practicing with the team, but they have to see how he recovers after these practices and based on that They're gonna see if he heals and feels good 24 hours after practicing they'll probably put him in the lineup But we will see if his minutes will be limited if he does start in game one Coming up which we will get into that a little bit later on who they will be facing So yeah, Sam Bennett is back. That's some good news as is Brady as Is Barkov as is all the guys that have been arresting even Sam Miscavige has been arresting They have been cycling players out because as I said in the last episode Paul Maurice Has a plan to make sure his guys are not Rested but are healthy going in to round one of the playoffs He wants to make sure that his team is scarier than the other ones because they're healthier I've said this before this season every season It is a war of attrition and these Panthers have fought one in these last four weeks And I'm so happy to say They're going to be healthy in round one of the playoffs for that first game against the Tampa Bay Lightning guys So this is gonna be interesting to see what happens and another good piece of news that has come out is Aaron Eckblad Has been allowed to fully participate in team activities with the Florida Panthers He was out serving a 20 game suspension and he still is But he was not allowed to do any sort of work with the team So he's gonna shake off some of that rust get back Lace up the skates get back on the ice and hopefully be ready for game three Remember, he still has three more games to serve on that 20 game suspension for PEDs So guys, this is gonna be great Great, and we're gonna see a lot of line changes here. I think it's gonna be very Experimental in game one, maybe even tonight When the Panthers face the Tampa Bay Lightning guys, this is gonna be such an exciting game tonight I cannot wait to see it, but we'll get into that in just a few minutes there's so much other stuff that we have to get to right now as we look into The last the game last night against the New York Rangers Panthers look good for about a period and a half maybe a little bit more a period in three quarters. Let's call it They look like they had the game dead to rights with a W ended up losing five to three They were up three to one give up two goals and a shorthanded one later in in the third period just collapse just a collapse You could see in the stat lines here for the game stats The Panthers had it pretty much in line. This is usually how the stat lines have looked for the Panthers on Every game they out hit the other team and they usually out shoot them on average in My eyes what I'm looking at here. It's except for the giveaways That was pretty bad by the Panthers and that's one of the big reasons why they lost this game were sloppy turnovers But I'm digressing That game last night had they won would have made tonight's game a lot more interesting Because they could have been playing for home ice advantage Possibly they would need to get a little help from Tampa Bay losing against ironically the Rangers in a couple of nights from tonight But as it would have set they could have been neck-and-neck tied But Tampa Bay has more wins overall than the Panthers So even if they did finish the season with the same point total the lightning would hold home ice advantage Unfortunately guys, so as we're looking at this wild card standings right now Here we are Tampa Bay home ice advantage, Florida Panthers tonight is going to be more of a storyline, this is gonna be a Game setter for game one of the playoffs This is gonna be a statement game for for both teams. I would say It's gonna be physical. They're gonna push each other around. I'm gonna I'm gonna tell you they're gonna see a lot of face-washing We're gonna see a lot of after whistle scrums. There's gonna be a lot going on here behind the scenes and behind the action So keep your eyes peeled For every single inch of this ice. Don't just focus on the puck guys There's gonna be a lot of action going on in this game. I cannot wait to see it. So as we move forward right now This is what Paul Maurice had to say though about last night's game He's telling you our guys are tired. Some of them have played nine games in 15 days That is why in last night's game. He rested several guys They need it. It's not a bad move, especially because guess what the Panthers already know where they are I think Paul Maurice said you know what? I don't want to keep riding our guys trying to maybe have the slimmest of chances to get home ice advantage I'd rather us be healthy. We're more dangerous when we are completely healthy against other teams that might be more banged up and That's gonna give us a better competitive advantage compared to just having home ice and Vantage guys and it was the same thing with Sam Reinhardt, you know, he wasn't happy with the game They made mistakes, you know, they they didn't really follow What they should have been doing and you could see there wasn't focus at the end of that game Unfortunately, and you we really saw in that third period sloppy mistakes They were getting pucks to the net. Yeah, but the play was lackadaisical Towards the end of that game. They played great for again a period and about three quarters and then they kind of just fell off I don't think they should take their foot off the gas tonight by any means Because it is very very important that this team is Healthy when they start game one of the playoffs and I'm gonna be very interested to see what Tampa Bay Had who they have on their injury report if there are any people but right now we will wait and see So this is our injury report from last night Lot of resting a lot of resting you can see Very important for these guys to get their rest a lot of them. We haven't really seen on here, you know, Brad Marsh and Important Nico Mikula who who has been just throwing his body around a lot lately and this is gonna be so key for them to feel Nice and warm and ready to just hit the ice Put lay the body on their block shots. I mean, I really think we're gonna see a Panthers team That's gonna be different from last year's team Defensively, I think they're gonna be more physical. I Think they're gonna be blocking more shots. They're gonna be for checking a lot harder and I think they're gonna put a lot more of their focus in that neutral zone and look for those turnovers I just see this team in the last couple of weeks kind of a lot again a lot of Experimentation a lot of trying to see what kind of chemistry works between players It's been very interesting to see what Paul Maurice has done when he's arresting guys, excuse me getting them healthy It's been interesting to see who's put on different lines together and see how they work so now with game one and Everybody being healthy. I am Beside myself with excitement because I do not see this team Looking like they've looked in the last two and a half weeks I think they're gonna look how they did in their seven game win streak their six game win streak That's how they're gonna look and they've added faces I've already said this in the last episode with Jones Marchand. I Mean Nico, sorry Nico Sturm All of these guys are gonna make a big impact for this team and we're gonna see it But we've got to see what Paul Maurice has in store There's gonna be a lot of shuffling around I think but very interesting to see what he has lined up So this is how Bob is gonna match up against the Tampa Bay like his numbers are very very good I went over them in lat in the last episode two goals against average 93% save percentage. He's really solid between the pipes Really solid but so is Andre Vasilevsky He is an outstanding goaltender and he is going to mean business and he has gotten hot as well And that's gonna spell trouble For these Florida Panthers. It's not gonna be easy for them to Go up against a goaltender who literally is a giant in between the pipes. I mean the guy's huge he's huge so We'll see how that how he fares in that against a team who has two great goal scorers and great assist men We'll get into that in a minute But right now let's talk about the players who are gonna be the impact players for the Panthers heading in To round one of the playoffs obviously Sam Reinhardt. He is their main goal scorer 39 goals this year 42 assists. He is right back where he was last year putting up all kinds of fantastic numbers his CF percentage is Fantastic. He's up there with some of the best especially with Nikita Kucherov and Brayden point and we'll get into that in a minute But he is a difference maker. We need him to stay hot as he has been as of late He has six goals and two assists eight points in his last ten games And we're gonna talk about this next fella as well This is Alexander Barkov. We all know him very well. He is our captain and oh man, is he great on defense and we really need him to be super healthy and He looks that way in his last few games. His numbers have been great in the last ten He has eleven points three goals and eight Assists in his last ten games. So he has been a difference maker on the ice as well So let's wait and see how he fares. Can he stay healthy again? His CF percentage is very high as well It's 62% and we need him in the faceoff circle as well again. He's got that 66% faceoff win percentage so having him ready to rock and roll and and just before checking Make sure he's battling those those guys in the defensive zone when they're in the corner and getting a body on the puck Let's see how we can get in those shooting lanes in those passing lanes Ladies and gentlemen, and we also have this guy. I already said it Aaron Ickblad is a full participant at practices now He's allowed to get back into team activities and he has been missed The game's 56. So don't let these numbers fool you He only has three goals on the season but 30 assists his biggest thing is about hits and block shots Imagine had he gotten these 20 extra games in those hits would be well over a hundred his block shots are probably somewhere over 85 or 90 on The year and they really need him again. Just like Barkov. They need his body because he's a big dude It's 6-4 about 226 they need him on the ice to be checking guys with the body for checking laying out that long reach To disrupt guys when they're trying to pass the puck or even trying to get leverage to get to the net He's one of those guys that is out there to put his body on the line to protect Bobrovsky and then Matthew Kachuk What else can I say about him? Look at a CF percentage sixty six point one percent on the year Yes, only 52 gains, but look at the production. He's done in those 52 games leader absolutely Captain should be but Barkov's been here a lot longer than good Chuck has and we could also say this He's got that mental edge and adding him with Brad Marchand with Bennett they could all be on that same line together and that's gonna be super exciting to watch I've said in the past as well. I Can't wait to see that line if that's what Paul Murray's decides to do and put those three guys together That is just gonna be like That's gonna be oh my goodness. I can't wait to watch it It's gonna be exciting hockey to see and I'm telling you when they need a boost those three guys are gonna be the ones to go to To get a spark going for this team. I really do I really do think that this team has a Darn good shot to repeat as champions as long as everybody's healthy. And again, Matthew could Chuck's injury it is an injury with his his adductor and That is a big mover muscle so that could pose a big problem if he's not able to feel Good on that when he does get back on the ice and in in uniform In his sweater for for the Panthers. So these are the guys they're going up against Braden point 41 goals 38 assists. He is Man, he's a difference maker. He is a difference maker and You know, he he really is just that offensive presence that is needed on this team He generates offense tremendously. He makes it look easy, but nothing No one is more dangerous than this guy right now 119 points on the year 36 goals 83 assists Nikita Kucherov There is no one better in the game right now He is one of the most formidable guys out there that these this Florida Panthers team has to defend against He can be unstoppable at times and when he is on a roll It's not gonna be easy to have him keep the puck out of the net That's why this team has to put their body on the line. They've got to get in those passing and shooting lanes They got to lay the body on this guy and try to make sure they could limit him in terms of in In his offensive production and maybe on the defensive side too because he can he can do it on both sides of the ice so Yeah, we're gonna be we're gonna be looking at a lot of interesting Interesting storylines heading into this round one matchup guys I cannot wait to see what this first round is gonna hold But first we got to get past tonight's game and that's the one I really can't wait to see because this is gonna be the last time where it's gonna be. All right Let's let's get more physical today. Let's set the tone before Game one. I said it last time. This is game zero tone setter Let's get ready to rock and roll tonight guys really exciting hockey The Panthers are gonna be back healthy for game one Matthew could Chuck does have that little asterix next to his name right now because they still have to see how he's gonna do in Practice, how is he gonna recover? So but just be excited for this team guys Don't think after game one or two if they go one and one that's a great start if they go Oh and two don't count them out. Don't forget Aaron Ickblad will be back for game three so they're gonna get that big defensive pick-me-up from him once he gets on the ice and he's cleared from his 20 game PED suspension