SUNRISE, FL — Monday night was Halloween from the Bank Atlantic Center and the Atlanta Thrashers came to town dressed up like the Winnipeg Jets. Instead of being treated to a win against a division rival, the Panthers were tricked into believing that the Jets’ equalizing goal in the third period was legit.

It was the second last-minute goal that the Panthers have been victim to in the past week. Four days ago Kris Versteeg tied the game against Ottowa with 45 seconds to play. Forty-three seconds later, Ottowa put the Panthers in the loss column with a 4-3 victory in the final seconds.

Monday night was slightly different since the Panthers gained a point with the shootout loss to Winnipeg, but the Panthers weren’t happy that the Jets were given the opportunity of extra time. After the game, Panthers coach Kevin Dineen voiced his displeasure with the ghastly officiating. “I think there was a mistake made on the ice and unfortunately it cost us a point, a very expensive point.”

The goal in question came with 50 seconds left in the third period, when Winnipeg’s Evander Kane swatted the puck out of the air and netted an apparent goal. One official said no goal, another said goal, so the officials sent word to the powers-that-be in Toronto to review the play for high-sticking.

Fleischmann had 2 goals and an assist Monday night but failed to get the call in the shootout

It seems the Panthers have a little in common with the Dolphins, because they could both use a little luck. The Panthers didn’t get theirs on Monday. After being disallowed, then allowed, then disallowed, then allowed again, the final verdict was a valid goal by Kane and we were headed to overtime. After the extra frame, the Panthers went to the shootout looking to get revenge.

They didn’t get that either.

In a puzzling move, coach Dineen sent Mike Santorelli — who only returned to the lineup last Monday against Montreal — to take the second attempt in the shootout. Santo’s shot went wide and Jose Theodore allowed the deciding goal to Kyle Wellwood moments later. It was odd that Dineen didn’t send out Tomas Fleischmann after Kris Versteeg. After all, it was Fleischmann who netted two goals earlier in the game and has had the hot hand as of late. It just didn’t add up that a guy who’s only taken seven shots all year was sent out in that particular situation.

Even the casual fan knows that the East is a jumbled mess come playoff time and that every point matters. That’s why it was such a frustrating night for Panther fans as they saw tonight’s win fall to bad officiating and a questionable coaching call. It’s easy to over-analyze a small move like that, but it was a move that could have potentially cost the Panthers a point. A very expensive point.

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SUNRISE, FL — After dropping consecutive games to the Sabres and the undefeated Capitals, the Panthers were in need of a win at home Saturday night to keep from falling below .500.

Enter the New York Islanders.

After shutting out the Isles to open the season on October 8th, the Cats once again answered the call when New York came to the Bank Atlantic Center last night.

After falling behind in the first minute of play behind Mark Streit’s power play goal, the Panthers got on the board with Kris Versteeg’s fourth goal of the season. After Matt Bradley scored for the Panthers midway through the second period, the Cats coughed up another power play goal to John Tavares less than a minute later.

Rookie Jacob Markstrom saved all 18 shots he faced in relief

It wasn’t a good night for Jose Theodore as he allowed both goals on only 10 shots that he faced. Shortly after the start of the third period, Theodore was pulled in favor of Jacob Markstrom. Markie had his work cut out for him as the Panthers had to kill three penalties in the period, including a frenetic 6-on-3 rush in the final minutes. Markstrom had to face a whopping 18 shots in the third, eight more than the Isles had in the previous two periods combined.

Markie’s work earned him third star honors, to go along with Tim Kennedy and Shawn Matthias. Kennedy scored the go ahead goal with four minutes left in the third and Matthias tacked on an empty net goal with 24 seconds to play. Earlier in the game it seemed as if Matthias was going to be benched for poor play as he was getting beaten off the puck repeatedly. After being outplayed for most of the first period, Matty turned it on the rest of the way, adding two assists to his night’s tally as he set up Matt Bradley’s second period goal and Kennedy’s game winner.

The big news of the night came right before the opening face-off.

Apparently inspired by the team’s poor play in back-to-back shutout losses to the Caps and the Sabres, GM Dale Tallon made a huge statement. The Panthers traded away perrenial fan-favorite David Booth, Steve Reinprecht and a third round pick to Vancouver for Mikael Samuelsson and Marco Sturm. Booth wasn’t contributing as much as Tallon and head coach Kevin Dineen wanted, logging only one assist and a minus-6 rating in six games this season.

Marco Sturm should prove to fans they won't miss David Booth

Tallon wanted to inject the team with a sense of urgency after getting severely outplayed in the previous two games. The Panthers played hard and fast last night, outplaying the Isles all night. Apparently Tallon’s message got across. The move brings two very solid players to South Florida in Samuelsson and Sturm, and it also adds some much needed veteran leadership to an otherwise young team. Booth had been consistently inconsistent in his time with the Panthers and this trade has to be viewed as a win for the Cats.

After being in attendance for two of the first three home games for the Panthers this season, I can safely attest to the fact that this town believes there is finally a winning product on the ice in West Broward. The crowds have been encouraging and the energy and excitement in the building has been palpable. Hopefully Tallon’s bold move will light a sustained fire under this team as the Panthers head on a three game roadie to Montreal, Ottowa and Buffalo. The Panthers return to the B-A-C Halloween night to face the Jets.

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TAMPA — On Saturday night it took overtime plus a shootout to decide which team would walk away with the first win in the rivalry series for 2011. On Monday night, the decision was made by second intermission. The Panthers continued their dominance over the Lightning last night, winning 7-4 in the newly-renovated St Pete Times Forum.

The Panthers power surge started with 6:15 left in the first period when Tomas Kopecky scored on the first of five power-play goals for the Cats. Kris Versteeg and Stephen Weiss added two goals apiece and Sean Bergenheim scored his first goal against his former mates with an unassisted shorthanded goal in the second period.

The first lines — on offense and defense — were supremely effective last night, tallying an eye-popping 14 points. First line defenders Brian Campbell and Jack Garrison contributed plenty themselves, as Campbell accounted for four helpers and Garrison tacked on the final goal of the contest.

Kris Versteeg is one of many new faces for the Panthers enjoying early success.

The Panthers’ penalty kill unit gave up its first power-play goal of the young season when Teddy Purcell tied the game at one apiece in the first period. The Panthers’ PK unit has been very solid early on, killing off 91.7% of penalties, good enough for fourth in the league.

It’s also good to see the Cats’ power-play unit log good minutes and get off effective shots, something that didn’t happen a lot last season.

The Panthers seven-goal outburst isn’t something to expect every night, but it is comforting to see an offense that ranked 27th last season making big strides forward. The confidence and effectiveness of the Panthers first line — Weiss, Versteeg and Fleischmann — seems to be growing with every game, and if the second and third lines take off soon, the Panthers should be able to compete with the beasts of the East.

The Cats will surely be put to the test the rest of this week as they travel to play the Capitals on Tuesday night, then make their way home for match-ups with the Sabres on Thursday and the Islanders — who have won three straight — on Saturday night.

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SUNRISE, FL –  Last season the Tampa Bay Lightning accomplished quite a bit, getting within one game of the Stanley Cup Finals. One thing they couldn’t do last season was beat the Florida Panthers, as the Panthers took five of six from their in-state rivals. Different season, same result.

The Panthers won a thriller last night, winning 3-2 in the shootout in front of a very large and very excited home crowd at the Bank Atlantic Center. Last night was easily one of the most anticipated home openers for the Cats in over a decade, and that anticipation and excitement was in the air from the first face-off to Jose Theodore’s final stop.

The crowd went crazy when hometown hero Ed Jovanovski was introduced during pre-game, and it was more than fitting that Jovo was credited with the Panthers’ first goal. Jovo fired a shot from the point that found the back of the net, his first power play goal and first overall goal of the young season.

The Panthers’ new-comers all seemed to contribute in some form, including rookie defenseman Erik Gudbranson. Midway through the second period, Guddy got tied up with Tampa Bay’s Steve Downie — one of the toughest fighters in the NHL — and quickly dispatched him. The crowd was on its feet as Guddy landed heavy punch after heavy punch, thrilled to see the youngster stand in and fight.

The third period brought even more action.

David Booth is still getting used to his new line mates

With the Cats still clinging to a 1-0 lead, the Lightning’s Marc-Andre Bergeron netted his first goal of the season, getting the assist from Dominic Moore. A little over eight minutes later, Kris Versteeg put the Panthers back on top with yet another power-play goal for the Cats.

With a 2-1 lead and less than three minutes to play, the hometown crowd was amped. However, just as it was being announced as a “Pantherrrrs Gooooaaal”, Bergeron once again scored on a defense that fell asleep for a split second. Right off the face-off, the puck was dumped in by Pavel Kubina, who swung it around to Martin St Louis and he found Bergeron who was charging straight through the Panthers’ zone. The defense never saw him and Jose Theodore never saw the puck coming.

In under40 seconds, the game was tied again and heading to overtime.

The extra frame saw several scoring opportunities for the Panthers, but it would have to be settled in the shootout. After misses from both Kris Versteeg and Martin St Louis, Marcel Goc was able to make two strong moves on Mathieu Garon and found the back of the net for the shootout goal. After another pair of misses from Steven Stamkos and Thomas Fleischmann, it was once again up to Theodore to come through. The crowd was on its feet and erupted when Theodore blocked Vincent Lecavalier’s shot attempt, notching a big home-opening win for the Panthers.

This marks two strong wins for the Panthers, with two strong showings from Jose Theodore in net. It’s true that the Cats didn’t look that good against the Penguins three days prior, but the Panthers aren’t quite on that level yet. It’s a young team with a lot of new pieces that need to gel, and that will take time. This is a team without any real superstars, but this group of second-line castoffs seems to be trusting each other more and more with every game. Even though it’s early in the season, it’s evident that this has the makings of being a very good team, which may keep the fans excited deep into the season.

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UNIONDALE, NY — The expectations for the Florida Panthers are high this season. After a dismal end to the 2010-2011 season, the Panthers and GM Dale Tallon entered the off-season looking to bring in young talent and cagy veterans to create a new product intent on winning.

The Cats took a big step forward Saturday night.

Against a young, upstart Islanders team, Jose Theodore made his first start in net for the Panthers and gave fans reason to believe after just one game. The former Vezina trophy winner stopped all 27 shots he faced as the Panthers spoiled the Islanders’ home opener.

Theodore benefited greatly from a re-vamped defense and a focused penalty kill unit. The Islanders went 0-3 on the power play as Brian Campbell and Jason Garrison shut down the point for most of the night. Campbell earned second-star honors for his effort as he recorded a plus-1 rating, three blocked shots and added two helpers in the 2-0 win.

Brian Campbell was everywhere for the Panthers Saturday night

Campbell rifled a hard wrister that ricocheted off Islanders’ goaltender Al Montoya early in the first period, with Stephen Weiss there to put in the rebound. Campbell also set up Garrison’s power play goal for the Cats’ second score with under a minute to play in the first period

Campbell, Florida’s highest paid player, earned his game check against the Isles as he logged over 30 minutes of ice-time.

Also noteworthy was Panthers rookie defenseman Erik Gudbranson, who made his regular season debut with the team Saturday night. Gudbranson played one shift on the power play, registering one shot and one hit in a little under 11 minutes of ice-time. Gudbranson will be brought along slowly, figuring to make an impact on the third defensive line and in some PP/PK situations.

The win marked the first for Panthers coach Kevin Dineen, whose first NHL coaching win comes after spending six seasons as head coach of the AHL’s Portland Pirates. Dineen is one of many new faces on the Panthers bench this season and it will be interesting to see the dynamic of this team take shape as the season progresses.

While starting the season off with a shutout win is encouraging, there is still much to be done. After all, it was against the Islanders. The rest of the week won’t be quite so easy for the Cats as the team travels to Pittsburgh on Tuesday to take on the Penguins before coming back to South Florida for the home-opener against the Lightning on Saturday.

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**Rating system for “Plus/Minus” Series**
+3 = Major Upgrade
+2 = Upgrade
+1 = Slight Upgrade
0 = Same as prior year
-1 = Slight Dowgrade
-2 = Downgrade
-3 = Major Downgrade

Team: Florida Panthers
2010-11: 72 points, #15 in Eastern Conference

GOALIES

Returning: Scott Clemmensen

Arrivals: Jose Theodore
Departures: Tomas Vokoun

Grade: -3

Panthers fans can be as optimistic as they want, but going from Vokoun to Jose Theodore is a major step backwards. Both played on bad teams last year, yet Vokoun’s numbers were much better than Theodore’s.

DEFENSE

Returning: Dmitry Kulikov, Keaton Ellerby, Jason Garrison, Mike Weaver

Arrivals: Brian Campbell, Ed Jovanovski, Erik Gudbranson
Departures: Joe Callahan, Alexander Sulzer

Grade: +3

Florida has completely altered the look of their defense, and that’s certainly in a good way. Say what you want about Campbell and Jovanovski with respect to their ridiculous salaries, but both are very capable top 4 defensemen. Not to mention, they will also benefit from the addition of blue chip prospect Erik Gudbranson, who will also step right into the Panthers top 4.

FORWARDS

Returning: Stephen Weiss, David Booth, Evgeni Dadonov, Jack Skille, Mike Santorelli, Shawn Matthias

Arrivals: Tomas Fleischmann, Scottie Upshall, Kris Versteeg, Sean Bergenheim, Tomas Kopecky, Marcel Goc, Matt Bradley
Departures: Rostislav Olesz, Marty Reasoner, Sergei Samsonov, Niclas Bergfors, Steve Bernier, Darcy Hordichuk

No one can argue that the Panthers made significant upgrades to their forward group. They will be a much more exciting team to watch, and certainly more competitive. I do have one big problem with what they did – they threw big money at a bunch of second and third line players, and they signed them to long-term deals. They have better forward prospects than any team in the league, but they may have to wait a long time before they can see big minutes in the NHL.

Grade: +3

OVERALL RATING: +3
2011-12 Prediction: #12-#14 in Eastern Conference

Yes, the Panthers improved on paper, but like the Ottawa Senators, their moves are just not significant enough to vault over the other improving teams in the Eastern Conference. 

SUNRISE — After a year’s worth of speculation and quiet bickering from both sides, the future is now for the Panthers’ newest member. The Panthers agreed to terms over the weekend with the third overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, defenseman Erik Gudbranson.

The 6 foot 4, 215 pound phenom signed a three-year entry level contract on Friday. The contract will pay him a rookie maximum salary of $900,000 per year, and the incentive based contract could be worth a possible $9.6 million when all is said and done.

Incentive number one: make the club.

The first step for Gudbranson was getting the contract settled, the next step will be trying to make the Panthers 23-man roster. If he fails to do so, “Guddy” will be forced to return to juniors for the Kingston Frontenacs in the OHL. Last season Gudbranson had 12 goals and 22 assists to go along with 105 penalty minutes for the junior club. He also earned a silver medal with Team Canada in the World Junior Championship.

Gudbranson was the first pick in the Dale Tallon regime, and both player and GM are eager to get the freakishly talented defenseman on the ice. “He’s the real deal and a big part of the puzzle,” Tallon said of Gudbranson following the announcement of the signing.

With Gudbranson playing opposite to this year’s first round pick Jonathan Huberdeau, the Panthers are rebuilding on both sides of the ice. Despite Huberdeau not yet being under contract, the newest additions to the franchise are months away, not years. By adding their skills and energy to a core of  talented veterans, the Panthers seem to be putting something together that fans may be able to get excited about very soon.

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SUNRISE — With a lot of voids to fill on a barren roster, it was to no one’s surprise that the Panthers and GM Dave Tallon have been very busy in the first two days of free agency.  GM Dale Tallon has seemingly taken a Billy Beane-like approach to filling out the Panthers’ roster, bringing in some fresh young faces and also one pretty familiar one.

Welcome back, Eddie.

The Florida Panthers made defenseman Ed Jovanovski the 1st overall pick in the 1994 NHL draft, and now the team has the veteran “seeing red” once again. Panther fans will remember that Jovanovski was traded to Vancouver back in 1999, a trade that saw Pavel Bure bring his talents to South Florida.

Twelve years later, the Panthers inked its prodigal son to a four year deal reportedly worth $16.5 million. It’s safe to say that Jovo will anchor the first line of defense with fellow newcomer Brian Campbell, who was brought to the Cats in a draft day trade.

Jovanovski was only the beginning.

Dale Tallon continued to acquire former Blackhawks players at a frenetic pace, this time bringing in right-winger Kris Versteeg. Versteeg was traded to the Panthers from Philadelphia in exchange for a pair of draft picks, a second-rounder in 2012 or 2013 and a third-rounder in 2012.

Versteeg joins a slew of free agent forwards that have been signed by the Panthers including Scottie Upshall, Tomas Fleischmann, Matt Bradley, Greg Rallo, Tomas Kopecky, Marcel Goc and Sean Bergenheim.

Bergenheim — who was a virtual nobody until the playoffs this past season — was a late addition on Friday night, the opening day of free agency. The 27 year-old left-winger came alive in the postseason, netting nine goals in 16 playoff games, helping the rival Tampa Bay Lightning reach the Eastern Conference Finals.

Bergenheim’s deal is worth $11 million over four years.

By bringing in Upshall and Fleischmann, GM Dale Tallon has added a pair of 20-plus goal scorers to a team that owned the third worst offense in the league last season.

Upshall had career highs in goals (22) and points (34) last season for Phoenix and Columbus, while Fleischmann is only one year removed from a 23-goal season in Washington. Fleischmann spent most of last season battling blood clots but has been cleared to play for the upcoming season.

With his forward lines seemingly covered, Tallon still had a goaltender issue that needed to be addressed. He solved that problem — hopefully — by signing former Hart and Vezina trophy winner Jose Theodore to a two-year, $3 million deal.

This past season, the 34 year-old net-minder enjoyed a bit of a renaissance year while backing up Niklas Backstrom in Minnesota. Theodore posted a  2.71 GAA — his best in three seasons — and his .916 save percentage was his best since winning the Hart and Vezina back in 2002.

Theodore will probably be backing up incumbent goaltender Scott Clemmensen. Once upon a time, way back in 2009, Clemmensen — then with the Devils — filled in admirably for an injured Martin Brodeur. In that time, Clemmensen had 25 wins, a .917 save percentage and a 2.39 GAA in 40 games.

Though he has never consistently gotten back to that level, Clemmensen has shown flashes of his former self and perhaps a steady dose of playing time can remedy that.

Adding Theodore, Jovo, Upshall and others means that the Panthers now have a balance of talented youth and veteran leadership. Unlike years past when the Panthers would throw money at cast-offs that would do nothing but eat up cap space, Tallon has added talent and toughness to a team that had neither last season.

Tallon avoided the temptation of throwing money at Brad Richards, which would have added legitimate star power but would have left little to fill out the true needs of the team. He wanted to make sure he was getting quality and not just quantity.

The blueprint that Panther fans have been hearing about for a year now is taking shape slowly but surely. For the fans of a franchise that’s only been to the playoffs three times in its 17 year existence, it’s hard to be optimistic. It seems, however, that Tallon’s moves might just inject some excitement into an otherwise dull and lifeless franchise.

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ST PAUL — When Dale Tallon announced his “blueprint” for rebuilding the Florida Panthers, most Panther fans were undoubtedly skeptical — and with good reason. The franchise hasn’t been to the playoffs in over 10 years and  recent failures in the draft have made the future look bleak to most fans.

That may have all changed Friday night.

The 2011 NHL Draft kicked off from the Xcel Energy Center in St Paul, Minnesota with a handful of “can’t miss” prospects in the top five. Ready to unveil the new home jersey on its #3 overall pick, the Panthers were guaranteed to get a top-flight talent, the only question was which direction would they go.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Gabriel Landeskog predictably went 1st and 2nd, respectively, and the Panthers were left with a big choice at #3. Earlier reports had Florida eyeing the NHL-ready, stand-out Swedish defenseman Adam Larsson.

Photo courtesy of the AP.

The offensively challenged Panthers passed on Larsson and opted for Jonathan Huberdeau, the talented center/winger from the St John Sea Dogs. Huberdeau is regarded in some circles as not yet being NHL ready due to his size and inexperience.

Tallon plans to not rush any of his young players and if necessary, Huberdeau could start next season in Juniors before joining the big club. Despite this, Tallon seemed to be beaming afterward, calling the addition of the Laval, Quebec native “another big piece of the puzzle.”

He wasn’t done yet.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

The puzzle began to take shape a little more when Tallon pulled the trigger on a trade that sent talented but disgruntled winger Ratislav Olesz to the Blackhawks in exchange for defenseman Brian Campbell. It was Tallon who inked Campbell to his 8-year, $56.8 million contract when he was the GM for Chicago.

The Panthers are likely to take on several more exorbitant veteran contracts during free agency and beyond as they attempt to spend their way to the NHL’s cap-minimum payroll. The floor is currently at $48 million, and the addition of Campbell still leaves the Panthers with over $25 million to spend to meet that mark.

According to The Hockey News, Tallon is trying not to think about the floor as he puts together the Panthers’ roster saying, “I’m not doing this to get to the floor. I’m doing this to become a good team. Period.”

That kind of optimism is something this team hasn’t had in over a decade. Thomas Vokoun, Rick Nash, Roberto Luongo. These are just a few of the names that still haunt Panther fans to this day, constant reminders of some of the head-scratching and often frustrating moves made by the franchise.

Panthers GM Dale Tallon

Tallon’s blueprint in Chicago led the Blackhawks to its first Stanley Cup victory in nearly half a century. Hopefully Tallon will be able to do for the Panthers what he did for the Hawks and change the landscape of hockey in South Florida.

News and Notes:

The draft started with a nice tribute to the former director of NHL Central Scouting E.J. McGuire, who passed away earlier this year from a battle with cancer…Also remembered was former Wild and NY Rangers player Derek Boogaard, who also died earlier this year. Derek’s brother Aaron was brought to the podium to announce the Rangers’ pick and was treated to a very touching standing ovation from everyone in the Xcel Energy Center…A big welcome back to the logo-less and jersey-less Winnipeg Jets…Fans at the draft weren’t shy, showering NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, the Vancouver Canucks and the Dallas Stars with boos all night.

With only four forwards signed beyond this season, you have to think that the Panthers remake is well into the first stage. The cupboards are filling with prospects and some of them will be ready next season when all of these contracts run out.  

Vokoun has been the number one star of the beginning of the season, consistently holding them into games while being one of the stars on most games.

You’d have to think that the trade deadline will see some players being shed for draft picks, but the organization would be nuts to have Vokoun be one of those players. Without alot of scoring, the best place to win games is by being better between the pipes. They can ease the young Jacob Markstrom into the lineup next year as a backup.

With Vokoun winning half of his games and sporting a .921 Save Percentage, you’d have to consider that a victory with only 19 goals for after nine games. 

Time will tell which way the Panthers will go with their goaltending.