1 – TIME TO EXTEND: Early Christmas keeps coming for Florida Panthers fans! Just prior to Tuesday’s home game against Minnesota, the Stanley Cup champions announced a multiyear contract extension for head coach Paul Maurice. According to The Athletic, Maurice was in the final season of a three-year deal which paid him just under $4-million per season. “I’m just thankful, hopeful I guess, the ink dried on that thing,” Maurice smirked after the game. “No, I mean it’s an honor. And I’m very thankful and appreciative of the Viola family, not just for their generosity, but for the investment they’ve made here over the years to have such an incredible program.” The 57-year old Sault St. Marie, ON product has compiled a 98-59-15 record in his time in South Florida and led the Panthers to their only Stanley Cup title in franchise history in 2024.
2 – GOING WILD: The announcement turned out to be the highlight of the night on Tuesday. The Panthers were clubbed 5-1 by the visiting Minnesota Wild before 18,264 at Amerant Bank Arena. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was chased from the net after two periods after allowing five goals on 16 shots. Back-up Spencer Knight mopped up in the third, stopping all six shots he faced. The loss dropped the Cats’ record to 4-3-1.
3 – THE WEEK THAT WAS, AND IS: Tuesday’s game was the finale of a three-game homestand which opened with Florida falling 3-2 in OT to Vancouver on Thursday, and continued with a 4-3 OT win over Vegas on Saturday in a 2023 Stanley Cup Final rematch. Cats fans now won’t see their team on home ice for awhile. The Panthers head out on a lengthy road stretch which has them visiting the New York Rangers on Thursday, the New York Islanders on Saturday, and Buffalo Sabres on Monday. They’ll then head to Finland for a pair of NHL Global Series games against the Dallas Stars on November 1 and 2. Florida doesn’t play at home again until Thursday, November 7 against Steven Stamkos and the Nashville Predators.
4 – BARKING: The Panthers have been without the services of captain Aleksander Barkov since he went down with a leg injury on October 10 in a 3-1 loss at Ottawa. Maurice offered an update this week, saying Barkov has resumed skating and is hopeful he’ll return to the lineup in one of the New York games. The coach is confident Barkov will appear in the Finland games, which is a boon for the local hockey fans since the 29-year old forward is wildly popular in his hometown of Tampere, Finland and indeed the entire country. The Cats have gone 3-2-1 in Barkov’s absence.
5 – GO BOLTS: It’s been an up-and-down start to the season for the cross-state Tampa Bay Lightning. After rattling off three straight victories to start the campaign, the Bolts went out on the road and suffered defeats at Ottawa (5-4) and Toronto (5-2) this week before rebounding with a convincing 8-5 victory at New Jersey on Tuesday. Star netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy was given the hook after allowing four goals on 14 shots at the Maple Leafs on Monday. Back-up Jonas Johansson mopped up in Toronto, then posted a 30-save victory against the Devils. In Tuesday’s scorefest, forward Brandon Hagel led the way for Tampa Bay with three goals and an assist as the Bolts improved their record to 4-2-0.
6 – FROZEN FRENZY: More Christmas for hockey fans! Tuesday marked the NHL’s annual Frozen Frenzy day, which is the only date on the calendar where all 32 teams are in action. ESPN2 provided what it calls “Whip Around” coverage, dropping in on all 16 games with host John Buccigross providing highlights and interviews from across the NHL. It was wildly entertaining! Is it a coincidence that the NHL offers up Frozen Frenzy on the same day as Opening Night in the rival NBA?
7 – NHL HIGHLIGHTS: Tuesday’s full slate provided some delicious match-cups. The Winnipeg Jets won 3-2 at St. Louis and are the NHL’s only unbeaten team at 6-0. The hometown Buffalo Sabres upset the Dallas Stars 4-2 in a rematch of the still-talked-about 1999 Stanley Cup Final, and the revamped Nashville Predators finally got their first win of the season, dumped Boston 4-0 in Music City. (1-5-0)
8 – HOTLANTA: It seems like every week we offer some juicy tidbit on NHL expansion. During a press box conversation Tuesday evening at Amerant Bank Arena, an NHL insider dished that the NHL returning to Atlanta is a “done deal”. However, not so fast! I’ve been around long enough to know that the NHL isn’t a handshake league and nothing’s a done deal till it’s truly signed, sealed and delivered. However of all the expansion markets being bantied about including Houston, Kansas City and Quebec City, Atlanta would be my #1 choice. What’s different now in Georgia from the since-relocated Atlanta Flames and Thrashers? Perhaps we’re about to find out.
9 – STOLY: There are a lot of Toronto Maple Leafs fans around here. Shoot, there’s a lot of Leaf fans everywhere. And the Buds are heaping praise on former Florida Panthers back-up netminder Anthony Stolarz. The 30-year old New Jersey product was thrust into Toronto’s starter’s role this season and has gone 3-2-0 including a marvelous showing in Monday’s 5-2 victory over the Lightning. Can Toronto truly expect to contend for a Stanley Cup with a goalie who’s been a career back-up? Again, we’re about to find out.
10 – POWER RANKINGS: If you’re only casually following the NHL, here’s a peak at The Score’s Top 10 NHL Power Rankings this week to keep you up to date on what’s gone on so far: 1) Dallas, 2) Winnipeg, 3) NY Rangers, 4) Tampa Bay, 5) New Jersey, 6) Florida, 7) Toronto, 8) Utah, 9) Vegas, 10) Calgary. Debate at will!
See you at the rink …
(Veteran hockey broadcaster and writer Rod Pedersen covers the NHL for the South Florida Tribune. He also hosts the award-winning weekly Cats N Bolts Podcast and the daily Rod Pedersen Show on Game+ TV, WQEE Radio & YouTube)
