Florida Panthers hopeful for recovery as they face the lowly Toronto Maple Leafs – NHL Preview
Had it not been for the fact that Florida Panthers are leading National Hockey League (NHL) Southeast Division, they would have very faded chances of qualifying for the playoffs.
That, however, is not the case and despite their inconsistent run, they are expected to reach the postseason.
On the other hand, Toronto Maple Leafs are also struggling to perform and could provide a winning opportunity to Panthers.
Both teams are going to play against each other on Tuesday, March 13, 2012, at BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, Florida.
Let’s have a look at them.
Panthers
Out of the six games Panthers have played this month, they have won two.
The recent victory came against Carolina Hurricanes thanks to Panthers’ goaltender, Jose Theodore, who managed a shutout.
However, the offence is struggling and despite the victory, Panthers’ coach, Kevin Dineen, seemed slightly unhappy.
He said:
"We're disappointed we don't have a little more separation from where we feel we should be right now. We felt in the last couple of months that we have given up points. This was our goal, to be relevant going into the end of March and into April. That's
right where we're at."
Panthers are ranked at third in the Eastern Conference with 77 points after 68 games.
Leafs
Leafs have only won one game this month and are currently on a four-game losing streak with the defeats coming against Boston Bruins (5-4), Pittsburgh Penguins (3-2), Philadelphia Flyers (1-0 after shootout) and Washington Capitals (2-0).
Leafs are ranked at 12th spot in the Eastern Conference with 68 points after 69 games and are eight points behind the eighth-ranked Washington Capitals.
Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jet and Tampa Bay Lightning are ranked between Capitals and Leafs.
Leafs’ coach, Randy Carlyle, thinks that the struggling offence is one of the main reasons behind the team’s failure. He said after the recent defeat:
“I believe that the teams that play better defence, usually the offense comes around. We are starving for offense right now; we need a bounce to go our way. It's not like we are not creating quality scoring chances; we are creating them."
Predictions
Panthers have an edge.
The sum of goals scored by both teams might stay under six.
If Leafs win, the winning margin will be less than two goals.
Tags: