Why Florida Panthers will win Game 7 against New Jersey Devils -NHL Playoffs Special
Game 7 will be making history for the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida, as the Panthers franchise gears up to play only their second deciding matchup while it will be the venues first ever.
Florida Panthers and New Jersey Devils will be playing in a Game 7 decider of the 2012 National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Playoff Quarterfinals on Thursday, April 26, 2012.
The current Panthers line-up has waited long enough for the day when they will actually be known as winners along with having a chance to rewrite history against a team and goalie, Martin Brodeur, who ousted them the last time they were in the playoffs,
which was over a decade ago.
"We haven't made it easy on ourselves all season long, so why now?" Florida’s right wing, Kris Versteeg, said. "We're excited about this.”We're pumped. Obviously, you can't get too high after a win; you can't get too low after a loss. We've moved on from
yesterday and we're excited about Game 7 now."
"We have a good feeling for our own team and obviously for the Devils as well," Panthers coach, Kevin Dineen, said. "That's what seven games does. Certainly the series has had its ebbs and flows for both teams, and I don't think it's a surprise to most people
on both teams that it ended up going seven games here."
Panthers goalie, Jose Theodore, will be coming back and most likely starting after missing the past game due to an undisclosed injury. Having a solid veteran goaltender to compete against Brodeur was a need for Florida and not that they have it, Panthers
can concentrate on penetrating towards the semi-finals.
Theodore shutout the Devils in Game 5 and repeating that will definitely not be hard for one of the most experienced goalies in the league. He did practice on Wednesday, a day before the deciding game, but it is still not clear that he will start Game 7.
Winning the series is also crucial for Martin Brodeur, who will be becoming a free agent later on in July and turning 40 on May 6. Making the playoffs has not been a certain thing for New Jersey these past few seasons, so making this one count will be top
priority.
Kris Versteeg has been exemplary for Florida so far as he has five points (3 goals, 2 assists) in the six postseason games played up until now. Being the most consistent forward for Panthers, his dominating form will be required by the team as they look
to take the win.
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