If there’s one thing the Cats know how to do, it’s put on a show for their fans. Even though the team lost 1-4 to the Sharks, the mood around the team was still high. Matthew Tkachuk made his long-awaited season debut, which already would’ve been great in and of itself. But, instead, the Panthers treated their fans and the hockey world to a rare sight in the NHL, a goalie fight. The goalie fight was, in many fans’ eyes, worth the loss. 

Lost It In The Second:

The Cats played a strong first period and had some solid scoring chances, but ultimately entered first intermission with a 0-0 tie game. The middle frame was where it all went sideways for Florida. Two quick goals early in the period from Smith and Desharnais put San Jose up 0-2. Ferraro made it 0-3 before the midway point of the period, and Florida never really got their offense going. Although it wasn’t for lack of trying. The Cats had 36 SOG but only one goal from Eetu Luostarinen in the third to show for it. The Panthers outshot San Jose in the first and third periods, 10-8 and 17-9, respectively. Florida has had trouble with teams that block a lot of shots in previous seasons, so it’s not too surprising that they had trouble finding the back of the net. The Sharks had 19 blocked shots on the night en route to their win. 

Welcome Back No. 19:

It’s been nearly a year since Matthew Tkachuk played a regular-season game for the Panthers. His presence on the ice has been sorely missed. Although the Cats lost, this game was a quintessential Matthew Tkachuk-type game. Tkachuk found his favorite home, the penalty box, in the first period after getting into a scrum with Desharnais after Vincent slashed him. Both got two minutes for roughing, and Desharnais got the extra two for slashing. Matthew had a decent first game back with 3 SOG, 1 blocked shot, and 1 hit. He also logged nearly 21 minutes of ice time, trailing just Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart. While he was on the ice at 5-on-5, the Cats had 56% in shots for and a shot attempt share of 57%. When he spoke to the media following the game, he said, “I felt better as it went along. The first period was weird, I will say. It was a little strange. Nothing mimics a game. It was weird, but in the second period I felt a little better. In the third, I felt pretty much back to normal.” He’s been sorely missed on the ice and will hopefully help the team improve the more games he plays in. 

The Bob Show:

I can think of one other time in recent memory that Bob has gone and punched someone. That was when he went after Brady Tkachuk a couple of seasons ago, but that was nothing like the spectacle that went on on Monday night in Sunrise. The quiet, polite, well-mannered goalie rarely has such a show of intense emotion on the ice. But Bob felt it necessary to skate 200 ft down the ice, drop his gear, and go after Alex Nedeljkovich, who had joined the scrum in the Sharks’ zone. It’s been six years since the last goalie fight in the NHL, and what a treat it was to see the officials actually let the goalies go at it. On why he went to fight Nedeljkovich, Bob said to the media, “I felt that was a little too much over the line. I wanted to make sure to get in, to let him know. I made a decision, and went right into it. It was exciting, but obviously not something I do for a living.” Bobrovsky initially left the ice, and Tarasov was set to come in, only for Bob to return to what can only be described as a hero’s welcome—a standing ovation from the crowd to show their appreciation for their goalie. When asked about the crowd reception, Bob said, “That was exciting, for sure. That was great and emotional. I did not know that there would be that much [chanting], but it was a good feeling.” Matthew Tkachuk had this to say about the fight, “I couldn’t believe it. When the best goalie in the world is doing that, it’s pretty incredible. We know what he’s meant to our team since I’ve been here. He just added another part to his game, I think. The building was rocking. It was really, really cool.” He also said that he thought the goalie fight was awesome, and even if the team didn’t want to see Bob do it, they loved it. At age 37, it was Bobrovsky’s first career fight. In a season where the Cats may not make the playoffs, they’re still giving their fans something memorable. 

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