Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

The Cats are now dead even on their road trip with two more games to go. Florida took on the red-hot Buffalo Sabers Monday night and played a solid game, a typical Florida Panther game if you will. The Cats’ top six did all the damage while the defense locked things down. Two standout performances from unexpected players made a big impact on the match. Sam Bennett’s line dominated all night long, and the Panthers now get a much-needed three-day break before their back-to-back against Carolina and Washington. Florida’s finding consistency in its game, which will be huge for when players start returning the to the lineup.

Second Line Stars:

With both Marchand and Tkachuk out at the moment, A. J. Greer is getting an opportunity to play up on the second line with Verhaeghe and Bennett. The line combined for 7 points against the Sabers. Greer continues to have a great season and put up a two-goal performance, including scoring a big goal at the end of the first period to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission. A great give-and-go play with Bennett allowed Greer to shoot short side past Ellis; Verhaeghe had the secondary assist on the goal. Lundell had given the Cats the lead in the third period to break the tie game before Greer scored the eventual game-winning empty net goal. Carter also had a secondary assist on Reinhart’s power-play goal and a primary assist on Greer’s empty-netter. Bennett had a 2-point night with a primary and secondary assist on both Greer goals. When A. J. spoke to the media after the game, he said, “I definitely give a huge compliment to my linemates and to the coaches for giving me the opportunity and giving me that trust to put me in big situations.” Reinhart had this to say about Greer, “He’s got so much jump. He’s so quick on the puck and he’s playing with confidence. That’s a nice combination to have.”

Balinskis Stepping Up:

In an unexpected swing of events, Florida’s power play has gotten better since they put Uvis Balinskis on the top unit. They’ve scored three power-play goals in their last two games, and he’s done a great job so far quarterbacking the top unit. With increased responsibility, Balinskis has been handling it well. Uvis took the shot from the point that Reinhart tipped in from his spot at the front of the net. It was a great pass from Verhaeghe to Balinskis, who moved with quick footwork to find a shooting lane. At times, he’s had rough patches with Petry, but last season showed he was a dependable third-pair defenseman when he played with Schmidt. The box score won’t always tell the whole story for how a player did, but Balinskis has had a positive & noticeable impact on the ice in the absence of Seth Jones. Performances like these will be a big boost of confidence for Uvis when he heads to the Olympics next month to represent Team Latvia. 

Finding Their Consistency:

It was right around this point last season that Florida’s playoff-type game started to shape itself together. They’d had good stretches earlier in the season, but this stretch of time right now was the biggest indicator of how good they’d be in the playoffs. While I’m not sure that this year it’s as good a marker as last year, I do think it’s a great sign that the Panthers are starting to string together more consistent performances. Late December to early January was when things started to click into place, and Florida’s top line went on a crazy run, just tearing through teams. I think it’s unlikely that the Panthers hold players out at the end of the season like they did last year unless they clinch a playoff spot with games to spare. However, if they can keep this level of consistency in their game, then the team will only become more dangerous as the injury report shortens. HC Paul Maurice said, “Man, we were good. I think we’d given up one shot through the first 11 minutes…We weren’t sitting back. We weren’t just flipping pucks out. We were trying to push the pace.” The Cats have been able to tread water most of the year, and honestly, do a great job of finding ways to win with the lineup they have. If they can get things to click together with the group they currently have, it’ll only prove positive as the bigger names return to the ice. It’s also showing that the Panthers would be even harder to take down in the playoffs because they wouldn’t be as impacted by big names leaving the lineup with injury. 

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