On what felt like a must win game in October,, the Florida Panthers broke their losing streak and took their second to last road trip game with a win against the Chicago Blackhawks.
In summaryL The penalty woes are still following the Panthers. The Tkachuk line still continues to shine. Akira Schmid made some really big saves to get Florida a crucial Sunday afternoon matinee victory.
Let's get into the three takeaways of the game.
1. Penalties Continue To Be An Issue, but the PK is Poised
The Florida Panthers had a total of seven penalties in this game. That resulted in the Chicago Blackhawks having two 5-on-3 power play opportunities. And yet, Chicago didn't score. Still, this is something the Panthers need to clean up, and soon. They're putting themselves at a regular disadvantage.
2. Tkachuks Continue To Shine
While it wasn't his initial intention as the season started, and was forced by the injuries to Sasha Barkov and then Brad Marchand, coach Paul Maurice's eventual decision to move Matthew and Brady on the same line continues to pay dividends. It paid off in early in Sunday's game again with the only power play goal coming from Matthew, assisted by Brady as well as defenseman Seth Jones, who is off to a strong start this season. There's something so special about seeing the chemistry the Tkachuks have, as it's carrying over from their time on the US Olympic team. After a couple of slow games, especially the last game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, it's nice to see it working again. Matthew now has four goals and 12 assists, for 16 points; Brady now has seven goals and 5 assists, for 12 points.
3. Akira Steps In
Akira Schmid is getting more work after the injury to Jacob Markstrom. And after some early struggles this season, he's settling in. In his sixth start of the season, the offseason acquisition saved 19 of 21 shots. That accounts for a save percentage of .905%, which is exceptional. A bulk of the saves he made were in the third period, especially towards the very end when the Chicago Blackhawks were pressing for a goal. However, Akira and our defensive group stood tall and the Panthers skated away with a much needed victory.
The last game of this string of the road trip will take place Tuesday, October 27th at 8 PM when the Florida Panthers face off against the Winnipeg Jets.
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