Last night the Panthers beat the Canucks and took the top spot in the NHL standings; however, the action off of the ice was apparently more interesting and the only reason the Cats are getting talked about online today.
In case you haven’t been on Twitter or Instagram today, South Florida rapper, Kodak Black, was in attendance as the Panthers hosted the Canucks.
For those who are unaware, Kodak is a huge hockey fan and likes showing his dates the finer points of the game.
While many think that Kodak Black, or Kutthroat Bill as his friends call him, was getting wild in the corporate suites, a real hockey fan knows that he was showing her the proper technique of boxing the man out in front of the net. I will let you be the judge:
While his PR team is saying that he was just dancing, we all know that grinding like that leads to. Especially when wild Bill is showing off his vast hockey knowledge and phenomenal backchecking skills. This was probably the before video and they are afraid to release the after:
Now to the action on the ice.
The Panthers handed Vancouver their first regulation loss of the Bruce Boudreau era in a game that was very underwhelming. I know the Canucks have had their struggles this season, but they just looked sloppy and like this game meant nothing to them.
Not to go too far off the rails; however, I do have a theory related to the performance of the Canadian teams in Florida so hear me out.
As you know, Canada has been in lockdown for a while now with bars, restaurants, etc. closed down. On top of that, teams like Vancouver and Calgary have underperformed on their road trips through the Southeastern United States.
Do you know what is open in the Southern US? Bars, restaurants, night clubs, and all the other things Canada has closed off.
After spending months in the bitter cold and in lockdown, what do you think these guys want to do? Sit in their hotel room and order room service? Hell to the no, the boys want to grab a nice meal, cocktail, and hang out in the beautiful weather!
They are probably writing it off as taking a loss or two and they can make it up later in the season. Especially when the teams they are visiting, i.e., the Panthers, Bolts, and Canes; are all fighting for the top spot in the league. They took the “we are probably going to lose anyways, so let’s at least enjoy being on the road” type mentality.
Again, that is not proof; however, it is a conspiracy theory that makes a lot of sense. I know that is how I would be if I were on those squads.
Anyways, I have rambled enough about a rapper’s sex lives and my tin foil hat conspiracy thoughts, let’s get to the action.
The Panthers jumped down the Canucks throats early scoring 2 goals on their first 3 shots.
Ekblad led things off scoring a little over 5 minutes in to the game while the Russian Rookie Sensation, Maxim Mamin, was screening Demko.
Then less than a minute later, Gudas went for two thirds of the Gordie Howe hattrick at once. Gudas hammered a clap bomb which got tipped by Reinhart (assist) past Demko and then immediately dropped the mitts with JT Miller (fight) before the goal horn had even gone off in what would be better described as a wrestling match.
Vancouver was able to make it 2-1 on a weird angle goal by Dickskin, I mean Dickenson; however, that would be the closest the game would get. Should Bobrovsky of saved it? Maybe and I am sure he would like it back; however, when you are facing over 40 shots on a nightly basis, you are bound to let something in.
The Cats pretty much took over in the second period with a PP goal from Huby followed by a sick no look pass from Lundell which Mamin buried top titty about 30 seconds later.
Huby’s powerplay goal might not be one for the highlight reels; however, it did extend him to a 6-game point streak:
How nasty was this give and go between Lundell and Mamin? If this isn’t Sports Center’s top play, they are more fucked in the head than Kodak Black’s date last night:
Later in the 2nd, Barkov put the nail in the Canucks coffin with his shorty breakaway goal making it 5-1. This was not Barky’s dirtiest dangle; however, it was impressive how he beat OEL like a redheaded step child and came in to score almost at will:
While the Panther’s offense continues to buzz and put-up phenomenal numbers, what is concerning is the number of shots the Cats are giving up per game. No one appreciate the efforts from Bobrovsky as the game was 5-1 going in to the 3rd period.
“It was an easy game for him” or “the Cats had the lead the entire game, he didn’t have to do much”. These are the types of comments you see on the various fan pages.
Listen here you buffoons, the Canucks had 44 shots on goal and another 22 which got blocked. This means Bob was using his butterfly and/or gearing up for a shot over 65 times this game. I do not care what type of shape he is in; he will get exhausted.
You bitched about his performance in Dallas last Thursday; however, 48 hours before he faced 49 shots from a very dangerous Flames offense. He was worn out. And when you are tired, you make mental mistakes.
If the Panthers want to make a deep run in the playoffs, where you are playing every other night, they need to tighten down on defense and not give up 40+ shots a game. Especially, when your #1 goalie, Bobrovsky, is starting well over 75% of your regular season games.
Sooner or later, he will get tired and you hope he does not collapse in the playoffs from having 40+ shots per game all season.
Ekblad and Weegar are great offensive defensemen; however, the Cats need to go after a stay-at-home type d-man who will protect the net. Guys like Roman Josi, Shea Theodore, and Victor Hedman are all players that come to mind. Not that they will be on the market, but more so in the type of defenseman they should go after. Rarely do players like this get caught cheating in the offensive zone.
On top of that, the Panthers need to play better in their own end. With the exception of Barkov, I see guys like Duclair cheating offensively and it is a big reason why they are giving up so many shots. While I am not discrediting what a guy like the Duke can do with the puck on his twiggy, they will need him to buy in and play smarter in his own zone for the Cats to make a deep playoff push.
In summary, the Cats are buzzing and spanking the competition much like Kodak was spanking his date in the suites. They are one of the hottest teams since the Covid Christmas break and hope to keep this momentum rolling for two very winnable homestands this weekend. Tighten up the defense boys and keep rappers out of your luxury boxes!
As always Panthers fans, in Zito we trust.