Florida Panthers Win Team Record 11th Straight
The Florida Panthers beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2 in Ottawa on January 7th for their 11th straight victory. It’s a team record winning streak. The Panthers were 8-9-4 on November 23rd, but have won 17 of 20 since then.
Florida has shown steady improvement the last three years, albeit under the radar. The Panthers were 29-45-8 in 2013-14, 38-29-15 last season, and are 25-12-4 through January 7th of the 2015-16 season. That puts them in the lead in the Atlantic Division with 54 points. Detroit and Montreal are tied for 2nd with 49 points.
A big part of Florida’s success is the team’s defense. The Panthers allow just 2.1 goals per game, the fewest in the NHL. The goalies have been exceptional; Roberto Luongo is 19-11-3 with a goals against average of 2.06 and a save percentage of .931. Backup Al Montoya has been a pleasant surprise; he’s 6-1-1 with a 1.69 goals against average and a save percentage of .938.
The offense is led by 43 year old veteran Jaromir Jagr with 14 goals and 16 assists. While the team has its share of crusty old veterans, there are also 13 players age 25 or younger on the roster. The Panther’s Canadian road tour continues in Edmonton on January 10th, Vancouver January 11th, and Calgary January 13th.
Here’s some highlights from the win at Ottawa:
https://youtu.be/UEcbtlxPIiA
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Some of those older players had important roles in some Stanley Cup winners: Campbell and Mitchell provide a lot of experience on the blue line, Boland has been sorely missed in Chicago (at least by me), and Thornton seems to have mended some past indiscretions.