I'll get to more on the matchups with Carolina in our first question in just a moment, but how about that atmosphere leading up to, and throughout the game last night? We're into the Spring, and every game is the biggest game of the season until the next one. Last night, the Panthers and Hurricanes met in a game that served as a preview of the playoff feel, and a possible preview of a playoff matchup. Carolina has proven to be a difficult opponent for the Panthers this season, but the Panthers are right there in every matchup. The margin in every Panthers-Canes game has been razor-thin, but look at the records: Carolina has 31 wins to the Panthers 30, 23 regulation+overtime wins to the Panthers 22, and 15 road wins to the Panthers 14. Both teams have 16 wins on home ice this season.
There's a reason the games always seem to go down to the wire; they match up very evenly and play a similar game based on speed and forechecking. The Hurricanes have the upper hand in the season series, but a win Saturday can put the two teams into a tie in points once again. The Panthers are still in the hunt for the division title, and if the Panthers and Hurricanes were to meet in a playoff series, the results of the eight regular season matchups go right out the window. That said, a victory Saturday would go a long way!
Doug Plagens' Panthers Mailbag Volume Eleven
Before we get to the questions, congratulations are in order to Spencer Knight for his NHL debut and first win; he was outstanding on Tuesday against Columbus, and we'll get to some thoughts on that in a moment as well. Also, congratulations to Aleksander Barkov; he registered his sixth 20-goal season with a pair of goals last night, giving him more 20-goal seasons than any Panther in history. Despite the shortened season, Barkov has been able to keep his string of consecutive 20-goal seasons intact.
@JanoffJim: What are the keys to beating Carolina this weekend?
As we saw last night, the strengths of Carolina's game haven't changed over the course of the season. In all three zones, and in every situation, they pressure and hunt pucks tenaciously. The biggest key against Carolina is making quick puck decisions and moving the puck in a hurry, and the Panthers have been able to do that throughout the season series. Last night, the Panthers did a lot of things very well; unfortunately, the big stories in the game proved to be Carolina's penalty kill and most specifically, goalie Alex Nedeljkovic. His denial on Jonathan Huberdeau's chance to tie the game in the third period was the game-saving save for the Hurricanes.
The Panthers mustered 12 power play shots last night; more than 1/3 of their 34 shots on goal in the game. On the man-advantage, the Panthers had pressure, shots, and zone time. The Panthers are one of the only teams in the league that can match Carolina's speed, puck-hunting and forechecking ability, and depth. The Panthers were able to draw nine power plays last night because of their speed; if they play the same game on Saturday, power play opportunities should continue to come their way.
@Dragons_Quest: Thoughts on Spencer Knight's debut?
He was rock-solid, and I expected him to be. I was very, very impressed.
We've seen his college stats, his play at the World Junior Championships, and the ability he has displayed on the ice at every stage of his hockey career to this point. However, after Randy Moller and I interviewed him live on our WQAM Draft Special in 2019 minutes after the Panthers had made him the 13th overall pick (And first goalie off the board), I could just tell that this guy had it all. His calmness, his composure, his attention to detail, and his excitement for the opportunity were apparent immediately in that first conversation we had with him. The qualities he presented off the ice are part of his game on the ice: he's positionally and fundamentally sound, calm, and confident. On draft day, we asked him if there was a particular goalie he liked to watch, and the then-18-year-old Knight mentioned Montreal's Carey Price immediately. You can tell he's observed Price quite a bit, because a lot of the qualities I've noted in Spencer's game have been key attributes for Price. His teammates helped him out by giving him a chance to play with a lead early in the game, and by providing five goals of support, but Knight made his 33 saves look routine in his debut. There are a ton of reasons to be excited about the Panthers now and in the future, and Knight is a big reason for excitement.
@_OttoMaddux: What do you think of @offspring's new album? Or does it have to be hockey related?
To answer your second question, the questions here do not have to be hockey-related! Music, which we'll be covering here in a moment, as well as food, baseball cards, and my distaste for soup are among the myriad of topics we've tackled during the last few months of #DearDoug.
A few thoughts ran through my mind, in no particular order, when I hit play on Let The Bad Times Roll, the latest album from The Offspring… The legendary Offspring:
-"This'll fit in well with the rest of the catalog!"… This is always big for me. I'm not always an album play-through guy, so I want these songs to be able to fit in a random playlist with other Offspring songs, and they'll do just fine in that regard.
-"They're not done… not even close to being done."… Their live shows prove this as well. They still sound great, bring energy, and they're pretty funny, too.
-"They've turned back the clock with this sound." There's even a slowed-down piano version of 'Gone Away', one of their classics. It has something for everyone!
I really liked it. There are ska elements, which I love (I did a little digging through the album credits, and it appears that an early member of No Doubt was enlisted as part of the horn section). There are surf rock elements. Most of all, it sounds like The Offspring, and they can still bring it with the same edge you'd expect from them. In my book, The Offspring sticking to the game plan is a home run every time. My favorite track on the album is "Coming For You", which actually debuted as a single in the middle of the last decade, but was never released as part of a full-length album. I've always loved that song.
I love The Offspring. They're one of the best.
As always, thanks for the questions!
