It’s been a bad holiday season for the Florida Panthers.
NHL scores 2016: Florida Panthers continue quiet turnaround after coaching change
Tom Rowe is squeezing points out of this group.
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
A fired coach. A taxi fiasco. This week, they weathered another front office restructuring controversy.
And yet, with a win against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday, the Panthers sit just two points back of second place in the Atlantic Division. Since the coaching change, they’ve earned points in seven of their last 10 games.
They’re not winning many of them. Points keep slipping away. But it’s something.
And for a team that talented, with so much money thrown at it, that something might be just enough to spark a second-half run.
Scores
Sabres 3, Islanders 2 (OT)
Kings 1, Penguins 0 (OT)
Capitals 4, Hurricanes 3 (SO)
Sharks 4, Canadiens 2
Blue Jackets 4, Flames 1
Panthers 3, Avalanche 1
Canucks 4, Lightning 2
* * *
* * *
Three Things We Learned
1. Peter Budaj is the only force capable of stopping the Metropolitan Division
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If the Metropolitan Division is holding a mini-tournament right now, then the defending Stanley Cup champions just bowed out.
And that division must be, because the Blue Jackets (eight straight) and Capitals (six straight) both kept their win streaks alive and well on Friday. The only one to stumble was Pittsburgh. And the reason was goalie Peter Budaj, who shined with a 39-save shutout in overtime.
How the Kings stumbled into Budaj after losing Quick is beyond me, but he’s going to make people whisper about the Vezina Trophy at some point with Quick out until at least mid-February.
2. The Sabres are figuring out how to win at home ...
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The Sabres are back over .500 at home, with eight points in their last six games in Buffalo. This is important considering the Sabres have finished with one of the three worst home records in the NHL for the past three seasons. This little uptick is the first real sign of improvement in their own barn.
After going 5-6-3 in November, the Sabres have won three of four games for the first time since a tiny three-game win streak back in the second week of the season. Consistency can go a long way.
3. ... while the Avalanche bury themselves in the Rockies
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Colorado is so awful at home this year.
They’re 4-10-1 at the Pepsi Center after a 3-1 loss to the Panthers on Friday. That probably sounds bad, right? Just wait until you get a load of this:
The Avalanche are the definition of going nowhere fast.
Impact Moment
Carey Price had a very bad night. And when the fourth goal went past him and he got benched, he gave his entire bench the death glare to end all death glares.
Impact Moment II
Stat of the Night
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