SB Nation - Michal Repik

Horton (4 points), Panthers nuke Islanders 7-1

Whale4ever — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:46:16 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Kmonicek - AP

about 14 hours ago: Florida Panthers' Nathan Horton (16),hits the puck past New York Islanders' goalie Dwayne Roloson for his second goal of the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Dec. 14, 2009, in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

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Final - 12.14.2009	1	2	3	Total
Florida Panthers	1	2	4	7
New York Islanders	0	1	0	1

Complete Coverage >

Huge night on the scoresheet for Nathan Horton (3g, 1a) as the Cats roll at Nassau Coliseum. Eleven Panthers gained at least a point, while Tomas Vokoun stopped 30 shots to gain the win.

More to come in a bit, but enjoy the highlights; been a long time coming...

Capitals hand Panthers harsh dose of reality, destroy Cats with five goals in third

Whale4ever — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:53:01 -0000

An ugly affair in the District, as the Caps threw down on Florida, winning the tail end of the first home-and-home between the clubs 7-4. Scott Clemmensen (25 saves) took the loss.

Once more, Washington's pure goodness was evident, especially in a third period which featured five goals by the host club.

These are not the numbers of a winner, Cats fans. The final frame opened with a 3-2 Panthers lead. LEAD.

Congrats to Bruce Boudreau and his troops. Again.

KEYS TO THE VICTORY

It really all came down to the third period, given the Panthers' younglings picking up the slack early, but Washington simply poured it on: Perrault, Laing, Knuble (4 points!), and Tomas Fleischmann with two goals made it count. A classic "schooling" by the home team.
Three Panthers finished with a "plus": Michal Repik, and Dmitry Kulikov...all were a plus 1. An aside: Kulikov got his first NHL goal while Victor Oreskovich scored his first NHL assist. Hats off to them!
The Caps continued what they displayed last night: blocking shots and getting to the puck are part and parcel of a winning club. One word: tenacity. Not that Florida didn't display their own version, simply that the Caps know this game, inside and out. Gonna take more that hope and effort to beat them. Or Pittsburgh. Etcetera...
Goaltender Scott Clemmensen looked lousy. Most nights I'm willing to chalk up a loss to those defending the netminder (or lack of same) but Clemmer wasn't there. Not a good sign from the guy who made us forget Martin Brodeur for a spell.
The Cats picked up their hitting, checking, and overall intensity, but against a squad like Washington, it didn't matter. A three goal differential tells the tale.

A few days off before the next match late in the week; hopefully some changes are made beyond the lineups. Not going to win anything meaningful with the current attitude.

Rochester Americans win 8th in row; Panthers keep "recall" button well-oiled, bring up Ellerby and Oreskovich

Whale4ever — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:47:17 -0000

Amerks' RW Victor Oreskovich (photo courtesy LetsGoAmerks)

The Amerks continue their phenomenal turnaround from a year ago, going 8-for-8. Friday night's victory in Binghamton was the latest for coach Benoit Groulx's scrappy, hungry bunch, desperately looking to erase the directionless efforts of last season.

All this despite revolving flights to Sunrise. Today's passengers? Forward Victor Oreskovich and defenseman Keaton Ellerby. That Rochester has managed to keep up the winning pace while losing guys like Michal Repik, Kenndal McArdle, Jason Garrison, et al makes their streak all the more amazing.

Programming note: tonight's Panthers-Blues Open Thread goes LIVE at 7pm EST. Do it.

Need some good news, Panthers fans? Try this...

Whale4ever — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:09:57 -0000

Hockey's Future - the first and last word in puck prospects - has released their Organizational Rankings for Fall of 2009, and Florida places higher than ever ever before. Of course, we knew they would, but still.

Seriously, Hockey's Future is mighty impressed with what the Panthers are - with all respect to Rochester/Estero/Etc. - growing down on the farm. Maybe even a tad enamored with what GM Randy Sexton has done the summer.

According to HF editor Ian Bross, it's Florida's highest appearance ever - organizationally speaking - on their list (you may unclench your fists now, fellow Cat fans...nothing negative this time around). Who's number one in the organization? Goaltender Jacob Markstrom, followed by some kid who will play tomorrow on D for the Cats.

Head over and enjoy.

The DeBoer Scramble: New lines highlight Booth-less Panthers

Whale4ever — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:40:53 -0000

More photos » by Steve Mitchell - AP

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As would be expected following the loss of two crucial contributors (David Booth's 31 goals last season and Radek Dvorak's two shorties so far in the current year), coach Pete DeBoer has no choice but to rock his listing boat.

Forwards Kenndal McArdle and Michal Repik join the club from Rochester, making the act of following tomorrow night's action an exercise in confusion, at least initially.

From the Official Site, Dave Joseph provides us with what may be ancient history after the first period against Ottawa:

Steve Reinprecht, Cory Stillman, Nathan Horton
Steven Weiss, Michael Frolik, Rostislav Olesz
Dominic Moore, Gregory Campbell, Repik
Kamil Kreps, McArdle, Ville Koistinen

I'm completely intrigued by the last line: Kreps-McArdle-Koistinen certainly represents three different hockey philosophies which should be a blast to watch. Moore centering Campbell and Repik could be a lot of fun as well. Rhino sandwiched between Stiller and Horts could go in any direction - hopefully up - but I'm saving the uber-stokedness reaction for the second trio. Weiss, Frolik, and Rusty hold some potential in my eyes. Neither winger has had a true number-one center for any extended period in their (admittedly short) NHL careers; this may be kewl to watch.

In any case, the Cats are without their number-one LW along with the club's penalty-killing guru. Each and every member of the team is gonna have to dig deep.

See ya here tomorrow at 6:30.

Panthers recall Kenndal McArdle and Michal Repik from AHL; Amerks' Salak is Player of the Week

Whale4ever — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:42:49 -0000

Various outlets are naming Rochester leading scorer Michal Repik and left wing Kenndal McArdle as replacements for injured Panthers David Booth and Radek Dvorak.

Repik, with 11 points (6 goals) in nine games, is the Amerks' pacesetter in offensive categories. A right wing, he'll likely cover Dvorak. McArdle, in his third year with Rochester, has six points (2 goals) in ten games; likewise, he will find a temporary home on the third or fourth line in Sunrise.

The Amerks' current winning streak - now at seven following a shutout of Syracuse last night - has led the league to bestow AHL Player of the Week honors at the feet of first-year goaltender Alexander Salak.

Awesome news for Salak and well-deserved for the entire Rochester organization, which is witnessing a 180 degree turnaround in the team's fortunes since last season.

Reminder: For all the latest on Rochester hockey, check out Let'sGoAmerks. com

Hockey's Future: Markstrom, Kulikov, Matthias tops for Panthers

Whale4ever — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:07:42 -0000

In a league chock full of ironies, it should come as no surprise that Hockey's Future released it's Organizational Depth Analysis for Florida on the very day Pistol Pete DeBoer hauled a stunned Scott Clemmensen out of his net less than two minutes into a first-period shelling by the visiting Sabres.

Who's tops on HF's list? Panthers goaltender-of-the-future Jacob Markstrom, of course.

The game in question was not necessarily "lost" by the 'tending tandem of Clemmer and Tomas Vokoun, but neither was in game-stealing form, either. (They did look superb in their new masks, however.)

Which brings us to Markstrom, biding his time in the Elitserien, and finishing up which will arguably be his final professional bow in Europe. Cats fans have been waiting the better part of two years to see the "kid" up close, and it's hard to fathom that opportunity will arise any later than training camp 2010-11.

Whomever's at the reigns of this franchise come that time will have a confounding decision to make: Clemmer? Two years remaining on his contract. Alexander Salak? His first year of North American hockey under his belt, via Rochester (and he's looking good so far). Assuming Vokoun remains with the club past the next trade deadline (it's almost inconceivable that he will, given his salary and consistent inconsistencies), that's four presumably NHL-ready netminders. In a perfect world, anyway.

A few notes on the HF list:

Michal Repik and Keaton Ellerby at 4 and 5, right where they should be. Evgeni Dadonov in the ninth spot? He just got here, folks. Kenndal McArdle hangs on at number 20. Kulikov will be out of the "prospect" category by January.

Panthers beat Blackhawks 4-3 (SO) from Helsinki, game one

Whale4ever — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:42:52 -0000

More photos » by Vesa Moilanen - AP

Dave Roland and Brian Campbell of Chicago Blackhawks and Rostilav Olesz, left, of Florida Panthers at the NHL Premier ice hockey game Chicago Blackhawks vs. Florida Panthers in Helsinki , Friday, Oct. 2, 2009. (AP Photo/Vesa Moilanen?lehtikuva)

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A nail-biter in so many ways, the Cats never lost their cool when they would have in years past.

Playing from behind the entire match, Florida simply dominated the first period with exceptional positional play, but came up with nothing. Terrific opportunities by Nathan Horton, David Booth, and the entire third line of Radek Dvorak, Rusty Olesz, and Gregory Campbell all came up short. Chicago played tentatively, laying back and allowing the Pathers to force the game; only 'Hawks goaltender Cristobal Huet kept it close.

The second frame was an entirely different experience, as anyone who follows the Cats knows well: a step behind, fearful of getting involved in the play, spending a healthy portion of the period in their own zone. Tomas Vokoun, who would look so solid in minutes to come, began his "flopping" routine, though it never led to a goal by the opposition. Only Patrick Kane, with laser speed, was able to bring about a red light, zooming in on T-Vo directly out of the penalty box. Michael Frolik tied it up eight minutes later, and there the score remained through the second.

The third was a more balanced performance from both clubs, as everyone eventually gained their "legs". The teams exchanged goals, led by Chicago as it had been the entire day: Byfuglien, then Koistinen, then Sharp, and finished up by David Booth with a late tally to send the deal to overtime. There were moments it appeared the Cats wouldn't get that far. It was tenuous, but they kept a confident air and prevailed.

Overtime was a case of Don't Worry, Be Happy, as the Panthers simply attempted to escape, backed up formidably by Vokoun...who came to play, as it turned out.

The shootout allowed me to pose the question: does DeBoer utilize Koistinen? Indeed he did, and the right call it was: following Steven Reinprecht's goal (tying Jonathon Toew's effort), Koistinen sealed it for the Cats (drawing a huge reaction from his hometown crowd). Vokoun put the stops on Patrick Sharp. Game. Set. Two points.

NOTES: Dvorak looked positively posessed, though not reckless, in his leadership and effort. Kulikov is a keeper; plays like he's a 30 year-old veteran first-rounder. Voukoun is a flippin' and a floppin', but as scary as his style is, he makes it work (just looks terrifying). Nathan Horton had some nice opportunities, but little luck; never fear: his wrister is as wicked as ever. Hitting the post on a partial breakaway only inspired Booth, who had the final tying goal. Shawn Matthias: a work in progress. Michael Frolik finished with a goal and an assist (and is the answer to "who scored the Cats' first goal in 2009-10"?). Michal Repik, Jason Garrison, and Alex Salak were healthy scratches. Vokoun's pads look supreme. Olesz had a few moments of pro-style goodness, looking better than ever, but he's got to pick up his aggressiveness (though he led the club with five shots). Quickly. Lagging behind Dvorak and Campbell isn't going to earn him points. The Panthers fired 24 shots at Huet; Chicago only managed 55 against Vokoun (24 in the third!). New captain Bryan McCabe was quite vocal throughout the day. Defenseman Bryan Allen - he of a loooong recovery from knee surgery - appeared comfortable. And has anyone seen Stanley C. Panther?

We'll do it all again tomorrow, folks...this time with Florida as the "home" team. Live Blog once again at 11am.

Related: Second City Hockey, Blackhawks vs Panthers coverage

SB Nation NHL Preview: 2009-10 Florida Panthers

Whale4ever — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:00:23 -0000

Cats fans will need their team to tighten up and become "one" as never before, if this is to be a regular fixture at the BankAtlantic Center in 2009-10. And paying the electric bills.

The Cats launched 2008-09 amid a flurry of uncertainty, for a myriad of valid reasons: longtime leading scorer Olli Jokinen dealt at the Entry Draft, GM Jacques Martin forced out of his coaching responsibilities, impending UFA-to-be Jay Bouwmeester re-signed...for one year, winger Richard Zednik attempting to return from hideous injury, the annual chorus of "where's the scoring going to come from?", Nathan Horton moved to center, zero-hour new head coach Peter DeBoer, and on and on.

Though players were initially pleased with the fresh air ushered in by DeBoer, the ingrown Martin Doctrine of "Defense First" made for a painful and difficult transition to an offensive/positionally-responsible strategy in the early going. Wade Belak's departure particularly irked fans, as did the rookie coach's insistance on "wasting" valuable first and second line time on that Michael Frolik kid...the one with 2g (4p) through the end of November.

December was the true birthplace of the club's acceptance of and submission to DeBoer's Terms of Service: 30 wins were to follow. A few maniacally bad stinkers as well, but the seed had been planted. And that Frolik guy finished with 21g-24a-45p. We're not doubting the rookie coach now.

Every hockey fan is aware of Florida's finish: 9th place in the East (93 pts), butted out of the postseason by a secondary tiebreaker vs Montreal. Nobody's crying over it - what could be done? - but a strong scent of "We want more - for real this year!" is wafting through the southeastern Everglades after coming Oh So Close to printing playoff tickets for the first time since 2000. Local media badly needs the opportunity to trot out something other than the tired "they missed it again" line.

No more Bouwmeester drama, Martin has moved on, the defense is as positionally sound as at any point over the past decade, Randy Sexton is providing steady if unexciting guidance from the front office, and young players are finally blooming. Onward...

FORGET ABOUT: Bouwmeester ~~thankfully~~ (trade/CGY), Ville Peltonen (UFA), Zednik (UFA), Nick Boynton (UFA), Steve Eminger (UFA), Jassen Cullimore (UFA), Karlis Skrastins (UFA), Brett McLean (Buyout), Anthony Stewart (UFA), Craig Anderson (UFA)

GET TO KNOW: Steven Reinprecht (UFA), Jordan Leopold (trade/UFA), Scott Clemmensen (UFA), Ville Koistinen (UFA), Dennis Seidenberg (UFA), Jeff Taffe (UFA)

BOYZ II MEN: (F) Michal Repik, Shawn Matthias, Kenndal McArdle, Evgeny Dadonov, Mike Duco. (D) Keaton Ellerby, Jason Garrison, Dmitry Kulikov, Michael Caruso. (G) Realistically no one (due to Vokoun/Clemmensen), but keep an eye on Alexander Salak

GOOD STUFF: Horton's permanently back on the wing, presumably with the 31 goals of David Booth, centered by leading scorer Stephen Weiss (61 pts). Anderson was capably replaced by ~~Newark Man of the Year~~ Clemmensen (a Sexton coup). The Boynton debacle is finis (solidifying DeBoer's position). Reinprecht is a proven commodity in his role. Potential rookie defensemen are on the cusp of cracking the lineup, in the midst of veterans in the mold of Martin Skoula and Christian Backman. An entire year away from Martin's stingy offensive philosophy is that much further behind them. Bryan Allen returns after a season in injury exile. GM JM is no longer a focal point of hatred for the fans.

QUESTIONABLE STUFF: Let's face it: Bouwmeester is indeed a loss. Boynton's signing with Anaheim reduces overall team toughness. Skrastins blocked a helluva lot of shots. Anderson was a known asset (but wanted a starting spot). Peltonen completed a sick third line with Gregory Campbell and Radek Dvorak, and killed penalties on par with anyone in the league. Rusty Olesz is on a seriously short leash. GM JM is no longer a focal point of hatred for the fans.

DEPTH STARS

Center: Weiss, Reinprecht, Campbell, Kamil Kreps
RW: Horton, Frolik, Dvorak, Repik
LW: Booth, Cory Stillman, Olesz, Nick Tarnasky
D: Keith Ballard, Bryan McCabe, Allen, Leopold, Seidenberg, Koistinen, Skoula/Backman, Garrison/Ellerby
G: Tomas Vokoun, Clemmensen, Tyler Plante/Salak

TIME WARP TO APRIL: No single organization in the Southeast held back - for better or worse - more than Florida eventually did over the summer. Everyone has improved. Optimists may claim the Panthers needed the least amount of tweaking, given the strides made in the second half of the 2008-09 season; a few solid "character" acquisitions here, a "complement" to this line there, a rookie hitting his stride at the right time. And a lot of hope for the burgeoning defensive bunch Sexton has assembled.

Gotta make a pick? It depends as much upon the successes and failures of the divisional four the Panthers are in competition with. Let's call it second in the SE, seventh in the Wales. The down days are over.

Poll

Where in the Eastern Conference standings do you think the Florida Panthers will finish in the 2009-2010 season?

1st

3 votes

2nd

2 votes

3rd

3 votes

4th

0 votes

5th

6 votes

6th

6 votes

7th

22 votes

8th

16 votes

9th

4 votes

10th

6 votes

11th

7 votes

12th

4 votes

13th

3 votes

14th

0 votes

15th

2 votes

84 votes | Poll has closed

Canadiens' Jacques Martin : A legacy of confusion in Sunrise

Whale4ever — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:51:35 -0000

More photos » by Graham Hughes - AP

6 months ago: Jacques Martin smiles during a press conference in Montreal, Monday, June 1, 2009, announcing his appointment as new head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes)

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New Hab Scott Gomez asked a teammate what he later deemed "the dumbest question": would tonight's exhibition opener against the Florida Panthers be a sellout? Like so many games before, and countless more to follow, the answer was an explicit "yes".

Montreal fans are eager to get a first view of their revamped Canadiens after what can only be deemed a less-than-stellar 100th anniversary season. Excitement over free agent pickups such as Gomez, Mike Cammalleri, and Brian Gionta have the locals believing in substance and systems over last year's bloated pomp and circumstance. Oh, and they're probably curious about that new guy behind the bench.

Florida followers undoubtedly will have an eye on Habs head coach Jacques Martin: not quite as polarizing a figure during his days in Sunrise as, say, Mike Keenan, but the fanbase was unquestionably split on how best to remember the Cats' three-year coach and two-season GM (who has yet to be officially replaced in that capacity). What exactly did he do for the Florida Panthers?

Is "JM the Bench Boss" to be hailed as one who brought consistency - albeit of an underwhelming variety - to the Panthers' record (three seasons: 110-100-36, no playoffs)? A coach who continued the development of Olli Jokinen and authored the (lamely titled) Sunrise Express...together again after all these years?

Or a dinosaur who couldn't adjust to the post-lockout offensive-minded world of the modern NHL? For a man who was believed very close to his boss (Keenan), they didn't appear to be doing anything more than spinning wheels and offering kneejerk reactions (Kristian Huselius for Steve Montador and Dustin Johner in late '05).

Best described as defensively conservative - and that's probably polite - Martin's strategies strangled the abilities of their forwards while rarely allowing blueliners to make that all-important breakout of their own zone. A bizarre combination of pass-pass-pass-pass-pass. The mid-90s New Jersey Devils - never a club confused with exciting hockey - shut down neutral ice while the defense scooped up turnover after turnover, immediately sending it forward. Until it was legislated out of the game in 2005, this was almost unbeatable. But Martin continued attempting to employ it...and didn't even have the right personnel to make it work even if it remained legal.

Another issue: his allowing for the roster to "split" or develop cliques. Widely commented on by Florida players after DeBoer's hiring, the team had fractured into mini-fiefdoms; seldom were relationships any deeper than one or two fellow players. Any form of unity had long since disappeared, and Martin's hands-off approach - basically leaving Jokinen, a captain whose leadership skills have been questioned for years by fans, in charge - led the organization headfirst into "Country Club" territory.

Is "JM the GM" a visionary who had the foresight to outbid a desperate Ottawa organization for the services of a yet unproven (at the big-league level) Peter DeBoer - as his own replacement, no less? (It could be conspiratorially theorized this was a shocktroop move to keep the young buck out of the hands of his former employer at Scotiabank Place, but we're not going there.) Or is he to be chastised for holding on to a determined Jay Bouwmeester for far too long?

Ask just about any Panthers fan what Martin's greatest accomplishment was - in all his time with the club - and chances are very good you'd get "Pete DeBoer" as the answer. Second? Quite probably the Jokinen for (essentially) Keith Ballard deal at the 2008 Entry Draft. Beyond that? Perhaps signing Stephen Weiss, Nathan Horton, and Ballard long-term.

Notice a pattern? They're all management actions. The list goes on: assistant coach Mike Kitchen, a JM hire, remains with the club. The scouting staff was left more or less in place, still under the tutelage of a very capable Scott Luce; Martin could have gutted them long ago, but stayed the course...it was this bunch who drafted - under JM - a few pretty hot prospects: Jacob Markstrom, Keaton Ellerby, Michal Repik, Evgeny Dadonov, and others now in camp. A solidified - though not initially successful - primary operating agreement was secured with the Rochester Americans. Tomas Vokoun was acquired, as were Radek Dvorak and Cory Stillman.

Not all of his moves were brilliant, of course (Chad Kilger, anyone?), but perfection isn't realistic. If there's one tremendous debacle he alone perpetuated it would have to be not trading Bouwmeester one year earlier - before the extension was signed - when it was painfully obvious the defenseman wanted out. Left to clean up the mess after JM's departure in June, assistant general manager Randy Sexton could harness only the rights of soon-to-be UFA Jordan Leopold (eventually signed) and a third-round pick from Calgary. What more could be done? (For the record, I supported Martin NOT trading Bouwmeester at the 2009 deadline.) Ah, hindsight.

Nonetheless, for a guy with zippo management experience above the bench, it wasn't a terribly embarrassing run.

He's been given his dream assignment: head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. Regardless of the multitude of opinions surrounding his time in Sunrise, we should all hope for such luck.