GDT: Florida Panthers at New Jersey Devils

Florida (6-8-2-0) at New Jersey (7-3-4-0)

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/preview?gid=2003111311

Preview - Box Score - Recap

Game Info: 7:30 pm EST Thu Nov 13, 2003
TV: FFLA, MSG Add to Calendar
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Rick Dudley's debut as interim coach of the Florida Panthers went as well as he could have wished. His next game, though, could be decidedly more difficult.
Dudley will try to make it consecutive wins when he leads the Panthers into Continental Airlines Arena to face the defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils.

Dudley became the fifth consecutive Panthers coach to win his debut in Tuesday's 4-0 victory over Tampa Bay, following Mike Keenan, Duane Sutter, Terry Murray and Bryan Murray. Dudley, also the team's general manager, fired Keenan on Sunday, and then earned his first NHL head coaching win since Nov. 22, 1991, when he was with the Buffalo Sabres.

Roberto Luongo made 26 saves for his first shutout of the season and Niklas Hagman, Andreas Lilja, Jaroslav Bednar and Valeri Bure scored for the Panthers, who snapped a seven-game winless streak against Tampa Bay.

``I think it's satisfying,'' Dudley said. ``We're going to try and keep this not too high, not too low. We won a game. It's the start of hopefully many we'll win together, and that's what we're going to build toward.''


Luongo also had shutouts in the Florida debuts of Keenan and Sutter.

``It's great to be able to get two points for Dud,'' Luongo said. ``But in a guy's first game, guys always put on a great show. It's a matter of doing it game in and game out.''

Florida was without leading scorer Viktor Kozlov, who missed the game because of a facial injury sustained Saturday night at St. Louis. Lilja was injured when he was checked in open ice by Tampa Bay defenseman Cory Sarich. Although the exact nature of the injury wasn't immediately known, Dudley said Lilja might miss some action.

Dudley will now try to lead the Panthers to their second win over the Devils in as many tries this season. Florida edged New Jersey on the road 2-1 late last month.

The Devils are unbeaten in their last seven (5-0-2) following a 2-2 tie with Buffalo in Rochester, N.Y. on Wednesday.

New Jersey has been exceptional on the road this season, allowing just seven goals and going 4-0-2. The Devils have been below average at home, winning three of seven games.

Jamie Langenbrunner, who had a goal and an assist Wednesday, has three goals and an assist in his last four games.

if we beat brodeur twice in one season i will definitely start believing.

NJ seems to have the same problems that we do at home in struggling to win. With them undefeated in 7, I think this is going to be a rough game but if FL can keep the puck away from Brodeur's stick, things should work out well. They need to play the game exactly like they did against TB. I seriously think this could be a 0-0 tie the way Brodeur & Luongo are playing right now.

Maybe we should fire Dudley, get a new coach, and have a guaranteed shutout win!
:lol: :lol: :lol:

Kozlov expected to play?

Kozlov expected to play?

Nope. He didn't make the trip.

Nope. He didn't make the trip.

So does that mean he won't be with the team on the weekend in Pittsburgh and Atlanta?

I thought it was just a puck in the face. Well, I didn't see how hard it hit him so I guess I'm not in any position to make a judgement.

So does that mean he won't be with the team on the weekend in Pittsburgh and Atlanta?

I thought it was just a puck in the face. Well, I didn't see how hard it hit him so I guess I'm not in any position to make a judgement.

Yes it was just a puck in the face. He is supposed to play Sat., and will wear a protective face guard.

I almost forgot to make my doomsday prediction :eek:

Let's see...Devils bog the neutral zone so Panthers skate two feet at a time before being stopped. Incredible number of turnovers results in an earth-shattering 12-1 win for the Devils, with one goal scored for each team until just 7 minutes to go in the third.

Panthers score first, as usual, and blow the lead :rolly:

Btw, if we ever lose by more than two goals on one of my blowout predictions, I'll quit. The luck will obviously be gone from them ;)

Yes it was just a puck in the face. He is supposed to play Sat., and will wear a protective face guard.

Alright, thanks a lot for your help.

I've seen Weiss' name popping up a lot in the box scores as of late. He's playing with Bure and Huselius, is it?

Glad to see he's doing well after the call up.

Alright, thanks a lot for your help.

I've seen Weiss' name popping up a lot in the box scores as of late. He's playing with Bure and Huselius, is it?

Glad to see he's doing well after the call up.

Yeah Weiss has been playing great on the second line with Huselius and Bure. He was called up recently and has points in 2 of the 3 games he played in.

Great! Angus is on the ice -- we're screwed!

Jokinen could be hurt. He was hit by a shot by Hagman and immediatly skated off the ice. He didn't go back on the ice so it could be serious. I was hoping Nedorost could stay at least a few weeks down on the farm but he may have to be called up.

Jokinen could be hurt. He was hit by a shot by Hagman and immediatly skated off the ice. He didn't go back on the ice so it could be serious. I was hoping Nedorost could stay at least a few weeks down on the farm but he may have to be called up.

Yeah I saw that. I hope it is not serious, we have had enough problems with injuries so far. Now tonight if he does'nt come back we will be without Jokinen and Kozlov.

Olli is back :)

3-1 Devils, going into the 3rd. The Panthers need some power plays they have yet to recieve any as of yet.

3-1 Devils, going into the 3rd. The Panthers need some power plays they have yet to recieve any as of yet.

The way it is being called..they might grant us one token powerplay at most. That was such a weak call on Samuelsson. Anyway great goal by Weiss. 4 pts in 4 games for him. I hope the Cats can make it interesting in the 3rd

Luongo has been fighting the puck most of the night...the second goal was terrible.

Doesn't look good...Devils arent giving up much defensively.

Luongo was unimpressive tonight.

Rossiter sucks; wow, is he bad with the puck.

This team really misses Kozlov.

Luongo was unimpressive tonight.

Rossiter sucks; wow, is he bad with the puck.

This team really misses Kozlov.

I agree with evildreams....again....whats the world coming to? :dunno:

Rossiter is a career minor leaguer...not fast enough, no puck skills and not physical enough. He'll have a career ala John Jakopin IMO.

Jokinen seems totally lost without Kozzie..and this team seems lost without Jokinen. When Kozlov is healthy, I'd like to see these lines:

Bednar-Jokinen-Kozlov
Huselius-Weiss-Bure
Hagman-Horton-Nilson
Hordichuk-Messier?-Novoseltsev

I think both Samuelsson and MacDonald are beyond useless..I don't know if Messier can play C but I'd really rather have Novo in there than Samuelsson.

while viktor is out...

hagman - jokinen - bednar
huselius - weiss - bure
nilson - horton - kolnik
messier - nedorost - novo

when viktor returns...

hagman - jokinen - kozlov
huselius - weiss - bure
nilson - horton - kolnik
messier - nedorost - novo

sit bednar and give kolnik a chance to show his stuff

sit bednar and give kolnik a chance to show his stuff

holy crap, now im agreeing with ED. did anyone check to see if the seas were boiling or if that plague of locusts was on the way?

just breaking your huevos homie, all in fun.

seriously, bednar has done absolutely zero but eat ice time more appropriately devoted to someone else this season. he's jiri dopita without the fat contract. kolnik played hard when i saw him in anaheim til he left with injury, wouldnt mind seeing him get a call up.

while viktor is out...

hagman - jokinen - bednar
huselius - weiss - bure
nilson - horton - kolnik
messier - nedorost - novo

when viktor returns...

hagman - jokinen - kozlov
huselius - weiss - bure
nilson - horton - kolnik
messier - nedorost - novo

sit bednar and give kolnik a chance to show his stuff

Sometimes I wonder if you're a fan of this team....and then I see a post like this & couldn't agree more!!!
:cry: :dunno: :cry: :dunno: :cry:

Well I think you can give up the hope of Kolnik getting a call-up unless more injuries occur. Nedorost is getting the call...and from the sound of Ludzik, is "the best-talented player at his age in that league, no question about it". I gotta say that is good to hear and hopefully he brings some scoring up with him. While Kolnik is a decent player, I doubt he'll ever really get a shot in the NHL. If he ever does get a shot, I don't think it will be a sustained one. Its unfortunate because he could be a good player...but I think coaches might question his defense play (and the only spot would be a defensive role at this point on our team).

I almost forgot to make my doomsday prediction :eek:

Let's see...Devils bog the neutral zone so Panthers skate two feet at a time before being stopped. Incredible number of turnovers results in an earth-shattering 12-1 win for the Devils, with one goal scored for each team until just 7 minutes to go in the third.

Panthers score first, as usual, and blow the lead :rolly:

Btw, if we ever lose by more than two goals on one of my blowout predictions, I'll quit. The luck will obviously be gone from them ;)

I know they only lost by two goals, but I'm done with my horrid predictions of defeat anyway.

*sigh* At least Weiss is looking like a talent. Maybe they should try plopping Olli on right wing and teaming him with Weiss? - or maybe it's better to leave things alone :dunno:

I know they only lost by two goals, but I'm done with my horrid predictions of defeat anyway.

*sigh* At least Weiss is looking like a talent. Maybe they should try plopping Olli on right wing and teaming him with Weiss? - or maybe it's better to leave things alone :dunno:

That might be the big roster question if everyone gets healthy -- which centers are wingers and which wingers are centers?

Weiss is probably the only centerman who has no business being on the wing.

I think Jokinen plays like a winger. Kozlov plays like a center. Horton, so far, has looked more like a winger. And Nedorost, based on previous glimpses, has looked like a hybrid, although I think he might be more comfortable in the middle. That said, the system and the overall distribution of talent certainly factor into these decisions. The (few)combinations that made sense under Keenan are likely to function differently under Dudley.

if we beat brodeur twice in one season i will definitely start believing.
I wouldn't start believing as of yet....
:lol:

With Luongo's lackluster performance do you guys A) Play him Vs Pitts~to regain confidence OR B) Play him Vs ATL~#1 goalie Vs a good team C) Play him in both games OR D) Not play him this weekend.


And out of A,B,C, Or D what do u think is most likely to occur?


I personally think B

I know they only lost by two goals, but I'm done with my horrid predictions of defeat anyway.

*sigh* At least Weiss is looking like a talent. Maybe they should try plopping Olli on right wing and teaming him with Weiss? - or maybe it's better to leave things alone :dunno:
Why move Olli around? I keep seein this "move to the wing" comment, but seriously. Hes one of the top faceoffs won men in the league right now (second only to Brind'Amour) and he seems to thrive where he is. Let things be, cause when movin things around from where someone is already producing, you risk screwin players up.

I think Jokinen plays like a winger. Kozlov plays like a center. Horton, so far, has looked more like a winger. And Nedorost, based on previous glimpses, has looked like a hybrid, although I think he might be more comfortable in the middle. That said, the system and the overall distribution of talent certainly factor into these decisions. The (few)combinations that made sense under Keenan are likely to function differently under Dudley.
Evidently, Jokinen thrives on bein a center, and regardless of what Kozlov plays like, he has thrived bein on the wing. I'll agree, all the way back to draft day, that Horton may beling on the wing, at least at this stage of his career, but why keep movin guys around. Let them play where they thrive (Jokinen at center) cause they may not react to the move.

Why move Olli around? I keep seein this "move to the wing" comment, but seriously. Hes one of the top faceoffs won men in the league right now (second only to Brind'Amour) and he seems to thrive where he is. Let things be, cause when movin things around from where someone is already producing, you risk screwin players up.

That's actually the thinking that prompted me to suggest it might be better to leave things alone.

I would argue, without being insistent, that things haven't stabilized. Not in terms of being able to leave well enough alone because of the team's overall play and not in terms of the evolution of the individuals being discussed.

Jokinen doesn't have a long history of success and it's still possible that he could be another (slightly more talented) Rob Niedermayer -- a useful, hard-working player who can play either wing or center but not necessarily a catalyst for a scoring line. Nieds had one impressive statistical season and then basically found his niche after teams figured out that he didn't have many tricks in his bag. Jokinen still has to prove that he consistently can do more than take the body and pounce on rebounds. At times, he can; at times, he can't.

Nedorost, Horton, and Weiss are wildcards.

Kozlov is steady at both positions.

So I think there is an opportunity, though not yet a necessity, for flexibility.

Flexibility sometimes causes problems with consistency. The one thing that we have a problem with right now is consistency. I gotta agree with CCR on this one...Jokinen has finally started to live up to what he was originally billed as when he was drafted 3rd overall in '97. I think Weiss is now starting to fulfill his potential as well so long as he can keep it up. I've been thinking a lot lately about potential lines of the future and they seem to look really good to me with a complete balance on the 3 major lines. Here's just my idea for right now:

Huselius - Jokinen - Horton
Nedorost - Weiss - Stewart
Campbell/Hagman - Taticek - Globke/Hecimovic

I just hope we can keep all these guys together in the future.

Ya know, I said when we drafted Horton he should be playin right wing. Damn, wish we could still access the old threads.

Flexibility sometimes causes problems with consistency. The one thing that we have a problem with right now is consistency. I gotta agree with CCR on this one...Jokinen has finally started to live up to what he was originally billed as when he was drafted 3rd overall in '97. I think Weiss is now starting to fulfill his potential as well so long as he can keep it up. I've been thinking a lot lately about potential lines of the future and they seem to look really good to me with a complete balance on the 3 major lines. Here's just my idea for right now:

Huselius - Jokinen - Horton
Nedorost - Weiss - Stewart
Campbell/Hagman - Taticek - Globke/Hecimovic

I just hope we can keep all these guys together in the future.

I think flexibility is actually an important element of consistency. We saw that point emphasized to the extreme under Keenan.

Ultimately, Jokinen should play where the team needs him to play and adapt if he has to. For instance, using your lineup as a point of reference, if Nedorost is a better center than he is a winger, then the coach will need to weigh the trade-off.