GWG Rewind: Panthers vs. Lightning (GM 3) & Hurricanes vs. Islanders (GM 3)
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Panthers-Lightning Game 3
Outside of a wild second period, Tampa Bay couldn’t match Florida’s drive on Thursday night. The Panthers controlled 65.2% of the scoring chances in the first and third frames, which was good enough to bury the Lightning.
Steven Lorentz’s (FLA 18) GWG perfectly illustrated the difference in hustle between the two teams:
Tanner Jeannot (TB 84) has one job in this dump-in scenario: Get in front of Nick Cousins (FLA 21). Cordon him off. Regardless of his ability to connect with a teammate, he simply can’t allow Florida’s F1 to make any mark on the play. Unfortunately for the Lightning, he half-asses his responsibility and the puck slips from a safe area to a dangerous one in a millisecond.
Not to be outdone, Erik Cernak (TB 81) drifts toward the loose puck instead of getting on his horse to properly contest it:
You’re down 3-2 in the third period, about to fall 0-3 in the series and you don’t take a single stride in order to prevent a high-danger opportunity. The lack of urgency here is staggering.
Jon Cooper has to bring out the fire in his players’ bellies—and fast.
Hurricanes-Islanders Game 3
Carolina hasn’t played its best hockey yet, but its high-volume, high-motor style—not to mention its advantage in skill—has worn the Islanders down through the early portion of the series.
That fatigue is leading to mental errors. In Game 3, the telling hiccup occurs in transition:
Look at New York’s gaps on this entry. They’re treating Andrei Svechnikov (CAR 37) like he’s Tyreek Hill. The Hurricanes claim the free ice, then the winger spots a mismatch pitting Sebastian Aho (CAR 20) against the lone forward back (Cal Clutterbuck, NYI 15).
He’s obviously not as comfortable as a D-man would be under these circumstances. It shows. Despite standing fairly square to Aho, his first instinct is to crouch-block rather than use his stick:
Ilya Sorokin (NYI 30) has to stop this shot, of course, but the Islanders’ Charmin-soft defense is of little help to a goaltender who hasn’t been himself all season.