The Panthers defeated from elaine's blog

NEW YORK — The Florida Panthers are looking forward to playing Wednesday night because it will provide them an opportunity to forget about what happened Tuesday.The New York Islanders are looking forward to Wednesday night so they can confirm they haven’t forgotten how to play hockey.The Panthers will complete a back-to-back set Wednesday night Chris Wagner Jersey Womens , when they visit the Islanders in New York’s first home game in more than two weeks at Barclays Center.Article continues below ...Both teams are coming off lopsided losses. The Panthers suffered their first multi-goal defeat of the season Tuesday, when they fell to the host New York Rangers, 5-2. The Islanders last played Saturday night, when they completed a 1-3-0 road trip by dropping a 4-1 decision to the San Jose Sharks.The defeat Tuesday continued a frustrating trend for the Panthers (1-3-3), who scored first for the sixth time in seven games. Florida has led in all of its losses.“We came out and played pretty well and got the first goal,” Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said afterward. “Usually, that’s enough to spark the team and inspire all of us to play at a higher level. For some reason, we have a tough time holding on to leads. Once we get that lead, we aren’t playing aggressive enough.”The Islanders (3-4-0) feel as if they aren’t playing enough, period. While they are one of six teams to have played seven or fewer games, no one else has experienced as sporadic a schedule as New York, which has already had two three-day breaks and one four-day break.In addition, Wednesday marks the third home game for the Islanders Alex Galchenyuk Jersey Womens , who are splitting this season between Barclays Center in Brooklyn and their old home, Nassau Coliseum on Long Island. Only the Arizona Coyotes have played as few as two home games.“Every team we’ve played against is what you (would) consider a playoff team,” Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey told Newsday following practice Tuesday. New York’s last six games have been against teams that qualified for the postseason last year.“That’s the good part of it. The bad part is when you have four days between a game, you might lose your game legs a little bit. You’re almost easing your way into the game, just defending and playing smart, whereas it’s not really instinctual like when you’re playing three games in four nights or playing every other night for a month, which is what everyone would prefer.”James Reimer, who replaced Michael Hutchinson in net early in the third period Tuesday, is likely to draw the start in goal for the Panthers on Wednesday night.Reimer, who stopped both shots he faced against the Rangers, last started Friday, when he was pulled for Hutchinson in the second period after giving up four goals on 20 shots in what turned out to be a 6-5 shootout win over the Washington Capitals.The Islanders are expected to counter with Thomas Greiss, who has split time this season with Robin Lehner.Greiss Carter Rowney Jersey Womens , who sat in favor of Lehner the previous two games, last played Thursday, when he recorded five saves in relief of Lehner in New York’s 7-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Greiss made his most recent start Oct. 17, when he took the defeat after making 21 saves in a 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.Reimer is 5-2-2 in 12 games against the Islanders. Greiss is 2-2-1 in five regular-season appearances against the Panthers, though he was the only goalie used by the Islanders in their six-game win over Florida in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals in 2016. TORONTO (AP) Frederik Andersen could sense this was going to be a low-scoring game without many chances. He was right – and he was sharp when it counted.Andersen made 40 saves and James van Riemsdyk scored the only goal as the surging Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Florida Panthers 1-0 on Tuesday night for their seventh consecutive victory at home.”These are always fun,” Andersen said. ”The game was tough from the beginning. I think the ice was a little tough.”Article continues below ...The shutout was Andersen’s career-best fifth of the season. The 28-year-old goalie reached 30 wins for the third time.Andersen also improved to 7-0-2 with a 1.82 goals-against average, a .952 save percentage and two shutouts this season when facing 40 or more shots.Opponents are taking note of his elevated game.”Especially this year, he’s really taken his game to another level,” Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo said after Tuesday’s morning skate. ”Obviously in the top tier of goaltenders in the league now, and he’s giving his team a chance to win every night.”Toronto (37-20-5) has won 11 of 12 overall and improved to 14-4-2 since Jan. 4.The Panthers (26-25-6) have dropped back-to-back games after opening their five-game road trip with three straight wins. Florida entered the night six points out of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.Florida threatened in the third with Luongo pulled for an extra attacker, but Andersen managed to thwart the Panthers’ best chance – a point shot from Keith Yandle with 23 seconds remaining.Luongo stopped 30 shots in the loss.”I thought both goaltenders were really hot tonight,” said Jonathan Huberdeau. ”I think in the third we had some pressure, we got a lot of chances Luke Schenn Jersey Womens , but it didn’t go in. It’s a tough loss.”Andersen is the fifth Maple Leafs goaltender to register multiple shutouts when making at least 40 saves since 1955-56 when the NHL began counting shots on goal as an official statistic.”I think a huge part of it is fitness,” Toronto coach Mike Babcock said. ”He did a real nice job this summer and so he’s just building off of confidence. I think last year, if I’m not mistaken, was the first time he’s ever really been the starter.”So, you go through that and you get comfortable and you get comfortable with your teammates and it just goes from there.”With 28 seconds left in the first period, van Riemsdyk beat Luongo between the legs with a shot from the faceoff dot for his 25th goal of the season. Jake Gardiner had an assist for his 200th NHL point.”In a lot of those situations, there’s not a lot of time so you just want to try to get it off as quick as you can,” van Riemsdyk said. ”To say I was shooting there would probably be a lie. I was just trying to throw it on the net and get it there quick and it went in, thankfully.”Patrick Marleau nearly made it a two-goal game 1:02 into the third by finishing off a 2-on-1 feed from Mitch Marner, but couldn’t beat the right pad of Luongo.With 2:40 remaining, Leo Komarov’s shot beat Luongo but rang off the post.The Panthers defeated the Maple Leafs 2-1 in a shootout on Nov. 22 in the only previous meeting between the teams this season. Toronto visits Florida on Feb. 27.NOTES: The Maple Leafs traded forward Eric Fehr to San Jose for a 2020 seventh-round draft pick. The move drops Toronto to 48 contracts and gives general manager Lou Lamoriello added flexibility before next week’s trade deadline. . Marleau (1,555) passed Jarome Iginla for 12th place on the NHL’s career list for games played. . Yandle played in his 800th career game. The 31-year-old defenseman owns the NHL’s longest active streak with 689 consecutive games played.UP NEXTPanthers: Host the Washington Capitals on Thursday night.Maple Leafs: Continue their three-game homestand Thursday night against the New York Islanders.—