Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun has bailed out his offensively challenged teammates of late, posting three shutouts in his past eight starts. (Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)Whenever the Florida Panthers fail to bury a scoring chance or suffer a hard-fought one-goal loss, they probably think back to Jan. 4, 2009.
That afternoon in Montreal, a 6-5 shootout loss allowed the Canadiens to clinch the four-game season series, which would pay off come April.
Both teams finished the regular season with identical 41-30-11 records and 93 points, but Montreal was awarded the eighth and final playoff spot in the NHL's Eastern Conference by virtue of its season mark versus Florida.
'We're really focusing on today and what we have to do today to be successful in April.' — Steve Reinprecht on the Panthers' quest for a playoff spot
"Since Day 1 [of this season] the guys haven't stopped talking about losing that tiebreaker to Montreal and how much they just wanted to get one more point or a win earlier in the season," centre Steve Reinprecht said Thursday on the line from Sunrise, Fla., where the Panthers host Calgary on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
"We're really focusing on today and what we have to do today to be successful in April. It's a good mindset around here."
Jay-Bo back in Florida
It seems nearly impossible to get Calgary Flames defenceman Jay Bouwmeester excited about much of anything, including his first game back in the only other NHL city he has called home.
On Friday night, Bouwmeester returns to Sunrise, Fla. — where he patrolled the Panthers' blue-line for six seasons after being drafted third overall in 2002 — looking to help Calgary to back-to-back victories.
"I haven't thought about it much," Bouwmeester, who signed a five-year, free agent contract worth $33 million US with the Flames last summer, told reporters on Thursday. "We've had enough going on here."
Bouwmeester is referring to the work of Flames general manager Darryl Sutter, who traded defenceman Dion Phaneuf and forwards Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust in separate trades with Toronto and the New York Rangers earlier this week.
The Panthers' website is promoting Friday's contest as "Bouwmeester vs. Panthers Trio: [David] Booth, [Michael] Frolik, [Stephen] Weiss."
"It's going to be a little strange more than anything after all that time there being on the other end of things," admitted the soft-spoken 26-year-old Bouwmeester. "But it happens. Guys get traded or move around."
Bouwmeester has posted surprisingly low numbers with the Flames, entering Friday's matchup with two goals and 21 points in 57 games. He had 42 points in 82 games with Florida last season.
Reinprecht wasn't around for last spring's heartbreak. He didn't arrive until mid-June after Florida acquired the Edmonton native's negotiating rights from Phoenix and subsequently signed Reinprecht to a three-year contract.
"There are some real good cornerstones to this team and it's a lot of fun to be part of," said the 33-year-old Reinprecht while mentioning the names of forwards Nathan Horton, Stephen Weiss and David Booth.
A win over the Flames would move the Panthers into a three-way tie with idle Philadelphia and Tampa Bay for the final two playoff berths in the East.
Panthers offence lacks punch
The problem of late for Florida, coming off three days' rest following Monday's 3-0 setback to Anaheim, is finding the net. Reinprecht and company have scored just nine goals in their last eight games but still managed a respectable 4-3-1 mark, thanks to the play of goalie Tomas Vokoun.
The 33-year-old Czech has recorded shutouts in three of his last eight starts and was named the league's third star for January after going 8-4-2 with a 1.49 goals-against average and .956 save percentage.
"We're getting to the net and getting chances but we're not finishing. It's something we've been working hard on in practice," said Reinprecht, who hasn't scored in 14 games and been held without a point in eight straight.
"We might have been able to win a few more games if we popped in a goal here or there, but lucky for us Vokie's been unbelievable. We gotta start scoring again and give him some support."
It comes down to bearing down on your puck battles and rebounds, possessing a hunger for the puck and wanting to score goals, Reinprecht, who tops the Panthers with a plus-9 rating this season, added.
Florida's goal-scoring struggles aren't helped by the fact Horton, who leads the club with 46 points in 51 games, is sidelined for a month after breaking his left leg. Another challenge Friday comes in the form of Calgary netminder Miikka Kiprusoff, whose .925 save percentage ranks sixth in the NHL this season.
"We're not looking to go out there, open it up and get in a 6-5 game," Reinprecht said. "We're trying to play a tight-checking, 1-0, 2-1 mentality because that's how the playoffs are. You really have to earn your chances and try to make the other team earn their goals."
The Flames, too, had their struggles scoring in January. In one 20-game stretch they lit the lamp only 12 times before busting out on Jan. 30 with a 6-1 dismantling of Edmonton.
Over the next 48 hours, Calgary general manager Darryl Sutter reshaped the team by acquiring six forwards in separate trades with Toronto and the New York Rangers.
On Monday, the Flames were blanked 3-0 by Philadelphia, but rebounded with a 4-1 win over Carolina two nights later.
At 28-21-8, Calgary is eighth in the West, two points behind Nashville and four points in arrears of division rival Colorado.
Flames captain Jarome Iginla, who has eight points in five outings after going 11 contests without a goal, will play in his 1,000th NHL game on Friday.
