Zito convinced Panthers moving in right direction despite record

PALM BEACH, Fla. --Bill Zito thinks the Florida Panthers remain on course in their pursuit of the Stanley Cup, despite their struggles early this season.

"I believe in the team," the Panthers general manager said after the NHL Board of Governors meeting ended Tuesday. "And I believe in where we are."
The Panthers won the Presidents' Trophy as the top regular-season team in the NHL last season, setting Florida records for wins (58) and points (122).
They defeated the Washington Capitals in six games in the Eastern Conference First Round, winning a Stanley Cup Playoff series for the first time since 1996, before being swept by the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round.
But they made big changes in the offseason, most notably hiring coach Paul Maurice and acquiring forward Matthew Tkachuk in a trade that sent forward Jonathan Huberdeau and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar to the Calgary Flames.
After a 4-0 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, they were 14-12-4, fifth in the Atlantic Division and three points behind the New York Rangers for the second wild card in the East.
"Our record doesn't reflect, in my mind, the achievements that we've made," Zito said before the game. "Look, we're measured by one barometer, and that's the standings, right? But my job is to look at moving the franchise forward.
"Are we building a team that can ultimately challenge for a Cup? I'm convinced we're doing that and we're doing that in the fashion we set out to do it."
Zito spoke about increased expectations, the offseason changes, the Panthers goaltending and more in a Q&A with NHL.com:
How did expectations increase after last season, and how has that affected the team this season?
"The expectations are always going to be there, both externally and internally. To get complacent or to try to hedge your bets by saying, 'Oh, our timeline's longer,' is a little bit of a copout. At the same time, to irrationally say, 'Well, we're here now. We've advanced things,' and close your eyes to the reality is similarly probably not responsible. So you want to stick to the timeline, keep your expectations appropriate.
"I'd say we're right on track. We had a couple of fluky losses. A few more points and obviously we're sitting a little higher in the standings."
How has the team adjusted to the changes to the coaching staff and the roster?
"There's been a lot of change. There's been a few new players. I don't think it's been that dramatic, but there's been some [changes], and sometimes those things take time. Then, of course, there's the tactical changes that come with the system and the balance, too, with the way that we play. [We're] not trying to harness too much of that wide-open style, the attack, that we had, and at the same time, [we're trying to] teach and create a collective on-ice game that will sustain over time. So it's a work in progress."
The Panthers are scoring and allowing 3.34 goals per game, ranking 11th in the NHL offensively and 21st defensively. Are you giving up too much? The Panthers have 55.5 percent of the shot attempts at 5-on-5, third in the NHL.
"We were No. 1 in all the advanced metrics [at one point] -- not even that advanced. I think someone said we led the League in bad luck. The goaltending numbers were down there for a while. …
"The parallel you can draw is when you watch a football team and you have [Miami Dolphins wide receiver] Tyreek Hill. If he dropped six balls in the end zone, would you run the play any different? I don't know. He's still pretty good right? He's probably going to catch them at some point."
The Panthers' 5-on-5 save percentage is .915, 19th in the NHL. Spencer Knight is 8-4-3 with a 2.64 goals-against average and .919 save percentage in 15 games, and Sergei Bobrovsky is 5-8-1 with a 3.58 GAA and .884 save percentage in 16 games. You represented goalies Tim Thomas, Tuukka Rask and Antti Niemi as an agent. What do you think of your goaltending?
"I represented a lot of really good goalies as an agent, Stanley Cup winners, Vezina [Trophy] winners. They had completely different styles and were completely different people. They all had ebbs and flows, ups and downs. All went through periods in their career where they had super-high save percentages and then maybe some pedestrian save percentages. But over time they were all pretty good goalies. So that's given me a little bit of an advantage with regard to calm and patience."
Tkachuk leads Florida with 37 points (13 goals, 24 assists) in 27 games. Has he been just what you expected?
"I don't think that's a surprise. He's a good player. Anybody who watches him play, it's not a secret. Good person. Good teammate. He's been a great addition and fit right into the room."

You think this is a team that should rise eventually?
"I certainly think so. I see us doing the things we need to do. I see us playing the game the right way. Again, look, there's only one thing you can look at: How many points do you have? That's it. So I can say whatever you want me to say. How many points do you got? Other than that, shut up Billy. But here's what I'm not going to do: I'm not going to look at something that should be working and [overreact]."
GMs are paid to worry, though. What keeps you up at night?
"One, trying to determine if it's things we can't control or things we can control that I'm missing.
"Two, is it like being a parent, where there's some learning curves you have to live through, being patient, letting the entity, the team, the collective, work through it?
"Three, not mistaking patience for inaction or apathy. If there is something you can do to improve, [you can't not do it] in the name of, 'Oh, I'm being patient.' Wait a minute. Would you have done it if things are going well? 'Well, I might have.' Well then you should still [do it].
"[It's balancing] staying the course, sticking to the plan, not letting some of the results that would be atypical based upon the performance color your behavior, your decision-making, but at the same time, being mindful of the results that may be subpar due to problems, issues, that need to be addressed."