Four more wins! Consecutively, at that! That's 24 total on the season; 12 at home, and 12 on the road. The Panthers are balanced, they're consistent, and they know how to bounce back. My goodness, do they ever know how to bounce back. Not only have these four straight wins come after a three-game winless skid- the Panthers first three-game winless skid, which took 33 games to happen- but they've come without some of the most important Panthers in the lineup.
I've said it on the air, in this mailbag, on Territory Talk, and everywhere else: this Panthers team's game never changes, and never wavers. It doesn't matter if they're up, down, or trailing in a game. Regardless of who's in and out of the lineup, they're putting together the full 60-minute game for which every team strives much more often than not, and the Panthers consistent game is usually more than the opposition can handle.
Doug Plagens' Panthers Mailbag Volume Eight
Getting back to the Panthers resolve with key players out of the lineup: you have to hand it to this group for the way they finished the game and picked up two hard points Sunday in Dallas after seeing Aaron Ekblad leave the game injured. That took some serious strength and leadership. Also on that note, I know I speak for everyone when I say how much I feel for Aaron Ekblad. He was having a Norris Trophy-caliber season, and we all wish him the best in his recovery. I know he'll come back stronger than ever.
Before we get to your questions: last night's game against the Red Wings was a prime example of how the Panthers have been able to win during the recent rash of injuries, and even though it was against a team that isn't in the postseason mix, a game like that makes a team more battle-tested for the playoffs. Detroit played a tight, defensive game. The Panthers were forced to overcome multiple deficits, and they found a way to win with contributions coming from across the board. Wennberg's game-winner was picture-perfect, wasn't it?
Now, your questions…
@DaleJH66: Tell us more about Matt Kiersted. Good to see players like this deciding to sign with the Cats. Any reason he chose Florida?
First of all, I can't wait to learn more about Matt Kiersted myself! I'm sure we'll hear more soon about the process that led him to choosing the Panthers. For those who may have missed the announcement yesterday, the Panthers agreed to terms with Kiersted, a free agent defenseman who just finished a decorated four-year career at the University of North Dakota, one of the top NCAA programs. Kiersted was undrafted, but immediately made an impact upon debuting at North Dakota in the '17-18 season. He led North Dakota defensemen in points during each of the last three seasons, and his 29 points in 33 games in '19-20 placed him third among NCAA defenseman. He also tweeted a picture of himself as a young child in a Panthers jersey!
This is an exciting signing, though, for many reasons. Kiersted was sought after by a number of other NHL organizations. We're all waiting to see what the next developmental steps are for Kiersted now that he has agreed to terms with the Panthers, but as a 22-year old, he's much further along in his development in many cases than, for example, a freshly drafted 18-year old.
An article in the Grand Forks Herald (North Dakota) referred to the first-team All-NCHC defenseman as a "two-way defenseman", and he was also the runner-up for his conference's defenseman of the year award. The same article had the following quote from his head coach at North Dakota, Brad Berry:
"Nowadays, skating for defensemen, it has to be one of the top, if not the top, attributes," Berry said. "It's a strength of his. He has outstanding agility, outstanding pace in his game. When we recruited him, it was off the charts as far as puck possession and tape-to-tape passes, how smart he was making plays through the neutral zone and offensive zone. When he came here, too, his offensive ability accelerated to the point where he ran the top power-play unit and was very efficient at it."
Check out the full article
HERE
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@JanoffJim: Most memorable Panthers game.
Opening night, '15-16: my first game. The Panthers beat the Flyers at the BB&T Center by a 7-1 final score. The date was October 10, 2015; a date that had been circled on my calendar since before I even got the job to be the radio voice of the Panthers! I'll get to what I mean by this. Oddly enough, my first road game that I called for the Panthers was the second game of that season and was also against Philadelphia two nights later, on October 12, 2015. In thinking about these two games, it brought a side-story to mind…
From 2012 to 2015, I called play-by-play of Cleveland Gladiators Arena Football League games for four seasons. The last game I called for the Gladiators was a 47-35 playoff loss to the Philadelphia Soul in Philadelphia on August 15, 2015. During the week prior to that game, I had submitted my application with the Panthers.
Following that Gladiators playoff loss in Philly, I remember packing up my radio gear in the booth at Wells Fargo Center- also the home of the Flyers- thinking, "Who knows, maybe I'll be back here with the Panthers in a couple months," and I was indeed lucky and fortunate enough to be back there with the Panthers less than two months later! Even though the AFL is no more, I still can't help but think about the Gladiators-Soul games I called in that building every time we visit, and I can't help but think about the fact that the last time I called a football game there, I was really, really hoping to get the Panthers job!
@Jreidy56: In the spirit of opening day, what are some of your favorite baseball stadium concession items?
Great question! I do love baseball, attending baseball games, and visiting as many ballparks as I can. I've been to 28 of the 30 active parks (Only Houston and Seattle remain). The baseball trip I do every offseason with my friend and voice of the Tucson RoadRunners, Adrian Denny, has become a restaurant trip of sorts as well, but we do still manage to sample a decent amount of ballpark cuisine.
Here are the notables, off the top of my head:
Dodger Dogs (Spending the extra $1 for the all-beef version was well worth it); Chicago Style Hot Dogs at Wrigley Field in Chicago; the helmet sundae at Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the White Sox (Three flavors, funnel cake, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, nuts, pretty much everything you can think of… inside a full-size replica batting helmet, not a mini helmet); the poke bowl in Anaheim (Yes, a poke bowl at a ballpark); and the Cuban sandwich at what is, as of this week, Loandepot Park in Miami, is quite good! Now that I think of it, the overall food selection at White Sox games stands out as a real crowd-pleaser, overall.
@katie_gaus: Favorite @FFDP song?
A question from within the Panthers broadcasting department!!!!! Five Finger Death Punch! They were actually scheduled to play at BB&T Center in 2020 before all events were placed on hold. I've seen them at multiple festivals around the country: Mayhem Fest 2010 in Nampa, Idaho stands out (I'd love to see a return of Mayhem Fest)… I think that's it! They bring a great energy to the stage. I'd say my favorite song of theirs is "Wash It All Away". The guitar groove in the intro is pretty simple, but very memorable. I'm humming it as I type this, and I just put this song on my Spotify playlist, "Doug's Lifting Mix 2", which was created as a follow-up to the critically acclaimed "Doug's Lifting Mix". Combined, they have zero followers! But maybe that'll change someday!
Thanks as always for the great questions! If you didn't see yours, it may show up next time!
