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The Panthers seemed to miss Jonathan Huberdeau when things were going badly this season.

It’s crazy to think that just a few months before the Florida Panthers found themselves in the Stanley Cup Final, they were in a very poor position in the standings.

In fact, just a few months ago, the Panthers found themselves eight points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins (who also had two games in hand) and the final playoff spot.

(Credit: TVA Sports)

Things were looking extremely bleak in Florida, given the high expectations for a team that had won the Presidents’ Trophy the previous season.

There was even more pressure on the team and management due to the fact that they didn’t have their first-round pick, traded to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for the short services of Ben Chiarot.

The Panthers’ predicament suited Tricolore fans just fine, who found themselves with two first-round picks in the top-10.

In short, things were so bad in Florida that morale in the dressing room was at an all-time low.

Perhaps even Jonathan Huberdeau was missed.

That’s what Renaud Lavoie said on JiC last night.

Things were going extremely badly in Florida, and although Matthew Tkachuk was doing very well, it looked like we were starting to miss Jonathan Huberdeau and even MacKenzie Weegar.

However, things quickly changed, and we all know what happened next.

The Panthers edged out the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final playoff spot by a single point (92 vs. 91).

All the Penguins had to do was not lose to the Chicago Blackhawks, and the Panthers would be on vacation, probably planning a major clean-up this summer.

What’s more, without this victory, the Blackhawks would not have won the Connor Bedard lottery, as they would have finished 31st overall rather than 30th.

It’s amazing how one game can change so much.

Hats off to the Florida Panthers (especially Matthew Tkachuk and Sergei Bobrovsky).

You’d think we were watching a replica of the 2019 St. Louis Blues.

The Panthers need just four wins to get their hands on field hockey’s most prestigious trophy.

This is clearly difficult for Jonathan Huberdeau to see and swallow.


On a roll

– Canada is currently in the semi-finals against Latvia.

– Latvia opened the scoring.

– The CH may be waiting to see how much the cap will increase before signing Caufield.

– CF Montreal will be in action at home tonight.

– It’s already been 10 years since Dominique Ducharme won the Memorial Cup with the Halifax Mooseheads.

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