The Florida Panthers, they’re not afraid to admit, needed a break — badly.
“We all felt the same way getting off that plane,” coach Paul Maurice deadpanned, still less than four days removed from the Panthers’ embarrassing 5-1 beatdown at the hands of the New York Islanders. “It was about 5 in the morning when we rolled home. We weren’t looking for a back to back.”
The loss sent Florida (15-16-4) into the five-day Christmas break reeling as badly as they have at any point in the past three regular seasons. It was a third straight defeat, a fourth in five games, a sixth in eight and a seventh in 10, and it sent the Panthers into the holiday with more regulation losses than wins, eight points out of postseason position.
