What We Learned: No safety net in goal for Florida Panthers

There is reason to believe the Florida Panthers will be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, if not the entire league. There is also reason to believe that it could all go wrong at a moment’s notice.

Last season, in a weakish Central Division, the Panthers were one of the most dominant teams in the league. When playing at full strength, only two teams had a better expected-goals difference: The Toronto Maple Leafs team that speed-bagged the soft North Division all season and the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche. 

They ended up fifth in actual 5-on-5 goals difference, mostly because the Vegas Golden Knights and Pittsburgh Penguins overperformed xG totals at both ends of the ice. The Panthers were roughly as good in all situations, ranking fourth in xG difference and sixth in aG. 

Their power play was great, their PK was fine.