It takes a special kind of slump for the Florida Panthers to lose confidence. The back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions are struggling this season due to injuries to key players Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. While Tkachuk is likely to return soon, Barkov won't be back until possibly the playoffs. If the Panthers continue to lose games like Thursday night against the Nashville Predators, defender Niko Mikkola knows the playoffs are the least of their concerns.
“We were right there again and couldn't get it done. Maybe the whole group, a little lack of confidence right now,” Mikkola told reporters post-game, according to Jameson Olive.”We let them come back again. It's a one-goal game again, and we didn't get the win.”
The Panthers have lost four consecutive games, scoring just seven goals over that span. The offense has been drying up without two of their stars in the lineup, a result of players having to play well above their weight class.
Sam Bennett is a solid middle-six center for the Panthers, but when he has to fill Barkov's spot on the first line, he is slightly less effective. The same goes for Mackie Samoskevich, who is a solid young piece, but wasn't even able to crack the lineup in last year's playoffs. He is now on the wing with Anton Lundell and Brad Marchand in the absence of Eetu Luostarinen.
The scary part for the Panthers is that some of their top players, like Marchand, Lundell, Sam Reinhart, and Carter Verhaeghe, are having some good seasons by their standards. Nevertheless, they still sit seven points out of the playoffs and tied with the lowly Buffalo Sabres for last in the Eastern Conference. It's uncharted territory for this group of Panthers.
