Game Day ... Buffalo Sabres at Florida Panthers ... Need more scoring ... On Frozen Poll: Name That Line

Big football game this weekend, with Buffalo-Miami week kicking off today in Sunrise.

Strange week. The Sabres are in Fort Lauderdale playing ice hockey; the Dolphins are traveling to Toronto to play football. Hey, at least they're not going to Kanata.

-- Not a whole lot going on at the skate today. PDeB says he's very happy for longtime friend Paul Maurice getting the Hurricanes gig. Says Jim Rutherford, also a friend of PDeB, is always thinking "outside the box" and making wise choices.

I like Peter Laviolette and thinks he got a bit of a raw deal. But he knew this day was coming if the WhalerCanes didn't get their act together. They didn't, and a good coach is out of a job. There will be offers forthcoming.

-- Hard to believe, but Washington's Bruce Boudreau is now the most tenured coach in the Southeast Division (although Maurice has more NHL wins than any of the other four have coached in NHL games combined). Boudreau was hired last Thanksgiving; since then, Jacques Martin, John Tortorella, Barry Melrose and Laviolette have been fired, with Atlanta's Don Waddell stepping down to hire John Anderson.

-- PDeB says he likes the effort from Kamil Kreps and Brett McLean, but these two need to start putting some pucks in the net. Yep.

-- David Booth will be in the television booth with Goldie and Denis tonight during the second period. Puck Daddy talked hunting with Booth during the Washington trip. Check it out right here...

-- NHL Network has a television crew following around Randy Moller today, part of their Voices series. Hope the Panthers get some goals for Randy to break out a good one. Something from Animal House, please.

-- Going to the game tonight? Like to putt?

TaylorMade-adidas Golf and the National Hockey League's Florida Panthers are teaming up to present Panthers' fans with a 25-foot putting challenge at four home games in the month of December. Contestants will putt for a chance to win TaylorMade golf equipment.

The putting challenge gives fans an opportunity to putt with a TaylorMade TP golf ball emblazoned with a  uniform number of one of their favorite Panthers using a TaylorMade             Rossa® Monza® Spider putter, which was used to win twice on the PGA Tour in 2008. Fans can choose one of the following players' numbers: star defenseman Jay Bouwmeester (#4), assistant captain Cory Stillman (#61) or starting goaltender Tomas Vokoun   (#29).

The putting challenge will be held during each of the following home games at BankAtlantic Center:

12-4 – vs.             Buffalo Sabres
12-6 – vs.             Boston Bruins
12-21 – vs.             Colorado Avalanche
12-23 – vs.             Nashville             Predators

-- And now, it's Name that Line time with another On Frozen Poll. Ville Peltonen, Gregory Campbell and Radek Dvorak have been playing great and probably need some sort of nickname. Don't know if we can come up with anything as clever as Sunrise Express, but who knows.

Seems like CPR is a big hit, although Goldie is breaking out 'Soup to Nuts' tonight on FSN, and he's sticking with it.

Any other ideas can be left below. Get voting!

Online Surveys & Market Research

Comments

[HP]

If the reports out of Atlanta are accurate and unless there is something behind the scenes we don't know about we should aggressively pursue Kovalchuck. Talk about an impact player. In the right mind frame this guy is as dominant as there is in the league. I sure wish we could land him for let's say...Horton and Zednick. He would serve multiple purposes such as our first bonafide superstar since Bure, renewed fan enthusiasm and the addition of a player that can literally, single handedly win you a game. What are your thoughts GR?

[George Richards]

sounds good to me...seems like he was worn out his welcome in ATL...signed through next season too...guy has plenty of game...lot of people will be trying to get him if he's on market tho...

[Mr Obvious]

Atlanta won't trade with us. Besides, they will get a super deal elsewhere.

[Michelle]

The rat pack is the best suiting name for a panther line. CPR is too easy and lame... come on guys, first letters... Bring the rats back to south florida...We could start throwing rats everytime this line scores and hopefully in april every time a panther player scores Go Cats Go

[J-Yo]

Hell, I'll give Atlanta Horton and Bo for Kovalchuk. Bo doesn't want to be here and Horton is Captain Inconsistent. We might as well have drafted Ryan Leaf instead of Horton. At least he has some passion (yelling at reporters may translate to hockey).

[josh]

for kovalchuk i think it starts with horton and either a 1st or matthias/frolik then either a second with one of the players above or like a olesz with the first

[Steph]

haha thanks for the recognition GR you're the man. And CPR is the way to go!
Vote or die

[EJ]

Atlanta would never trade us Kovalchuk for Horton and JayBo, especially with JayBo being a UFA.

[zeroG]

man, how do so many people miss the point? the team is playing fantastic "team" hockey and you want to give everything up for a superstar? right about now, i wouldn't mind shipping horton out for someone more consistent but kovie, as good as he is, is not the return we need. in any event, atl is not going to send their superstar to a division rival.