On Frozen Pond

Florida Panthers Notebook: Sean Bergenheim DIGS the Playoffs ... San Antonio Rampage In AHL Playoffs ... Weiss' Goal Came Really Quick

BY CHRISTINA DeNICOLA Special to On Frozen Pond

TWITTER: @CDeNicola13

With the Panthers down 3-0 in the second in Game 1 against the Devils, Sean Bergenheim brought BankAtlantic Center to life -- and gave fans reason to believe in a comeback -- when his shot found the back of the net 7:33 into the period.
 
For the 28-year forward, it marked a continuation of where he left off during last year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.
 
Until last April, Bergenheim -- drafted 22nd overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Islanders -- hadn’t come near the sport’s postseason.
 
In his three full seasons with New York, he and the team finished last in the Atlantic Division. During the 2010 offseason, Bergenheim signed a one-year contract with the Lightning. He would play in a career-high 80 regular-season games while scoring 14 goals and adding 15 assists.
 
But it was during his long-awaited introduction to the playoffs that Bergenheim experienced his breakthrough.

He scored nine goals and recorded two assists in 16 games as Tampa Bay upset both the Penguins and Capitals.
 
It was the fourth-most goals scored that postseason by any player. Boston’s David Krejci, who tallied 12, notched that number in 25 games.
 
Thanks to Friday’s goal and Sunday’s assist, Bergenheim now has 13 points in 18 playoff games. When facing New Jersey in 27 regular-season games, he has 15 points in 27 regular-season games. which is the most against any team.
 
“I think last year he made a statement for himself and he carried that right into this series,” Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said.

“He went through some injury problems early in the season, and we weren’t sure how that was going to play out.”
 
Over the offseason, Bergenheim signed a four-year deal with Florida as one of general manager Dale Tallon’s additions in a roster overhaul. Bergenheim netted a career-high 17 goals and six assists in 62 games.
 
His numbers might’ve been higher had he not been sidelined twice by injuries. In late December, Bergenheim missed 12 games with a groin strain. He also sat out seven others in late October with a lower-body injury.
           
“Since he’s been back he’s really not only been an offensive positive for us, but he’s also been a really energetic guy,” Dineen said. “He really adds to our lineup with that enthusiasm and physical play. He’s a guy to have around the puck, especially this time of year.”
 
-- The Panthers’ AHL team -- the San Antonio Rampage -- beat the Oklahoma City Barons 1-0 in the final regular-season game to clinch a Calder Cup playoffs berth for the first time since 2008.

Mark Cullen’s first-period goal from Bill Thomas and Bracken Kearns held up as the gamewinner.

The Rampage earned the sixth seed in the Western Conference with 87 points and will face the Chicago Wolves.
 
Goalkeeper Jacob Markstrom, who picked up his first shutout of the season, tweeted: “Great feeling to clinch at the last game for the @sarampage and great to get my first s/o in the rampage jersey n great fans Boys R #BUZZIN.”
 
Sunday’s scratches: Keaton Ellerby, Jack Skille, Mike Santorelli, Krystofer Barch and Jerred Smithson were Florida’s scratches for Game 2 against New Jersey.
 
History made: Stephen Weiss’ goal at 0:23 in the first set a Panthers franchise playoff record for fastest goal to start a period and game. According to Elias Sports Bureau, it was the fastest power-play goal in the Stanley Cup playoffs since Montreal’s Mats Naslund 0:18 on April 26, 1987. 

Florida Panthers Even Things Up, Hold off Devils 4-2 ... First Postseason Win for Panthers since Miami Arena Days of 1997 ... Stephen Weiss Scores Twice

BY GEORGE RICHARDS grichards@MiamiHerald.com

TWITTER: @OnFrozenPond

The Panthers have been pretty good at making history the past few days.

Sunday night, eight days after winning the franchise's first division title, Florida won its first postseason game in its 'new' arena by jumping out to a three goal lead before holding on to beat New Jersey 4-2 in the second game of its first-round game of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Of course, as is the Panthers way, it didn't come easy. But yet, as hundreds of rats hit the ice from all reaches of BankAtlantic Center, it finally happened.

“It was worth the wait,'' a gap-toothed Stephen Weiss said. “That was fun.''

The gutsy win evened the best-of-7 series at one game each in front of an announced sellout of 19,248. Game 3 is Tuesday in Newark, N.J.

Florida had been 0-3 in playoff games at the National Car Rental/Office Depot/BankAtlantic Center with all of the losses coming to New Jersey.

The Panthers were swept in four by the Devils in 2000 – their second season removed from the Miami Arena. Florida's last postseason victory came just 5,478 days before (or almost 15 years) when it beat the Rangers 3-0 on March 17, 1997, in Game 1 of that opening-round series. New York won the next four.

How long ago was that? Panthers defenseman Ed Jovanovski was in his second season with the team. Now, his playoff beard looks frosted in snow. The Panthers left Miami in 1998.

“It feels good to win no matter how long it has been for the organization,'' Jovanovski, 35, said. “It's a step in the right direction, where we want to be. We'll enjoy this one as a group for now, then it's on to Game 3.''

In Friday night's 3-2 loss to the Devils, the Panthers looked lost for too much of the first period as New Jersey took a 3-0 lead in the opening period before Florida bounced back. On Sunday it was a completely different story.

The Panthers drew a penalty just 11 seconds into the game when Andy Greene tripped up Marcel Goc as both rolled goalie Martin Brodeur. Weiss cashed in by scoring his first postseason goal – he had played 637 regular season games before making his playoff debut

Friday – 13 seconds into the power play. Weiss' goal came 23 seconds into the game -- the quickest in a playoff game since 1987.

Weiss got his second goal of the game early in the second as the Panthers held a two-man advantage for a whole two minutes with David Clarkson and Alexei Ponikarovsky in the box for separate infractions.

Weiss – who had scored two power play goals once in his career and not since 2005 – jumped all over a rebound and beat Brodeur top shelf 1:12 into the period.

“You can't ask for a better start,'' Weiss said. “Things tightened in the third, but they're a good hockey club. We pushed hard but we finished them off. That was important.''

Goc got into the act himself late in the second period, firing a shot from 25 feet out that slipped past Mikael Samuelsson who was screening Brodeur. The puck also went past Brodeur and Florida had a 3-0 lead with 5:21 left, leading some Panthers fans to serenade Brodeur mockingly.

They should have held off on that one as things would soon get messy – and Brodeur turned back into, well, Martin Brodeur.

As usual, the Panthers “took the dirt path,'' as coach Kevin Dineen has said all year to victory. The Devils pounced on the Panthers in the third period, picking up two quick goals, making it a 3-2 game just over two minutes in.

Only the Panthers scratched and clawed and held off the hard-charging Devils as Theodore stopped 10 shots in the third. Florida faced an extra skater as Brodeur was pulled with 1:15 left and had a key faceoff after a Kris Versteeg icing with 7.6 seconds left. Tomas Fleischmann's shot sank into the empty net just as the final horn went off.

Then came the rats.

“They kept coming but we didn't panic,'' Theodore said. “That's what the playoffs are all about.''