The State of Hockey: Estero sweeps Jacksonville, and Sunrise owes the state a week
The Everblades took six points in a rival's barn, Tampa handed Winnipeg a 5-on-3 with 1.6 seconds left, and the Panthers' power play went 3-for-15.
The best hockey team in Florida this week plays in Estero. The Everblades went to Jacksonville three nights in a row and left with six points. The Lightning went 3-1 while their best player's agent said the relationship is beyond repair. The cats went 1-3 and lost the weekend.
My verdict: Sunrise owes the state a week. The schedule gave them Detroit and Chicago at home and they split it, then lost the weekend. That's not a slump yet. It's a warning.
The cats
Florida went 1-3-0 and sits at 20 points through 18 games, per NHL data, 2-3 in its last five. Monday was the jersey debut Detroit spoiled, 5-3, with three minors feeding a power-play goal in the third. Wednesday was the Vilmanis four-point night, a 5-3 win over Chicago that got nervous late.
Then the weekend. Saturday in Washington, Tom Wilson boarded Sandis Vilmanis, took a major, and the Panthers wasted the five minutes in a 4-3 loss. Brady Tkachuk scored twice and Matthew had three assists. Sunday in Boston was a three-goal first period and a 4-1 loss, with Swayman stopping 40 of 41.
The game that mattered was Washington. Florida went 3-for-15 on the power play this week, 20.0 percent, by our count, after 5-for-10 the week before. Same five guys. The Panthers haven't found a way to win a game without it.
For the people who bet on this team: Florida went 2-2 on the puck line this week, 6-11 for the season, by our count. 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Who's rolling: Matthew Tkachuk, 26 points in 18 games on a four-game streak, per NHL data, 22 of them assists. He played 23.9 minutes in Washington, up 8.7 from the night before. Brady has 10 goals. The brothers assisted on the same goal in Boston the weekend their father went into the Hall. Dale, Keith.
Who owes the room a better week: Jacob Markstrom. He's at .886 for the season and .864 over his last five starts, per NHL data, and he gave up four on 36 in Boston while Swayman stopped 40 of 41 at the other end. The Panthers outshot Boston and lost by three. That math only works one way.
Vilmanis didn't play after the hit. Wilson didn't get a hearing, and I had thoughts. Barkov and Marchand are travelling this week but not cleared, per the injury report. Lundell was day-to-day Saturday and back Sunday.
The week ahead: Tuesday in Columbus at 7:30, Detroit again Thursday at 7:30 in Sunrise, then Saturday in St. Louis at 7. The Red Wings have lost three straight and killed penalties at 69.0 percent, per NHL data. Florida got that team at home a week ago and lost. Don't do it twice.
Across the bay
Tampa had the better week and the worse Sunday. They beat Detroit 4-2 Tuesday, Chicago 4-1 Thursday, and won in Minnesota 4-3 Saturday on a Kucherov overtime goal, with Guentzel scoring twice. Three straight wins, 8-0 at home, per NHL data.
Then Winnipeg. Down 3-0, Tampa got one from Hagel and two from Holmberg 26 seconds apart to tie it, then handed the Jets a 5-on-3 and Scheifele beat Vasilevskiy with 1.6 seconds left. Tampa went 0-for-4 on its own power play. A comeback like that deserves a point, and discipline took it back.
The Lightning are 11-4-2 with 24 points through 17, per NHL data. Their power play went 5-for-16 this week, 31.3 percent, by our count. Vasilevskiy is at .883. Kucherov has 22 points in 17 games and an agent who used the words "horribly wrong." Gord has the whole file.
They're on the road at Buffalo Wednesday and Columbus Thursday, then Detroit at home Saturday. Same Red Wings the cats get Thursday. The state keeps grading on the same curve.
The Estero line:
Three games in Jacksonville, three wins, three goals against. Friday was 2-1 in overtime: Ben Brar in the first, the Icemen tied it with 22 seconds left, and Ryan Mast won it at 4:06 of the extra period. Cam Johnson stopped 27 of 28.
Saturday was 4-1. Mark Senden scored twice in the first, once on the power play, and added an assist. Jesse Lansdell made it 3-1 and Devon Paliani hit the empty net. Johnson stopped 25 of 26.
Sunday was 4-1 again, and this one was the statement. Roddy Ross made his first start and needed to stop 12 of 13, because Florida outshot Jacksonville 35-13. Jack Horbach scored twice, Paliani got his seventh, and Tyler Duke closed it.
The Blades are 8-1-0-0 with 16 points, first in the South on a game in hand over Greenville. Paliani leads them with seven goals. Four straight wins, and the backup just pitched a one-goal game. That's a team.
The week: South Carolina at Hertz Arena Friday at 7:30 and Saturday at 7. The Stingrays are 7-1 with 14 points. First place in the South goes through Estero this weekend.
The rest of the ECHL in Florida
Jacksonville lost all three at home to the Everblades, scored three goals in three games, and sits at 3-4-2-1, fourth in the South with nine points. Greenville comes in Friday and Savannah Saturday.
Orlando lost 4-1 and 3-0 in South Carolina, then put six on Savannah Sunday with two shorthanded goals, from Kade Landry and Luciano Wilson. Wilson had three points. The Solar Bears are 2-5-1-0 and play a 10:30 a.m. school-day game in Greenville Tuesday.
Campus to Sunrise:
UCF swept Lynn in Orlando, 4-1 Friday and 4-3 Saturday, in M3. Tampa's D2 team split at Lindenwood, 2-1 Friday and 3-5 Saturday, and stays 4-1 in the M2 College Hockey South group. Tampa's D3 team picked up two forfeit wins when New Hampshire forfeited both games.
FAU at FGCU, USF at Miami, Vanderbilt at Florida and Florida State's women at USF still show as scheduled in the league's feed Monday morning, and I don't write box scores I haven't seen. FGCU is 4-2 as an M2 independent and USF is 3-2 in M3 South going in.
Next weekend is in-state again, and the full slate is at the bottom. The one game to see next: Florida at Tampa, Friday at 8:30, with the rematch Saturday at 5:30. Gators and Spartans in M3, two nights, same barn.
State rankings:
My ranking, by the week each team had. Argue with it.
- Everblades (3-0-0): a three-game sweep in a rival's building, three goals against, the backup's first start a 35-13 shot night.
- Lightning (3-1-0): three straight wins and an overtime goal from the guy who asked out, then a 5-on-3 with 1.6 seconds left.
- UCF (2-0-0): swept Lynn at home in M3.
- Tampa Spartans (1-1-0): a split at Lindenwood, still on top of their M2 group.
- Orlando Solar Bears (1-2-0): two quiet nights in South Carolina, then six goals in Savannah.
- Panthers (1-3-0): 3-for-15 on the power play, a wasted major in Washington, a three-goal first in Boston.
- Jacksonville Icemen (0-3-0): three home games, three goals, three losses.
The state of the state
The Everblades are the only team in Florida that won every game it played this week, in a division rival's barn. Tampa is good and rattled at once. The cats have the best brothers in hockey, a goalie at .864, and a week that starts in Columbus to fix it.
Next week in Florida: Panthers at Columbus Tuesday 7:30, Detroit at Panthers Thursday 7:30, Panthers at St. Louis Saturday 7. Lightning at Buffalo Wednesday 7, Lightning at Columbus Thursday 7, Detroit at Lightning Saturday 7.
South Carolina at Everblades Friday 7:30 and Saturday 7. Orlando at Greenville Tuesday 10:30 a.m. Greenville at Jacksonville Friday 7, Savannah at Jacksonville Saturday 7.
College: Florida at Tampa in M3 Friday 8:30 and Saturday 5:30; USF at FAU Friday and Saturday 7:30; Lynn at Miami Friday 7, Miami at Lynn Saturday 7; UCF at Embry-Riddle Friday 7, Embry-Riddle at UCF Saturday 4; FGCU at Lindenwood both nights; Fairfield at Tampa Saturday 2:30; Tampa's women at South Carolina Saturday 5; Florida State at Jacksonville both days.
