On a night when the Florida Panthers bested their former franchise goalie, they also got some bad news about the next guy.
The Panthers topped Roberto Luongo and the red-hot Vancouver Canucks 2-1 in Sunrise as their fans celebrated the win by sending rats to the ice.
It must have been a great scene, but you have to wonder if it was a bit bittersweet for the team’s management. Head coach Kevin Dineen revealed that goalie of the future Jacob Markstrom’s knee injury could keep him out for “some time” according to George Richards of the Miami Herald. A knee injury is especially troubling because that’s the same injury that ended his season early last year.
In a way, tonight’s combination of good and bad shows how far the Panthers have come in 2011-12. Instead of looking to much ballyhooed prospects like Markstrom and the potential for future brillaince, the team is giving fans reasons to bask in the present.
Ideally they’d be able to enjoy the best of both worlds, but much like Markstrom’s knee, that might take some time.