The Florida Panthers lost their second straight game and third in five Monday in Manhattan, and it was a night on which little went their way.
Jussi Jokinen missed a gaping net on a play that saw the referee leaping in the crease, and Steven Kampfer had a goal called back after it was ruled he batted the puck in with a high stick. The goal was reviewed, but Toronto deemed the play inconclusive, so the call on the ice stood. It was an integral decision - the New York Rangers won 4-2, their final goal an empty netter.
Head coach Gerard Gallant wasn't making excuses after the game, however.
"It was a bad night. We can't show up and play 15 minutes," Gallant said, according to the Sun Sentinel's Harvy Fialkov. "That's all we played tonight. The Rangers dominated the first two periods; there's no excuse for that."
Florida had only three shots in the first period, and was outshot 23-12 through 40 minutes. By the time the Panthers woke up, firing 15 shots in the third period, it was too late.
"Some of those calls didn't go our way," Gallant added. "That was frustrating to see that happening. The (referee) standing in the net. I've never seen that before. It's frustrating when the guy has an open net and he can't put it in."
Jokinen, to his credit, spoke to the media about a miss that will surely keep him awake Monday night.
"We had enough chances to score four or five goals. At the end of the day I need to put the puck in," he said. "It's on me. That's been the deal here the last two weeks; we haven't been able to get that 60-minute effort."
The lack of finish is having an influence on the Panthers' place in the Eastern Conference standings. The Rangers are now the second-best team in the East, leapfrogging the Panthers with the win. New York has 90 points to Florida's 89, though the Panthers remain atop the Atlantic Division. They're up over Tampa Bay by two points, but the Lightning have a game in hand.
The standings are tight, with movement after each night. But the Panthers know they can only worry about themselves.
"You could only blame the refs so much," said forward Nick Bjugstad. "You can blame the refs or other people but it comes down to us creating our own luck."
"Frustration," Kampfer added. "You don't want to lose games, especially back-to-back this late in the season. It's time to get on a roll and head into the playoffs with a full head of steam."
Florida's next two games are big. The Panthers are in Boston on Thursday, and are up on the Bruins by three points. Then they're off to Tampa Bay for a huge tilt against the Lightning on Saturday.
