Panthers 8 - Thrashers 4

Yowza! The Panthers offense has found it's legs. I wasn't able to watch this offensive outburst, but I think it's safe to say it was a solid performance. A 5-goal, 3rd period outburst helped the Panthers gain 2 more important points.

The Panthers have now scored the first goal of the game in 6 straight, thanks to an early disallowed Atlanta goal and a Michael Frolik penalty shot (Future Stars game indeed! He should be fun to watch in a 3-on-3 game) and have amassed 27 goals in their past 5. Much of this recent success can be attributed to the fact that Coach DeBoer now has 4, solid, and most importantly, consistent lines that he can throw on the ice. The Campbell\Peltonen\Dvorak line has continued to thrive (that line combined for 3 goals and 5 assists this afternoon). Horton has found his scoring touch, Bouwmeester continues to produce from the blue line, David Booth now has an 8 game point streak. This team is healthy, and it's starting to show up on the ice.

Carolina lost today, which means the Panthers are now just a single point behind the 8th seed 'Canes in the standings (Buffalo, who's tied with Carolina, plays tonight). The Panthers now have a lengthy week off before they take to home ice again Friday against the Flyers. Updates as I learn about them on the Scratch, until then...