Poised Panthers top Predators in Rookie Tourney Opener

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – The Florida Panthers are off to a hot start at this year’s Rookie Tournament, defeating the Nashville Predators 6-3 in front of a packed house at the Panthers IceDen on Saturday night.

In their first on-ice action of the annual competition, Florida looked poised and polished from the moment the puck dropped, generating scoring chances through crisp passing and smart positioning, while also managing to keep the puck out of danger in their own zone.

“I really enjoyed the 200-foot game the guys played for the first two periods,” said Springfield Thunderbirds head coach Geordie Kinnear, who is coaching Florida’s rookies throughout the tournament. “I thought the pressure we put on the guys was good. I know we had some skill guys play offensively, but what impressed me, especially early, was the attention to detail on the backcheck. The guys played a 200-foot game.”

The Panthers took advantage of a struggling Predators squad early in the game, building a 3-0 lead before Nashville center Tylor Spink scored with 3:06 remaining in the second period.

“We tried to do a little bit too much, tried to overpass in the first couple periods,” said Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason, who is coaching Nashville’s rookies throughout the tournament. “We were going into their defense as opposed to around them. We were either nervous or trying to a little bit too much, one of the two. We simplified our game in the third. The group made a couple of adjustments, as far as getting pucks behind and simplifying the game, and consequently we were better.”

Denis Malgin gave the Panthers an early lead at 6:37 of the first period, corralling a pass from Kyle Rau before firing the puck from the bottom of the right circle over the shoulder of goaltender Juuse Saros.

Soon after, Malgin found the back of the net again, deflecting defenseman Josh Brown’s shot from the blue line, extending Florida’s lead to 2-0 on his second goal of the contest.

“I knew he had skill and I knew he could make plays, but it was his 200-foot game …

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