Panthers hand Caps first home regulation loss Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Ville Peltonen, Radek Dvorak and Gregory
Campbell each had a goal and an assist, leading the Florida Panthers to a 5-3
win over Washington and handing the Capitals their first regulation home loss
of the season.
Jay Bouwmeester and Bryan McCabe also scored for the Panthers, who have
registered points in five straight games, going 3-0-2 in that span. Craig
Anderson made 23 saves to get the win.
Nicklas Backstrom, Tomas Fleischmann and Viktor Kozlov each posted a goal and
assist for the Capitals, who lost for the sixth time ... More...
Janis Sprukts has agreed to terms on a two-year deal with the Panthers, according to the AP. Panthers' GM Jacques Martin said, "We are happy that Janis has decided to return to the Panthers organization after spending a year in Finland. He has played a few games at the NHL level and understands what it takes to make it back there."
Our View:Sprukts, who recorded one goal and two assists with Florida in 2006-07, returns to the club after playing for Lukko of the Finnish Elite League last season. He contributed 12 goals and 29 points over 53 games for Lukko.
Panthers' GM Jacques Martin said Tuesday afternoon that he doesn't expect suspended winger Chad Kilger to play for Florida this season, according to the Miami Herald. Despite that Kilger's Toronto Maple Leafs were staying in Fort Lauderdale at the time, Kilger never reported to the Panthers. Initially, Florida allowed him to return to Canada because of family issues. Kilger was later suspended from the team without pay after failing to join the team. Kilger is scheduled to make $700,000 this season, but since he is suspended, Florida will not be required to pay Kilger unless he changes his mind and reports to camp. Martin said, "He's still dealing with some personal issues, and at this point, I don't think he'll be playing. We still hold his rights. He's indicated to me that if he were to play, he'd want to play for us. We're not the issue."
Our View:The Panthers acquired the 32-year-old winger for a third-round pick at the trade deadline in February. Kilger only contributed 10 goals and seven assists over 53 games last season, and wasn't likely to be fantasy worthy in Florida.
After multiple wrist surgeries, Mike Van Ryn stated he is ready to return to top form with the Panthers, according to the Miami Herald. He said, "I feel awesome now. I look at other guys around the league. It took Edmonton Oilers' defenseman Sheldon Souray a while to get his right. It can be a difficult surgery. I'm just excited to play, try and contribute and help the Panthers win some games."
Our View:This is favorable news for the Panthers' defenseman, and could hold value as a late-round pick next season as he averaged 34 points over three healthy seasons with Florida from 2003-04 to 2006-07.
