Wikipedia

1994–95 Florida Panthers season

The 1994–95 Florida Panthers season was the Panthers' second season. For the second straight year, they missed the playoffs by just one point. While the team tied for 6th in the league in goaltending behind the solid tandem of John Vanbiesbrouck and Mark Fitzpatrick and finished first in most shutouts (6), it finished last in the league in scoring with 115 goals and was shut out 5 times. The Panthers tied the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators for fewest shorthanded goals scored (1).[1]

1994–95 Florida Panthers
Division5th Atlantic
Conference9th Eastern
1994–95 record20–22–6
Home record9–12–3
Road record11–10–3
Goals for115
Goals against127
Team information
General managerBryan Murray
CoachRoger Neilson
CaptainBrian Skrudland
Alternate captainsScott Mellanby
Gord Murphy
ArenaMiami Arena
Average attendance14,192
Minor league affiliate(s)Cincinnati Cyclones
Birmingham Bulls
Team leaders
GoalsJesse Belanger (15)
AssistsStu Barnes (19)
PointsJesse Belanger (29)
Penalty minutesPaul Laus (138)
Plus/minusJesse Belanger (+7)
WinsJohn Vanbiesbrouck (14)
Goals against averageJohn Vanbiesbrouck (2.47)

The Panthers were one of only three teams in 1994–95 to have a better regular-season record on the road then at home (the other two teams were the Chicago Blackhawks and the Los Angeles Kings).

Offseason

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General manager Bob Clarke left the team to return to the Philadelphia Flyers, being named president and general manager of the Flyers on June 15.[2] Since Clarke had to be released from his existing contract, the Panthers received the Flyers' 1994 second-round pick and cash, believed to be around $500,000, as compensation.[2][3] Bryan Murray was named the team's new general manager on August 1.[4]

Regular season

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January

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The Panthers began the lockout shortened 1994–95 season on January 21, 1995, losing on the road to the New York Islanders by a 2–1 score, as Zigmund Palffy scored two goals in just over a two-minute span in the middle of the third period. The Panthers lost their next two games, including their home opener to the Pittsburgh Penguins by a 6–5 score, and on the road to their state rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning 3–2, before earning their first win, defeating the Lightning in the second game of a home and home series by a 4–2 score. Florida closed out the month with two wins in their last three games.

The team had a record of 3–4–0 in January, earning six points, which placed them in third place in the Atlantic Division, and seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

February

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Florida began February rather slowly, as after a 1–1 tie against the Montreal Canadiens on February 2, the club lost their next two games to extend their overall winless streak to four games. The Panthers snapped out of their slump though, as John Vanbiesbrouck stopped all 26 shots that the Philadelphia Flyers fired at him, in a 3–0 victory on February 9. The club then had a seven-game homestand, beginning on February 11 with a solid 4–3 win over the Hartford Whalers, however, their two-game winning streak ended the following night, losing 4–2 to the New Jersey Devils. The Panthers shut out the Ottawa Senators 2–0 in their next game to return to the win column, however, the team lost their last four games on the home stand, going a disappointing 2–5–0 on it. Back on the road on February 25, the Panthers snapped their losing skid, defeating the Ottawa Senators 4–1, before ending the month with a 0–0 tie against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the New York Rangers.

At the end of February, the Panthers had an overall record of 7–11–2, earning 16 points, as the club struggled on home ice, posting a 3–7–1 record in their first 11 home games. Florida was in sixth place in the Atlantic Division, and 12th in the Eastern Conference.

March

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Florida opened March with two road games, as they tied the Philadelphia Flyers 2–2 on March 2, followed by a 6–1 loss at the hands of the New Jersey Devils. On March 8, the club ended their three-game winless streak, defeating the Ottawa Senators 3–2, before heading out on the road again for two games, in which the Panthers shut out the Boston Bruins 2–0, followed by a 4–1 win over the Hartford Whalers to extend their winning streak to three games. The team returned home for a three-game home stand, where they remained hot, tying the Buffalo Sabres 1–1, soundly defeating the Washington Capitals 5–1 to extend their overall unbeaten streak to five games, before losing in overtime to the Philadelphia Flyers 4–3 on March 18. Florida then embarked on a three-game road trip, where they began with a 5–4 overtime loss to the Quebec Nordiques, before defeating the Montreal Canadiens 3–2 to get a much needed victory. The Panthers finished the trip with a 3–0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, and were starting to fall out of the playoff race. Florida ended March with a brief two game home stand, in which they shut out the high scoring Pittsburgh Penguins 2–0, with John Vanbiesbrouck making 24 saves for the shut out, followed by a 4–4 tie against the Hartford Whalers.

The Panthers had an overall record of 13–16–4 at the end of March, earning 30 points, in which placed them fourth in the Atlantic Division, and ninth in the Eastern Conference, only one point behind the Hartford Whalers for the eighth and final playoff spot.

April/May

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The Panthers began April with a solid 4–1 road victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 2, which moved the club into eighth place, however, Florida found themselves out of a playoff spot after being blown out by the New York Rangers by a 5–0 score on home ice on April 5, as the club fell into tenth spot, behind the New York Rangers and Hartford Whalers by a single point for the last post-season spot. The Panthers continued to struggle over their next three games, going 0–2–1, falling five points behind the eighth place Buffalo Sabres. The club tried to claw their way back race, going 4–1–0 in their next five games, however, Florida still remained two points out of the playoffs. Florida finished April on a three-game winless streak, posting a 0–2–1 record, which eliminated the club from post-season contention. The team finished the season with two wins, defeating the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins on the road.

The club finished the 1994–95 season with a 20–22–6 record, earning 46 points, which placed them fifth in the Atlantic Division, and ninth in the Eastern Conference, just one point behind the New York Rangers for the final playoff spot.

Final standings

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Atlantic Division
No. CR GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 2 Philadelphia Flyers 48 28 16 4 150 132 60
2 5 New Jersey Devils 48 22 18 8 136 121 52
3 6 Washington Capitals 48 22 18 8 136 120 52
4 8 New York Rangers 48 22 23 3 139 134 47
5 9 Florida Panthers 48 20 22 6 115 127 46
6 12 Tampa Bay Lightning 48 17 28 3 120 144 37
7 13 New York Islanders 48 15 28 5 126 158 35

[5]

Note: No. = Division rank, CR = Conference rank, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
       Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Eastern Conference[6]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 Quebec Nordiques NE 48 30 13 5 185 134 65
2 Philadelphia Flyers AT 48 28 16 4 150 132 60
3 Pittsburgh Penguins NE 48 29 16 3 181 158 61
4 Boston Bruins NE 48 27 18 3 150 127 57
5 New Jersey Devils AT 48 22 18 8 136 121 52
6 Washington Capitals AT 48 22 18 8 136 120 52
7 Buffalo Sabres NE 48 22 19 7 130 119 51
8 New York Rangers AT 48 22 23 3 139 134 47
9 Florida Panthers AT 48 20 22 6 115 127 46
10 Hartford Whalers NE 48 19 24 5 127 141 43
11 Montreal Canadiens NE 48 18 23 7 125 148 43
12 Tampa Bay Lightning AT 48 17 28 3 120 144 37
13 New York Islanders AT 48 15 28 5 126 158 35
14 Ottawa Senators NE 48 9 34 5 117 174 23

Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast

bold – Qualified for playoffs


Schedule and results

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1994–95 regular season[7]
January: 3–4–0 (home: 1–2–0; road: 2–2–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
1 L January 21, 1995 1–2 @ New York Islanders (1994–95) 0–1–0 Recap
2 L January 23, 1995 5–6 Pittsburgh Penguins (1994–95) 0–2–0 Recap
3 L January 25, 1995 2–3 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1994–95) 0–3–0 Recap
4 W January 26, 1995 4–2 Tampa Bay Lightning (1994–95) 1–3–0 Recap
5 W January 28, 1995 2–1 @ Hartford Whalers (1994–95) 2–3–0 Recap
6 W January 30, 1995 2–1 @ Boston Bruins (1994–95) 3–3–0 Recap
7 L January 31, 1995 1–5 New York Islanders (1994–95) 3–4–0 Recap
February: 4–7–2 (home: 2–5–1; road: 2–2–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
8 T February 2, 1995 1–1 OT Montreal Canadiens (1994–95) 3–4–1 Recap
9 L February 4, 1995 2–3 @ Washington Capitals (1994–95) 3–5–1 Recap
10 L February 7, 1995 3–7 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1994–95) 3–6–1 Recap
11 W February 9, 1995 3–0 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1994–95) 4–6–1 Recap
12 W February 11, 1995 4–3 Hartford Whalers (1994–95) 5–6–1 Recap
13 L February 12, 1995 2–4 New Jersey Devils (1994–95) 5–7–1 Recap
14 W February 15, 1995 2–0 Ottawa Senators (1994–95) 6–7–1 Recap
15 L February 17, 1995 4–5 Boston Bruins (1994–95) 6–8–1 Recap
16 L February 19, 1995 1–4 Quebec Nordiques (1994–95) 6–9–1 Recap
17 L February 21, 1995 3–5 New York Rangers (1994–95) 6–10–1 Recap
18 L February 23, 1995 2–5 Montreal Canadiens (1994–95) 6–11–1 Recap
19 W February 25, 1995 4–1 @ Ottawa Senators (1994–95) 7–11–1 Recap
20 T February 28, 1995 0–0 OT @ New York Rangers (1994–95) 7–11–2 Recap
March: 6–5–2 (home: 3–2–1; road: 3–3–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
21 T March 2, 1995 2–2 OT @ Philadelphia Flyers (1994–95) 7–11–3 Recap
22 L March 4, 1995 1–6 @ New Jersey Devils (1994–95) 7–12–3 Recap
23 W March 8, 1995 3–2 Ottawa Senators (1994–95) 8–12–3 Recap
24 W March 11, 1995 2–0 @ Boston Bruins (1994–95) 9–12–3 Recap
25 W March 12, 1995 4–1 @ Hartford Whalers (1994–95) 10–12–3 Recap
26 L March 14, 1995 1–2 OT Buffalo Sabres (1994–95) 10–13–3 Recap
27 W March 16, 1995 5–1 Washington Capitals (1994–95) 11–13–3 Recap
28 L March 18, 1995 3–4 OT Philadelphia Flyers (1994–95) 11–14–3 Recap
29 L March 20, 1995 4–5 OT @ Quebec Nordiques (1994–95) 11–15–3 Recap
30 W March 22, 1995 3–2 @ Montreal Canadiens (1994–95) 12–15–3 Recap
31 L March 24, 1995 0–3 @ Buffalo Sabres (1994–95) 12–16–3 Recap
32 W March 26, 1995 2–0 Pittsburgh Penguins (1994–95) 13–16–3 Recap
33 T March 29, 1995 4–4 OT Hartford Whalers (1994–95) 13–16–4 Recap
April: 5–6–2 (home: 3–3–1; road: 2–3–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
34 W April 2, 1995 4–1 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1994–95) 14–16–4 Recap
35 L April 5, 1995 0–5 New York Rangers (1994–95) 14–17–4 Recap
36 T April 8, 1995 2–2 OT @ New York Islanders (1994–95) 14–17–5 Recap
37 L April 12, 1995 1–3 New York Islanders (1994–95) 14–18–5 Recap
38 L April 14, 1995 0–3 @ Washington Capitals (1994–95) 14–19–5 Recap
39 W April 16, 1995 4–1 Tampa Bay Lightning (1994–95) 15–19–5 Recap
40 L April 18, 1995 1–3 Philadelphia Flyers (1994–95) 15–20–5 Recap
41 W April 20, 1995 1–0 New Jersey Devils (1994–95) 16–20–5 Recap
42 W April 22, 1995 4–2 Quebec Nordiques (1994–95) 17–20–5 Recap
43 W April 24, 1995 5–1 @ Ottawa Senators (1994–95) 18–20–5 Recap
44 L April 26, 1995 0–5 @ Buffalo Sabres (1994–95) 18–21–5 Recap
45 L April 28, 1995 1–3 @ New Jersey Devils (1994–95) 18–22–5 Recap
46 T April 30, 1995 2–2 OT Washington Capitals (1994–95) 18–22–6 Recap
May: 2–0–0 (home: 0–0–0; road: 2–0–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
47 W May 2, 1995 4–3 @ New York Rangers (1994–95) 19–22–6 Recap
48 W May 3, 1995 4–3 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1994–95) 20–22–6 Recap
Legend:

  Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Player statistics

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Scoring

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  • Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left Wing; RW = Right Wing
  • † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Panthers only.
  • ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Panthers only.
No. Player Pos Regular season
GP G A Pts +/- PIM
26 Jesse Belanger C 47 15 14 29 −5 18
14 Stu Barnes C 41 10 19 29 7 8
27 Scott Mellanby RW 48 13 12 25 −16 90
5 Gord Murphy D 46 6 16 22 −14 24
10 Dave Lowry LW 45 10 10 20 −3 25
12 Jody Hull RW 46 11 8 19 −1 8
11 Bill Lindsay LW 48 10 9 19 1 46
21 Tom Fitzgerald RW 48 3 13 16 −3 31
20 Brian Skrudland C 47 5 9 14 0 88
18 Mike Hough LW 48 6 7 13 1 38
6 Jason Woolley† D 34 4 9 13 −1 18
29 Johan Garpenlov† RW 27 3 9 12 4 0
44 Rob Niedermayer C 48 4 6 10 −13 36
22 Bob Kudelski RW 26 6 3 9 2 2
7 Brian Benning D 24 1 7 8 −6 18
28 Magnus Svensson D 19 2 5 7 5 10
19 Andrei Lomakin LW 31 1 6 7 −5 6
3 Paul Laus D 37 0 7 7 12 138
25 Geoff Smith D 47 2 4 6 −5 22
15 Gaetan Duchesne† LW 13 1 2 3 3 2
16 Randy Moller D 17 0 3 3 −5 16
24 Brent Severyn‡ D 9 1 1 2 −3 37
24 Robert Svehla D 5 1 1 2 3 0
2 Joe Cirella D 20 0 1 1 −7 21
8 Dallas Eakins D 17 0 1 1 2 35
34 John Vanbiesbrouck G 37 0 1 1 6
4 Keith Brown D 13 0 0 0 1 2
23 Jeff Daniels LW 3 0 0 0 0 0
30 Mark Fitzpatrick G 15 0 0 0 0
42 Jamie Linden RW 4 0 0 0 −1 17
38 Stephane Richer D 1 0 0 0 0 2
17 Dave Tomlinson C 5 0 0 0 −2 0

Goaltending

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No. Player Regular season
GP W L T SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
34 John Vanbiesbrouck 37 14 15 4 1000 86 2.47 .914 4 2087
30 Mark Fitzpatrick 15 6 7 2 361 36 2.64 .900 2 819

Awards and records

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Milestones

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Milestone Player Date Ref
First game Jamie Linden February 9, 1995 [8]
Magnus Svensson March 20, 1995
Robert Svehla April 20, 1995

Draft picks

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Florida's draft picks at the 1994 NHL entry draft.[9]

Round Pick Player Nationality College/junior/club team
1 1 Ed Jovanovski (D)   Canada Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
2 27 Rhett Warrener (D)   Canada Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
2 31 Jason Podollan (RW)   Canada Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
2 36 Ryan Johnson (C)   Canada Thunder Bay Flyers (USHL)
4 84 David Nemirovsky (RW)   Canada Ottawa 67's (OHL)
5 105 David Geris (D)   Canada Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
7 157 Matt O'Dette (RW)   Canada Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
8 183 Jason Boudrias (C)   Canada Laval Titan (QMJHL)
10 235 Tero Lehtera (LW)   Finland Kiekko-Espoo (Finland)
11 261 Per Gustafsson (D)   Sweden HV71 (Sweden)
S 1 Sean McCann (D)   Canada Harvard University (ECAC)

References

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  • "Florida Panthers 1994-95 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  • "1994-95 Florida Panthers Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  1. ^ "1994-95 NHL Summary".
  2. ^ a b Miles, Gary (June 16, 1994). "Clarke Waves Off Trading As A Goal". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D2.
  3. ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: HOCKEY; Compensation for Clarke". The New York Times. June 16, 1994. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  4. ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: HOCKEY; Bryan Murray Named Panthers' G.M." The New York Times. August 2, 1994. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  5. ^ Standings: NHL Public Relations Department (2008). Dave McCarthy; et al. (eds.). THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Official Guide & Record Book/2009. National Hockey League. p. 154. ISBN 978-1-894801-14-0.
  6. ^ "1994-1995 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  7. ^ "1994-95 Florida Panthers Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  8. ^ "1994-95 NHL Debuts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  9. ^ "1994 NHL Entry Draft". hockeydb.com.
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