1993–94 Florida Panthers season explained

League:NHL
Season:1993–94
Year:1993
Team:Florida Panthers
Conferencerank:9th
Divisionrank:5th
Record:33–34–17
Homerecord:15–18–9
Roadrecord:18–16–8
Goalsfor:233
Goalsagainst:233
Attendance:14,190
Goalsleader:Scott Mellanby (30)
Assistsleader:Scott Mellanby (30)
Pointsleader:Scott Mellanby (60)
Plusminusleader:Brian Skrudland (+13)
Pimleader:Brent Severyn (156)
Winsleader:John Vanbiesbrouck (21)
Gaaleader:John Vanbiesbrouck (2.53)

The 1993–94 Florida Panthers season was the Panthers' first season. Blockbuster Video magnate H. Wayne Huizenga was awarded an NHL franchise for his native Miami in 1992. The team played at the Miami Arena, and its first major stars were New York Rangers goaltender castoff John Vanbiesbrouck, rookie Rob Niedermayer, and Scott Mellanby, who scored 30 goals during the regular season.

The Panthers were surprisingly competitive for a first-year expansion team, and ultimately finished just one game below .500 and two points short of qualifying for the 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Regular season

October

The Panthers played their first ever regular season game on October 6, as they recorded a 4-4 tie on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks. Scott Mellanby scored the first ever Panthers goal, against Ed Belfour. On October 9, in their third game, the club earned their first victory and shutout, as John Vanbiesbrouck made 36 saves in a 2-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. On October 12, Florida played their first home game, losing 2-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins, as Mellanby scored the first goal on home ice. The Panthers first win at home came on October 14, as they defeated the Ottawa Senators 5-4, as Rob Niedermayer scored the winning goal midway through the third period. In a game against the Los Angeles Kings on October 19, the Panthers fired 52 shots at Kings goaltender Kelly Hrudey, however, the club had to settle for a 2-2 tie.

After a five-game winless streak, in which Florida posted a 0-3-2 record, the team finished October with two consecutive wins, defeating the New York Islanders 5-2 and the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1. Florida finished the month with a 4-5-3 record, good for fifth in the Atlantic Division, and tied for eighth in the Eastern Conference.

November

Florida opened November with two consecutive losses, before heading out for a three-game road trip. Florida went a perfect 3-0-0 on the road, highlighted by a 3-1 win over the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Montreal Canadiens, as John Vanbiesbrouck led the way with 37 saves. The Panthers struggled on their five-game homestand, as they went 1-4-0, only earning a victory against the Washington Capitals. Florida ended the month on a quick two game road trip, losing to the Boston Bruins, then suffered their first ever shutout loss, as they were defeated 4-0 by the Hartford Whalers.

At the end of November, the Panthers had a record of 8-13-3, earning 19 points, and sat in sixth in the Atlantic Division, and 11th in the Eastern Conference.

December

Florida started December with a solid 2-1 overtime victory over the Buffalo Sabres, as Jesse Belanger scored the overtime winner, and John Vanbiesbrouck was solid with 33 saves. The Panthers then went on a five-game road trip, beginning with a 2-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks on December 5. On December 7, Florida faced their expansion cousins, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, winning the game 3-2. The next night, the Panthers defeated the Los Angeles Kings 6-5. They finished their road swing with a 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets and a 4-4 tie with the Dallas Stars, going 3-1-1. Florida finished the month continuing to play good hockey, going 3-1-2 in their remaining six games in December.

By the end of the month, Florida had an overall record of 15-15-6, getting 36 points, sitting in fifth place in the Atlantic Division, and 10th in the Eastern Conference, only one point out of eighth place for the final playoff position.

January

The Panthers began January where they left off in December, earning a 4-2 win over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim on New Years Day, to move over the .500 level, and into eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The club then began a six-game road trip, which began with two losses, 3-2 to the New York Rangers, and 4-1 to the New Jersey Devils. Florida rebounded in the next two games, earning ties against the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins. The team finished the road trip with two wins, defeating the Montreal Canadiens 5-2, and the New York Islanders 2-1, to earn a respectable 2-2-2 record. Florida continued winning when the returned home, beating the Washington Capitals 5-1 on January 19, followed by an 8-3 blowout victory against the Montreal Canadiens to push their record to 20-17-8. The club finished January going 1-0-2 in their last three games, as they extended their overall unbeaten streak to nine games.

At the end of January, the Panthers had a 21-17-10 record, earning 52 points, and were in third place in the Atlantic Division, and sixth in the Eastern Conference.

February

The team opened February with two games on the road, and in the first game on February 1, the Panthers unbeaten streak came to an end, as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated Florida 2-1. The Panthers rebounded the next night, defeating the Ottawa Senators 4-1, as Rob Niedermayer had two goals, and Mark Fitzpatrick made 32 saves for the win. The team returned home for two games, as they were blown out 7-2 against the Buffalo Sabres on February 4, however, Florida won their next game, shutting out the Boston Bruins 3-0, with Mark Fitzpatrick making 19 saves. The Panthers lost their next game in overtime, 4-3 to the Philadelphia Flyers, as Eric Lindros scored the winning goal, however, the team followed up the heart breaking loss with a solid 4-3 win over the New York Islanders. On February 13, the Panthers defeated the Vancouver Canucks 2-1 to improve to 25-20-10 on the season.

The club then went on another quick two game road trip, where they lost both games, including a 7-3 blowout loss to the Detroit Red Wings. When returning home, the Red Wings defeated Florida again, this time by a 4-1 score, as the club was on a three-game losing streak. Florida snapped the losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets, however, the team would lose their last three games of the month to fall back to the .500 level.

At the end of February, Florida had a 26-26-10 record, earning 62 points, which had them in fourth place in the Atlantic Division, and eighth in the Eastern Conference, tied with the Philadelphia Flyers in points, however, Florida had two games in hand.

March

Florida continued to struggle into March, losing their first two games, 3-2 to the New Jersey Devils, and 4-1 to the Hartford Whalers, to push their losing streak to four games, and seven of their last eight games. On March 7, the team began a three-game road trip to Western Canada, and they put an end to their losing streak as Mark Fitzpatrick made 34 saves in a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks. In their next game against the Edmonton Oilers, the Panthers won 5-3 to go back to the .500 level. The club finished the trip with a loss to the Calgary Flames by a 4-2 score.

Florida returned home for a six-game home stand, in which the Panthers went unbeaten, going 3-0-3, which included wins over the New York Rangers, Calgary Flames and Philadelphia Flyers, making their overall season record at 31-29-13. On March 24, the Panthers nearly overcame a 4-0 deficit, losing 4-3 to the Philadelphia Flyers, to end their unbeaten streak. The club rebounded in their next game, defeating the New York Islanders 3-1. The team ended March with two more losses though, losing to the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues.

By the end of March, the Panthers had a 32-32-13 record, earning 77 points, which had the club in fourth place in the Atlantic Division, and clinging to eighth in the Eastern Conference for the final playoff position, four points of the ninth place Philadelphia Flyers, and five ahead of the 10th place New York Islanders.

April

The club opened April with a disappointing 2-2 tie against the lowly Ottawa Senators at home before heading out on a three-game road trip. The Panthers continued to struggle, dropping a 3-2 decision to the New York Rangers. On April 5, the Panthers blew a 3-1 third period lead against the Quebec Nordiques, and settled for a 3-3 tie, extending their winless streak to five games. On April 7, Florida overcame a 3-1 deficit, earning a 3-3 tie against the Philadelphia Flyers. The club returned home for their final three games, and the winless streak continued, as the Panthers tied the New Jersey Devils 2-2, followed by a 5-2 loss to the Quebec Nordiques, pushing their winless streak to eight games, as Florida slipped into ninth place, behind the New York Islanders. On April 13, the Panthers were officially eliminated from the post-season, as the Islanders defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning to clinch the eighth and final playoff position. The Panthers played their final game of the season on April 14, defeating the Islanders 4-1.

The Panthers finished the 1993-94 season with a 33-34-17 record, earning 83 points, which was an NHL record for points by an expansion team until the Vegas Golden Knights surpassed it in their first season. Florida finished the season in fifth place in the Atlantic Division, and ninth in the Eastern Conference, just one point of a playoff position.

Season standings

Schedule and results

No.RDateScoreOpponentRecord
1TOctober 6, 19934–4 OT@ Chicago Blackhawks (1993–94) 0–0–1
2LOctober 7, 19933–5 @ St. Louis Blues (1993–94) 0–1–1
3WOctober 9, 19932–0 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1993–94) 1–1–1
4LOctober 12, 19931–2 Pittsburgh Penguins (1993–94) 1–2–1
5WOctober 14, 19935–4 Ottawa Senators (1993–94) 2–2–1
6TOctober 17, 19933–3 OTTampa Bay Lightning (1993–94) 2–2–2
7TOctober 19, 19932–2 OTLos Angeles Kings (1993–94) 2–2–3
8LOctober 21, 19933–4 OTToronto Maple Leafs (1993–94) 2–3–3
9LOctober 23, 19931–2 @ New Jersey Devils (1993–94) 2–4–3
10LOctober 26, 19932–5 Winnipeg Jets (1993–94) 2–5–3
11WOctober 28, 19935–2 New York Islanders (1993–94) 3–5–3
12WOctober 30, 19932–1 OTTampa Bay Lightning (1993–94) 4–5–3
13LNovember 2, 19933–4 Philadelphia Flyers (1993–94) 4–6–3
14LNovember 3, 19933–6 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1993–94) 4–7–3
15WNovember 7, 19933–1 @ Quebec Nordiques (1993–94) 5–7–3
16WNovember 10, 19933–1 @ Montreal Canadiens (1993–94) 6–7–3
17WNovember 11, 19935–4 @ Ottawa Senators (1993–94) 7–7–3
18LNovember 14, 19932–5 Quebec Nordiques (1993–94) 7–8–3
19LNovember 16, 19932–4 New York Rangers (1993–94) 7–9–3
20LNovember 18, 19932–3 Chicago Blackhawks (1993–94) 7–10–3
21WNovember 20, 19934–3 Washington Capitals (1993–94) 8–10–3
22LNovember 23, 19931–2 OTHartford Whalers (1993–94) 8–11–3
23LNovember 26, 19932–3 @ Boston Bruins (1993–94) 8–12–3
24LNovember 27, 19930–4 @ Hartford Whalers (1993–94) 8–13–3
25WDecember 2, 19932–1 OTBuffalo Sabres (1993–94) 9–13–3
26LDecember 5, 19931–2 @ San Jose Sharks (1993–94) 9–14–3
27WDecember 7, 19933–2 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1993–94) 10–14–3
28WDecember 8, 19936–5 @ Los Angeles Kings (1993–94) 11–14–3
29WDecember 10, 19935–2 @ Winnipeg Jets (1993–94) 12–14–3
30TDecember 12, 19934–4 OT@ Dallas Stars (1993–94) 12–14–4
31TDecember 15, 19933–3 OTMontreal Canadiens (1993–94) 12–14–5
32LDecember 19, 19931–2 OTBoston Bruins (1993–94) 12–15–5
33WDecember 22, 19933–2 New York Rangers (1993–94) 13–15–5
34WDecember 26, 19933–1 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1993–94) 14–15–5
35TDecember 28, 19933–3 OT@ Washington Capitals (1993–94) 14–15–6
36WDecember 29, 19935–3 @ Hartford Whalers (1993–94) 15–15–6
37WJanuary 1, 19944–2 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1993–94) 16–15–6
38LJanuary 3, 19942–3 @ New York Rangers (1993–94) 16–16–6
39LJanuary 7, 19941–4 @ New Jersey Devils (1993–94) 16–17–6
40TJanuary 8, 19942–2 OT@ Boston Bruins (1993–94) 16–17–7
41TJanuary 13, 19942–2 OT@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1993–94) 16–17–8
42WJanuary 15, 19945–2 @ Montreal Canadiens (1993–94) 17–17–8
43WJanuary 17, 19942–1 @ New York Islanders (1993–94) 18–17–8
44WJanuary 19, 19945–1 Washington Capitals (1993–94) 19–17–8
45WJanuary 24, 19948–3 Montreal Canadiens (1993–94) 20–17–8
46TJanuary 26, 19941–1 OT@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1993–94) 20–17–9
47TJanuary 28, 19943–3 OTSan Jose Sharks (1993–94) 20–17–10
48WJanuary 30, 19943–2 @ Buffalo Sabres (1993–94) 21–17–10
49LFebruary 1, 19941–2 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1993–94) 21–18–10
50WFebruary 2, 19944–1 @ Ottawa Senators (1993–94) 22–18–10
51LFebruary 4, 19942–7 Buffalo Sabres (1993–94) 22–19–10
52WFebruary 6, 19943–0 Boston Bruins (1993–94) 23–19–10
53LFebruary 10, 19943–4 OT@ Philadelphia Flyers (1993–94) 23–20–10
54WFebruary 12, 19944–3 @ New York Islanders (1993–94) 24–20–10
55WFebruary 13, 19942–1 Vancouver Canucks (1993–94) 25–20–10
56LFebruary 16, 19943–7 @ Detroit Red Wings (1993–94) 25–21–10
57LFebruary 18, 19941–4 @ Buffalo Sabres (1993–94) 25–22–10
58LFebruary 20, 19943–4 OTDetroit Red Wings (1993–94) 25–23–10
59WFebruary 22, 19943–2 @ Winnipeg Jets (1993–94) 26–23–10
60LFebruary 24, 19941–2 Washington Capitals (1993–94) 26–24–10
61LFebruary 26, 19942–4 @ Washington Capitals (1993–94) 26–25–10
62LFebruary 28, 19943–4 Pittsburgh Penguins (1993–94) 26–26–10
63LMarch 2, 19942–3 New Jersey Devils (1993–94) 26–27–10
64LMarch 4, 19941–2 Hartford Whalers (1993–94) 26–28–10
65WMarch 7, 19942–1 @ Vancouver Canucks (1993–94) 27–28–10
66WMarch 9, 19945–3 @ Edmonton Oilers (1993–94) 28–28–10
67LMarch 11, 19942–4 @ Calgary Flames (1993–94) 28–29–10
68WMarch 14, 19942–1 New York Rangers (1993–94) 29–29–10
69WMarch 16, 19942–1 Calgary Flames (1993–94) 30–29–10
70TMarch 18, 19944–4 OTEdmonton Oilers (1993–94) 30–29–11
71WMarch 20, 19945–3 Philadelphia Flyers (1993–94) 31–29–11
72TMarch 21, 19943–3 OTNew Jersey Devils (1993–94) 31–29–12
73TMarch 23, 19941–1 OTToronto Maple Leafs (1993–94) 31–29–13
74LMarch 24, 19943–4 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1993–94) 31–30–13
75WMarch 26, 19943–1 @ New York Islanders (1993–94) 32–30–13
76LMarch 28, 19944–5 Dallas Stars (1993–94) 32–31–13
77LMarch 30, 19941–3 St. Louis Blues (1993–94) 32–32–13
78TApril 2, 19942–2 OTOttawa Senators (1993–94) 32–32–14
79LApril 4, 19942–3 @ New York Rangers (1993–94) 32–33–14
80TApril 5, 19943–3 OT@ Quebec Nordiques (1993–94) 32–33–15
81TApril 7, 19943–3 OT@ Philadelphia Flyers (1993–94) 32–33–16
82TApril 10, 19942–2 OTNew Jersey Devils (1993–94) 32–33–17
83LApril 12, 19942–5 Quebec Nordiques (1993–94) 32–34–17
84WApril 14, 19944–1 New York Islanders (1993–94) 33–34–17

Player statistics

Forwards

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

PlayerGPGAPtsPIM
80 30 30 60 149
70 17 33 50 16
76 19 28 47 26
79 15 25 40 136
59 18 20 38 30
80 15 22 37 64
83 18 14 32 54
44 14 15 29 10
78 6 23 29 62
69 13 13 26 8
65 9 17 26 51
84 6 6 12 97
29 5 6 11 69
39 4 5 9 49
20 4 4 8 16
21 2 6 8 8
4 1 1 2 4
2 1 0 1 0
4 0 1 1 2
2 0 0 0 0
2 0 0 0 0
7 0 0 0 0

Defensemen

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

PlayerGPGAPtsPIM
84 14 29 43 71
73 6 24 30 107
33 2 14 16 9
51 4 8 12 60
67 4 7 11 156
26 0 10 10 35
63 1 9 10 99
56 1 5 6 38
8 1 1 2 0
39 2 0 2 109
2 0 1 1 0
12 1 0 1 37
1 0 0 0 0

Goaltending

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SV% = Save percentage ; GAA = Goals against average; SO = Shutouts

PlayerGPWLTSV%GAASO
57 21 25 11 .924 2.53 1
28 12 8 6 .914 2.73 1
2 0 1 0 .822 6.00 0

Awards and records

Transactions

Trades

Trades listed are from June 1, 1993 to June 1, 1994.

Date Details
To Tampa Bay Lightning
Panthers agree to select Daren Puppa in 1993 NHL Expansion Draft
To Florida Panthers
1993 PIT 3rd-round Pick (#78 overall)
To Winnipeg Jets
1993 2rd-round Pick (#31 overall)
To Florida Panthers
1993 2nd-round Pick (#41 overall)
1993 3rd-round Pick (#67 overall)
To Toronto Maple Leafs
Cash
To Florida Panthers
Dave Tomlinson
To Winnipeg Jets
Dave Tomlinson
To Florida Panthers
Jason Cirone
To Winnipeg Jets
1994 4th-round Pick (#79 overall)
To Florida Panthers
Evgeny Davydov
1994 Conditional 4th-round Pick
To Chicago Blackhawks
Darin Kimble
To Florida Panthers
Keith Brown
To Winnipeg Jets
Milan Tichy
To Florida Panthers
Brent Severyn
To Toronto Maple Leafs
Cash
To Florida Panthers
Mike Foligno
To Winnipeg Jets
Randy Gilhen
1994 4th-round Pick
To Florida Panthers
Stu Barnes
1994 STL 6th-round Pick (#146 overall)
To Philadelphia Flyers
Cash
To Florida Panthers
Greg Hawgood
To Edmonton Oilers
1994 3rd-round Pick (#53 overall)
1994 STL 6th-round Pick (#146 overall)
To Florida Panthers
Geoff Smith
1994 4th-round Pick (#84 overall)
To Toronto Maple Leafs
Greg Smyth
To Florida Panthers
Future Considerations (Cash)
To Hartford Whalers
Alexander Godynyuk
To Florida Panthers
Jim McKenzie
To Dallas Stars
Jim McKenzie
To Florida Panthers
1995 4th-round Pick (#89 overall)
To Ottawa Senators
Scott Levins
Evgeny Davydov
1994 6th-round Pick (#131 overall)
1995 DAL 4th-round Pick (#89 overall)
To Florida Panthers
Bob Kudelski
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Greg Hawgood
To Florida Panthers
Jeff Daniels
To Ottawa Senators
1994 9th-round Pick (#209 overall)
To Florida Panthers
Peter Andersson

Free agents

Date Player Team
from Winnipeg Jets
from Boston Bruins
from Edmonton Oilers
from Philadelphia Flyers
from Ottawa Senators

Signings

Date Player Contract term
multi-year
multi-year

Retirement

Draft picks

Expansion Draft

PlayerPositionDrafted from
1
4 G
5 Daren Puppa 1 G
7
10 D
12 D
13 D
15 D
18 D
20 D
21 D
24 C/RW
25 C
27 C Winnipeg Jets
30 RW
32 C Calgary Flames
33 LW
35 LW
38 LW Quebec Nordiques
40 RW Philadelphia Flyers
41 C
43 LW Dallas Stars
46 LW
48 LW
Notes
  1. Lost in Expansion Draft phase two to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

NHL Draft

RoundPickPlayerPositionNationalityCollege/junior/club team
15Rob NiedermayerCMedicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
2141GOwen Sound Platers (OHL)
357D Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
3167Mikael TjalldenDMODO (Elitserien)
3278Steve WashburnCOttawa 67's (OHL)
483Bill McCauleyCDetroit Junior Red Wings (OHL)
5109Todd MacDonaldGTacoma Rockets (WHL)
6135Alain NasreddineDDrummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)
7161Trevor DoyleDKingston Frontenacs (OHL)
8187Briane ThompsonDSault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
9213Chad CabanaLWTri-City Americans (WHL)
10239John DemarcoDArchbishop Williams High School (USHS-MA)
11265Eric MontreuilCChicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)
S4Chris ImesDUniversity of Maine (Hockey East)
Notes
  1. The Panthers acquired these picks as the result of a trade on June 26, 1993 that sent a second-round pick in 1993 (31st overall) to Winnipeg in exchange for these picks.
  2. The Panthers acquired this pick as the result of a trade on June 25, 1993 that agreed that Florida selected Darren Puppa in the 1993 NHL Expansion Draft to Tampa Bay in exchange for this pick.

Tampa Bay previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on March 22, 1993 that sent Peter Taglianetti to Pittsburgh in exchange for this pick.

References