Just got home on the hour long drive from the Prudential Center. Not in a mood to do the sexy lead-in. So here goes: **5 Reasons you should panic** 1. **The Panthers Power Play** - Let's get the obvious out of the way first. The Panthers were 3 for 3 on the Power Play tonight and are 6 for 10 in the series giving them a 60%. And when I went to google the best all-time NHL power play in the playoffs, the Panthers performance in

Game 2

was the first search result.

2.

Kevin Dineen is a better coach than Peter DeBoer

- Dineen is playing this series like a chess match. He knows

and he needs every psychological advantage possible. He called a timeout in Game 1 and the Devils didn’t score again. He called a timeout in Game 2, and the Panthers scored their winning goal. He pulled goalie Jose Theodore in Game 3 and the Devils didn’t score again.

3.

The Panthers like to block shots

- The Panthers were blocking shots like their jobs depended on it. Like a KHL coach was threatening them with banishment to Siberia from the stands. Like Sean Payton was paying them extra per block. Sorry my similes are stale this time of night. Anyway, Florida looked inspired and most Devils looked as if they were aiming for it.

4.

The Devils have no locker room life

- [I talked about it in this post](http://blog.nj.com/devils/2012/04/forthedevilstoadvance_key.html) and I’ve seen no evidence of it. Stephen Gionta is trying, but he can’t. Paging David Clarkson …

5.

If the Panthers get a lead, the Devils are in big trouble

- The Panthers in the regular season and now in the playoffs have revealed they can come back from a lead. The Devils have not. Dineen has them go into shell mode almost as good as Lemaire ever did it and DeBoer has not proven he can adjust accordingly. See #2.

5 reasons you shouldn't panic

1.

Marty will rebound from being pulled in Game 4

- Not only will he, but the whole team will. He has a legacy to uphold.

2.

Dineen has already burned all of his aces

- He’s called strategic timeouts & now his short leash on Theodore has been used. It’s Clemmensen for the rest of the series. We know. No more surprises. However, DBoer can utilize a lot more tricks. He can use Moose in Game 5 if need be. And he can rest Volchenkov in place of a puck-moving D like Larsson. Dineen sprinted and DeBoer has the marathon advantage.

3.

Florida's Power Play can't get any better

- 60%. No way it goes above that. Any good coach will break down the tape. Yeah it’s bad. I was in awe how Florida moves the puck on the PP. It was that smooth. Something’s gotta give.

4.

The D will adjust

- A big knock on the Devils has been that they don’t get points from their D. Yeah, it’s true. But any coach will break down that tape and reveal how Florida’s forwards slip and slide themselves to the points, while taking themselves out of the play. Look at that and adapt.

5.

Someone not named Ilya or Zach will step up and score in Game 4

- It will add confidence to the third or second line and expose the Panthers’ lack of depth and rattle Clemmensen’s confidence.

So 5 & 5. It's a wash. **Game 4 prediction?** A squeaker 2 - 1 Devils. You can't win every chess match & Kevin Dineen is due to make a blunder.