Dan Moriarty has NHL predictions about Florida’s teams

By Olivia Lawrence
RP Show Intern

Rod Pedersen might just be visiting the right state when it comes to being around successful NHL teams. On Tuesday’s episode of The Rod Pedersen show, former NHL Cool Shots host Dan Moriarty predicted the Florida Panthers would win the Atlantic Division, and the Tampa Bay Lightning would win the Stanley Cup this NHL season. Rod believes some people would see this prediction as a bit of a “juxtaposition”, but Moriarty is confident with his statement.

“In the NHL, teams have to learn how to lose before they learn how to win,” said Moriarty. “Tampa is part and parcel of that, that’s what they did, and then they became the juggernaut that they are.”

Moriarty applauds every position on Tampa’s Bays roster and considers many of the players the best in the NHL. In addition to the players, Tampa Bay’s head coach Jon Cooper is also one of the best in the business as well. He is the longest tenured coach in the NHL, and is responsible for guiding Tampa Bay to the Stanley Cup in both 2020 and 2021. Tampa Bay has all the right pieces to get themselves to another Stanley Cup Final. 

“Tampa to me is the team that is prime for us as fans to see someone pull off a threebie,” said Moriarty.  “And what an awkward threebie—the bubble, the shortened season and now an 82 game schedule. That is what I think is so special about this team, and what is going to pull them through.”

He has a point, if Tampa Bay can win back-to-back through unprecedented times, a Stanley Cup win during a much more normal season is probable. 

Despite Moriarty’s confidence in Tampa Bay, he is also sure the Florida Panthers will take the next step this season, and be a leader over Tampa and the rest of the Atlantic Division. Although, he does not believe the roster will be prepared enough to win it all, even with the guidance of another successful head coach Joel Quenneville. He is the second winningest coach in NHL history and has over 20 years of NHL head coaching experience. Quenneville won three Stanley Cup Finals with the Chicago Blackhawks before joining the Panthers in 2019.

“Who would believe that this could be the best rivalry in the National Hockey League?” said Rod Pedersen on Tuesday’s show. 

We will see a glimpse of the rivalry TONIGHT (Oct. 5) and for the rest of the week when the two teams play three preseason games against each other. The Florida Panthers are currently sitting at 4-0 in this preseason, and Tampa Bay is 1-3. Tampa Bay will begin their regular season next week on Oct. 12 at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The season start for the Panthers is Oct.14, also at home against the Penguins.