Number one netminder Tomas Vokoun will start in goal for Florida on Wednesday night versus the Lightning.

He will join Steven Weiss and Nathan Horton on the unit, after playing the previous games on the team's fourth line. Coach Jacques Martin is hoping that Booth's speed will open up more room for his linemates.

Fans and media alike are already calling for Vokoun's head after a poor start in which he has a 4.54 GAA and a horrendous .816 save percentage. Luongo said, "It took me honestly until about Christmas time [last season] to feel comfortable...He's a very good goalie." Luongo did, in fact, struggle early on, although not to this level. If you own the Florida keeper, hang on to him; on the flip side, you may be able to pick him on the cheap from a frustrated owner. Vokoun will turn around his game.

A shoulder injury has kept Zednik out of the lineup. Coach Jacques Martin is anxious for the veteran to return, as he'll give the top line a spark. Josef Stumpel will be moved to another line to allow Zednik to play with Olli Jokinen and Ville Peltonen. He could be a real sleeper pick should he remain on that line, but will always be an injury risk.

It was the first time in three seasons that Van Ryn was not in the lineup when not injured. Panther coach Jacques Martin dressed Noah Welch in his place against New Jersey after Van Ryn, who definitely needs some conditioning after recovering from a pre-season groin injury, played poorly against the Rangers on Thursday. It will be interesting to see if Van Ryn is in the lineup for Florida's next game against Tampa on Wednesday.

Stephen Weiss and Olli Jokinen assisted on the score. At the time the goal tied the game at one a piece with roughly 11 minutes still to go in the first. Everything went downhill from there though, starting with the a Devils goal three and a half minutes into the second.

This only Vokoun's second game with the Panthers but he has struggled in both of them. He'll look to reverse his early season fortunes on Wednesday against Tampa Bay.

After signing a huge five-year $15 million contract in the off-season, it is not overly surprising that he is going to have to take on more responsibilities. He has already impressed Martin and Bouwmeester with his toughness and his point production should increase significantly while playing with Bouwmeester. He was also named an alternate captain recently and will look to provide leadership to a young Panthers squad.

Kreps filled the roster spot left available by the injured Richard Zednik. He centered the fourth line and will remain with the club until Zednik is healthy, which could be any day now.

Jokinen said simply, "It was shocking. It was a bad move." This came on the heels in which coach/GM Jacques Martin admitted that the trade of their star goalie was the worst move in the history of the sport of hockey. While this isn't news to anyone, it's refreshing to hear the team admit it was a mistake - that doesn't happen often in pro sports. For their part, Jokinen and Martin said that it is behind them now that they have a bona fide starter in Tomas Vokoun between the pipes.

Brett McLean also scored for the Panthers. Jozef Stumpel had a particularly bad game with five unsuccessful shots at the net and a -2 plus/minus rating on the day.

Vokoun did get a lot of help from his defense early on, which limited the Rangers attack to nine shots over the first two periods. Unfortunately for him, everything went downhill for the Panthers in the third.

Vokoun faces a tough challenge against an improved New York offense. However, the veteran netminder will show Florida fans what they've been missing since the trade of Roberto Luongo: a true starting 'tender.

Coach Jacques Martin is hopeful that the forward will be ready to go for Saturday's game. His fantasy value is intrinsically tied to which line he plays on. He saw some time in training camp alongside Olli Jokinen, but it remains to be seen if he'll jump back to the top line when healthy. It's best to wait and see at this point.

The line consists of Stephen Weiss at center with Nathan Horton and Rostislav Olesz on the wings. The trio did not have an impressive pre-season though, accounting for just two goals and one assist throughout the exhibition schedule. However, all of them have way too much talent to stay quiet for long. The line should produce when the real season gets underway.

"I hope it feels a lot better than it does today," Zednik said. "It's day-to-day. It's frustrating. I felt great in the last game, and felt good on the ice. I couldn't wait for the season to start. I was excited. But unfortunately things happen."

So far in camp, Zednik has missed time with a back injury, a groin pull and now an undisclosed shoulder ailment. The talented winger has been a living injury advertisement throughout his career. While he has seen some time in camp playing on the top line with Olli Jokinen and Ville Peltonen, he is not worth the headache - which he may or may not be suffering from as well at the moment.

Montador is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery on Monday. More information will become available once the procedure is complete. His only fantasy value is in PIMs, but you can do much better elsewhere with true enforcers.

The Florida coaching staff has been impressed with his play alongside Olli Jokinen and Ville Peltonen and may be willing to play Zednik in that spot once the season starts. Needless to say, if he skates with Jokinen, Zednik could be in for a big season.

His jammed right hand is still pretty painful, especially when he tries to shoot the puck. Olesz is questionable for the Panthers' season opener Thursday against the Rangers.