SUNRISE, Fla. -- Goalie Roberto Luongo will play each end of back-to-back games for the first time this season when the Florida Panthers try to end the Tampa Bay Lightning's seven-game winning streak in a key Atlantic Division game at BB&T Center on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; SUN, FS-F).

Luongo is coming off a 27-save shutout against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday when the Panthers ended a four-game losing streak with a 4-0 victory.

"It's a change-up from what we've done in the past, but sometimes you look at the schedule and you look at the way you played last night with the shutout, you say, 'Well, maybe let's talk about that,'" coach Gerard Gallant said after the Panthers' optional morning skate. "Usually we switch the two goalies playing back-to-back games, but he was so sharp last night and we had a lot of rest, so give him a chance."

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad will return to the lineup Friday against the Chicago Blackhawks (7:30 p.m. ET; CSN-CH, FS-F).

Ekblad had missed the previous four games because of a concussion sustained Jan. 10 against the Edmonton Oilers. He has nine goals, 19 points and a Panthers-best plus-17 in 42 games. He averages 20:42 of ice time per game, second on the Panthers.

"I feel great," Ekblad said after morning skate. "I'm really, really, really happy to be back in the lineup. Sitting and watching games has got to be the worst thing for a hockey player. I absolutely hate it, especially when the team is losing there. I'm really happy to be back in the lineup and hopefully create something.

"It was tough to be out. Obviously I wanted to be in and help ride that winning streak, but it's the way it is. You obviously are going to lose games and it's all about bouncing back here today. That past winning streak means nothing to us anymore and what happens in the future is what matters."

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Goaltender Al Montoya will get the start Monday as the Florida Panthers look to turn their fortunes back on the right track against the Edmonton Oilers (7:30 p.m. ET; SNW, FS-F).

One week ago Monday, the Panthers were taking a 12-game winning streak into Vancouver.

But after seeing their streak snapped in an overtime loss against the Canucks, they're back home for the first time since Jan. 3 and on a three-game losing skid, including a 3-1 loss Sunday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"We played good in the third period last night, so that was a start," Panthers coach Gerard Gallant said. "I thought the game in Tampa was a close game. They had a good second period and got a 2-0 lead on us and the third period we played really well, we just didn't get that tying goal. We had a couple of chances. We worked hard, we played hard. I thought it was one of our better games actually on the trip."

SUNRISE, Fla. — After the most successful month in franchise history, the Florida Panthers will look to keep things rolling Saturday against the New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; MSG, FS-F).

The Panthers (21-12-4) would move back into first place in the Atlantic Division with a franchise-record eighth consecutive victory.

"We've played really well on this homestand and the last month has been real good for us, so we've just got to keep it going," said coach Gerard Gallant, whose multi-year contract extension was announced Saturday. "We're playing against a good Rangers team tonight. It's a battle. You go out there and keep it going, play the way we played the last month and we'll be fine."

The Panthers, who went 11-3-0 in December and set a franchise record for points in a month with 22, will be looking to end a seven-game losing streak against the Rangers.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Montreal Canadiens make their annual Christmastime visit to BB&T Center on Tuesday night, but this matchup against the Florida Panthers (7:30 p.m. ET; RDS, SNE, FS-F) will have a different element: First place in the Atlantic Division will be on the line.

The Canadiens (21-14-3), who have goalie Ben Scrivens making his NHL season debut one day after being acquired via trade from the Edmonton Oilers, lead the division with 45 points after ending a six-game losing streak Monday with a 4-3 shootout victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Panthers (20-12-4) will enter the game one point behind the Canadiens while looking to extend their six-game winning streak, their longest since the team won seven in a row in March 2008.

"It's got a little extra special meaning tonight just because of the standings right now, but at the end of the day it's a regular-season game," Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo said. "We want the two points; it doesn't matter who we're facing. We don't want it to get too overwhelming. We just want to just play our game, keep the standings quiet right now and not put too much attention on ourselves and just keep winning."

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Ottawa Senators will be without forward Bobby Ryan and defenseman Cody Ceci when they face the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; RDS2, TSN5, FS-F).

Ryan, who is tied for second on the Senators (17-12-5) with 32 points, left the a 5-2 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday during the second period after aggravating a finger injury he sustained Dec. 12 against the Montreal Canadiens.

He had two goals and two assists in three games prior to Sunday.

Ceci sustained an upper-body injury in the first period against the Lightning and did not return.

Ottawa has lost five of its past eight games (3-5-0).

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson will look to continue his dominance against his former team Tuesday when they face the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center (7:30 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN5, FS-F).

Anderson will make his 12th consecutive start for the Senators and will be looking to improve on his 11-4-1 career record with a 2.08 goals-against average, three shutouts and a .938 save percentage against Florida.

By comparison, the veteran's career GAA is 2.73 and his save percentage is .915.

Anderson, who played for the Panthers from 2006-09, has a home in Coral Springs, approximately 10 minutes away from BB&T Center.

"I enjoy coming back here," Anderson said. "I spend my summers (here), skate in the August skates with these guys. It's just an enjoyable experience for me to be in Florida and come into this building. I have a lot of good memories from when I played. It's a great spot to be."

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Veteran goalie Al Montoya will get the start for the Florida Panthers (8-8-4) when they play host to the Los Angeles Kings (12-8-0) on Monday at BB&T Center (7:30 p.m. ET; FS-W, FS-F).

Montoya will make his first start since Nov. 5 when he gave up four goals on 31 shots in a 5-2 loss against the San Jose Sharks. He has a 2-1-1 record with a 2.22 goals-against average and .922 save percentage.

"I've been practicing hard, working hard, excited for this opportunity," Montoya said. "I feel like I've earned it. Just want to go back out there and earn my chance to play."

SUNRISE, Fla. — The Florida Panthers are going back to their speed lineup for their game against the New York Rangers at BB&T Center on Saturday night (7 p.m. ET; FS-F, MSG+).

Speedy forwards Quinton Howden and Rocco Grimaldi will be back in the lineup to help the Panthers try to match the speed of the Rangers.

“They’re one of the fastest teams in the league,” Panthers coach Gerard Gallant said after an optional morning skate. “They’re a great team. They score a lot of goals. They don’t give up much. We’ve got to play well, that’s all.”

Howden and Grimaldi will replace Garrett Wilson and veteran Shawn Thornton, who played Thursday when the Panthers needed more of a physical presence against the bigger Anaheim Ducks.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning will be without three players Monday when they try to take the back end of a home-and-home set against the Florida Panthers (7:30 p.m. ET; TVA Sports, SUN, FS-F).

Lightning coach John Cooper said after an optional morning skate that forwards Tyler Johnson, Jonathan Drouin and Cedric Paquette would miss the game at BB&T Center because of various injuries.

The Lightning recalled forwards Mike Blunden and Jonathan Marchessault from the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League on Sunday.