Panthers at Predators preview

PANTHERS (18-20-8) at PREDATORS (28-17-4)
8 p.m. ET; FS-F, FS-TN, NHL.TV

Laviolette is 599-398-114 with 25 ties in 1,136 games. John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets became the first U.S.-born coach to reach 600 NHL wins when his team defeated Nashville 4-3 in overtime on Jan. 10.
The Predators will be without forward Ryan Johansen, who was suspended two games for high-sticking Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele in a 5-1 loss to the Jets on Thursday.
The Panthers are playing the second of back-to-back games; they defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Friday at BB&T Center. Forward Vincent Trocheck returned to the lineup against the Maple Leafs after missing 27 games because of a fractured right ankle.

Players to watch

Florida forward Mike Hoffman has 11 points (eight goals, three assists) in his past 13 games.
Nashville defenseman Mattias Ekholm has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in his past 11 games.

They said it

"It was awesome. I mean I've never felt better. I'm just thankful that I'm able to come back and play hockey again. It's been a long time coming. You never really realize how much you miss hockey until you're watching your teammates play and you're not able to." -- Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck on returning to the lineup Friday
"It's very rare if you go through the course of a season without missing some of your core guys, if that's suspension, injury, sickness. It happens in hockey and in all sports, really. To be able to have guys who can fill in for short or long-term situations, it's a key to our success and it's why we've sustained success throughout the year." -- Predators forward Ryan Hartman

Panthers projected lineup

Frank Vatrano -- Aleksander Barkov -- Evgenii Dadonov
Jonathan Huberdeau -- Vincent Trocheck -- Nick Bjugstad
Mike Hoffman -- Henrik Borgstrom -- Denis Malgin
Colton Sceviour -- Jared McCann -- Jayce Hawryluk
Keith Yandle -- Aaron Ekblad
Mike Matheson -- Mark Pysyk
Ian McCoshen
--
Josh Brown
James Reimer
Roberto Luongo
Scratched:Micheal Haley, Bogdan Kiselevich
Injured:MacKenzie Weegar (concussion protocol), Derek MacKenzie (shoulder), Jamie McGinn (back)

Predators projected lineup

Filip Forsberg -- Calle Jarnkrok -- Viktor Arvidsson
Ryan Hartman -- Nick Bonino -- Austin Watson
Colin Blackwell
-- Colton Sissons -- Craig Smith
Kevin Fiala -- Frederick Gaudreau -- Rocco Grimaldi
Roman Josi -- P.K. Subban
Mattias Ekholm -- Ryan Ellis
Dan Hamhuis -- Yannick Weber
Juuse Saros
Pekka Rinne
Scratched:Matt Irwin, Anthony Bitetto
Injured:Kyle Turris (lower body), Miikka Salomaki (upper body), Zac Rinaldo (undisclosed)
Suspended:Ryan Johansen

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Status report

The Panthers did not have a morning skate. … The Predators recalled Blackwell from Milwaukee of the American Hockey League on Saturday. ... Barkov reportedly had X-rays on hand for an injury sustained late in the third period against Toronto.

Stat pack

Trocheck had one assist in his return to the lineup against Toronto. … Arvidsson has six goals and one assist during a five-game point streak.