Panthers vs. Jets preview

PANTHERS (2-5-3) vs. JETS (8-4-1)
At Hartwall Arena (Helsinki, Finland)
2 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN3, FS-F, NHL.TV

Roberto Luongo will start in goal for the Panthers. It will be his first game since he sustained a knee injury in the second period of the Panthers' season opener Oct. 6. He had been activated from injured reserve Thursday but wasn't expected to play until the Panthers returned to Florida.

Players to watch

Panthers forward Mike Hoffman has five goals and three assists in an eight-game point streak.
Jets right wing Patrik Laine scored a hat trick in front of his countrymen in a 4-2 win against the Panthers in Helsinki on Thursday.

They said it

"I consider this a character thing for [Luongo]. He could easily just wait another week and get home and get rested. But he's a guy that sees what we're going through and he's a guy that wants to make a difference." -- Panthers coach Bob Boughner
"There's a lot we can do better. They were quicker than us tonight. We can certainly find another level to alleviate some of the pressure on our goaltending." -- Jets captain Blake Wheeler

Panthers projected lineup

Evgenii Dadonov -- Aleksander Barkov -- Nick Bjugstad
Jonathan Huberdeau -- Vincent Trocheck -- Denis Malgin
Frank Vatrano -- Maxim Mamin -- Mike Hoffman
Troy Brouwer -- Juho Lammikko -- Colton Sceviour
Keith Yandle -- Alexander Petrovic
Mike Matheson -- Aaron Ekblad
MacKenzie Weegar -- Bogdan Kiselevich
Roberto Luongo
James Reimer
Scratched: Michael Hutchinson
Injured:Mark Pysyk (upper body), Derek MacKenzie (upper body), Jamie McGinn (back), Jared McCann (upper body)

Jets projected lineup

Nikolaj Ehlers -- Mark Scheifele -- Blake Wheeler
Kyle Connor -- Bryan Little -- Mathieu Perreault
Brandon Tanev -- Adam Lowry -- Patrik Laine
Brendan Lemieux -- Andrew Copp -- Nic Petan
Josh Morrissey -- Jacob Trouba
Ben Chiarot -- Dustin Byfuglien
Joe Morrow -- Tyler Myers
Connor Hellebuyck
Laurent Brossoit
Scratched: Jack Roslovic, Dmitry Kulikov
Injured: None

Status report

Boughner said before the game Thursday it is unlikely Pysyk will return in Finland. … With Luongo playing, Hutchinson will sit out after being Reimer's backup Thursday. … Maurice confirmed Friday morning that Hellebuyck will start again in goal. He made 36 saves on 38 shots Thursday. ... Petan will make his season debut. It will be his first regular-season game with the Jets since Feb. 24.

Stat pack

Byfuglien and Wheeler each had three assists Thursday. … Dadonov has eight points (four goals, four assists) during a seven-game point streak. … Barkov has seven points (one goal, six assists) in his past seven games.