Panthers' Luongo back in net against Lightning

LIGHTNING (26-17-4) at PANTHERS (27-15-5)
TV: SUN, FS-F
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.

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."
The Panthers will go into the game with a three-point lead in the Atlantic Division over the Lightning.
Tampa Bay, which ended the Chicago Blackhawks' 12-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory Thursday, can tie its franchise record with a victory against Florida.
"Deep down we knew it was going to happen," captain Steven Stamkos said of Tampa Bay's resurgence. "I'm not sure everyone believed in us, but we believed in ourselves. It was a tough start. We had a lot of injuries. We had obviously … I don't want to call it the hangover, but I think we realized how tough it was going to be this year if we weren't willing to play the way we were last year with the compete and the sacrifice."
The game Saturday has more significance than most late-January battles between the Panthers and Lightning, who have each made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the same season only once, in 1996.
"This is definitely the most competitive that it's been by far," Stamkos said. "They've got a really good team. It's been nice to see for the state of Florida that both teams are having great years. It's not like the games against them had never mattered, but these ones are magnified a little more with where both teams are in the standings and the competitive nature of both organizations. It's obviously exciting and another big game for us tonight."
The teams played last Sunday at Amalie Arena, with the Lightning winning 3-1. Forward Nikita Kucherov and defenseman Andrej Sustr scored to give Tampa Bay a 2-0 first-period lead and Kucherov added an empty-net goal with 1:24 left.
Goalie Ben Bishop made 26 saves in that game, and Lightning coach John Cooper said he would get the start Saturday.
Forward Nick Bjugstad had the Florida goal.
Florida won the other two games, 5-4 in a shootout at Tampa Bay on Nov. 14 and 1-0 at BB&T Center two nights later.
Defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who scored the game-winner in the final minute in the Nov. 16 game, returned to action Friday and had Florida's last goal against Chicago in the second period.
"(He played) just a solid all-around game," Gallant said. "He came in there, didn't look like a kid that had some rust on him. He moved the puck real well. Obviously he finds the back of the net for us. He helps our power play. Our power play was a lot better last night, even though we didn't score. He's just a good all-around player and a young kid that brings a lot of energy to our group."
Florida was 0-for-3 on the power play against Chicago, extending its drought to 26 consecutive unsuccessful attempts with the man-advantage.
Here are the projected lines:
LIGHTNING
Ondrej Palat - Vladislav Namestnikov - Steven Stamkos
Alex Killorn - Tyler Johnson - Nikita Kucherov
JT Brown - Valtteri Filppula - Ryan Callahan
Cedric Paquette - Brian Boyle - Erik Condra
Victor Hedman - Anton Stralman
Nikita Nesterov - Braydon Coburn
Jason Garrison - Andrej Sustr
Ben Bishop
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Injured: Joel Vermin (hand surgery)
Scratched: Matt Carle, Jonathan Marchessault
PANTHERS
Jonathan Huberdeau - Aleksander Barkov - Jaromir Jagr
Jussi Jokinen - Vincent Trocheck - Reilly Smith
Quinton Howden - Nick Bjugstad - Logan Shaw
Corban Knight - Derek MacKenzie - Shawn Thornton
Brian Campbell - Erik Gudbranson
Dmitry Kulikov - Aaron Ekblad
Steven Kampfer - Alexander Petrovic
Roberto Luongo
Al Montoya
Injured: Willie Mitchell (lower body), Dave Bolland (lower body)
Scratched: Brandon Pirri
Status report: Cooper said he likely would make minor changes to the lineup. "We're not one of those teams that keeps the same lineup just because we're winning," Cooper said. … The Panthers will go with the same lineup as Friday, making Pirri a healthy scratch for the second time this season. … Six Panthers skaters, along with the two goalies, skated Saturday morning.
Who's hot: Kucherov has six goals and four assists during a seven-game point streak. … Killorn had a goal and three assists in the past two games. … Smith and Howden scored in each of Florida's past two games. … Stamkos has 45 points in 38 games against Florida.