Wednesday: at Carolina Hurricanes, 7:30 p.m. ET
The Panthers will face a tough test in their first game back from the break when they open up their road trip with a matchup against the Hurricanes (32-11-3) at PNC Arena on Wednesday. In second place in the Metropolitan Division, Carolina has already played four games since coming back from the All-Star break. In that span, they've gone 1-2-1 and enter this week fresh off a 3-2 loss at Minnesota on Saturday. Strong at both ends of the ice, the Hurricanes own the league's fifth-ranked offense (3.48 goals per game) and top-ranked defense (2.37 goals per game). A big key to that stalwart defense has been the play of Frederik Andersen in net. In 32 starts so far this season, the all-star goaltender has gone 25-7-1 with a .929 save percentage. Leading the charge up front, Sebastian Aho is first on the team in goals (21) and points (48). After him, Andrei Svechnikov is second in scoring with 44 points, while Tony DeAngelo is third with 38. Playing in front of a national television audience on TNT, look for Jonathan Huberdeau to put on a show for the Panthers. An all-star this season, the dynamic winger ranks second in the NHL in points (64) and first in assists (47). No stranger to finding the scoresheet against Carolina, he's also registered 30 points (10 goals, 20 assists) in 33 career games against the Hurricanes.
TV & Streaming:TNT
Radio:790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); SiriusXM App & Streaming 932
Friday: at Minnesota Wild, 8 p.m. ET
Going for a sweep of their season series, the Panthers will continue their road trip against the Wild (29-11-3) at Xcel Energy Center on Friday. In their first meeting this season, Frank Vatrano scored a pair of goals to help lead the Panthers to a 5-4 win in Sunrise on Nov. 20. Holding onto second place in the Central Division, Minnesota has won 10 of its last 12 games and enters this week on the heels of a 3-2 win over the Hurricanes on Saturday. During that 12-game span, the Wild has outscored the opposition 47-25 while averaging 32.6 shots on goal per contest. Piling up the points, reigning Calder Trophy winner Kirill Kaprizov ranks first on the team in goals (20), assists (34) and points (54). Also chipping in up front, three other players have also crossed the 30-point plateau: Mats Zuccarello (43), Kevin Fiala (36) and Ryan Hartman (33). In net, Cam Talbot has started 28 games for Minnesota, going 19-8-1 with a .915 save percentage. For the Panthers, keep an eye on Anton Lundell in this tilt. Named the NHL's "Rookie of the Month" in January, the 20-year-old forward is tied for third among the league's rookies in scoring with 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists), while also sitting first in plus/minus (+25) and takeaways (47).
TV & Streaming:Hulu, ESPN+
Radio:560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); SiriusXM App & Streaming 932
Sunday: at Chicago Blackhawks, 3 p.m. ET
Closing the book on their three-game trek, the Panthers will visit the Blackhawks (17-24-7) at United Center on Sunday. Entering this week following a 5-1 defeat at St. Louis on Saturday, Chicago has dropped eight of its last 10 games overall. Struggling to put the puck in the back of the net, the Blackhawks rank 30th in the NHL with an average of 2.38 goals per game. Still, there are more than a few dangerous weapons up front for Chicago, including Patrick Kane (44 points) and Alex DeBrincat (39 points). Between the pipes, Marc-Andre Fleury has earned the bulk of starts, posting a 15-17-3 record with a .908 save percentage. A road warrior for the Cats all season long, look for Aleksander Barkov to have a huge game in the Windy City. With 40 points (21 goals, 19 assists) in 34 games this season, the captain, who has tallied 20 points in 20 career games against Chicago, leads the club in both goals (13) and points (22) on the road.
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, ESPN+ (Out of Region)
Radio:560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); SiriusXM App & Streaming 932
