Luongo Returns as Panthers Welcome Coyotes to Sunrise

SUNRISE, Fla. -After backing up rookie goaltender Sam Montembeault for the last six games, veteran Roberto Luongo will make his return to the crease when the Florida Panthers kick off a two-game homestand against the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night at BB&T Center.

"He's been a great mentor for Sammy," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said of Luongo. "He's been there cheering him on the whole time and giving him advice. It's sort of been neat to watch those two together, with Louie being around as long as he has and Sammy being the new guy."
The Panthers (32-29-12) went on a 4-2-0 run with Montembeault in net - a stretch that included a four-game winning streak. And as the victories piled up, Luongo pushed for the rookie to play.
"The more he stayed in there and the team started winning four in a row, Lou was the first guy to say, 'Play him again,'" Boughner said. "It wasn't difficult at all. We've always been pretty honest and up front with guys… Lou understood it and he supported it. No difficulty there at all."
A future Hall of Famer, Luongo's 485 career wins rank third on the NHL's all-time list.
"Always good to have Lou in there," Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle said. "He brings a calmness to our group, especially when he's in there. I'm excited to play in front of him tonight."
With Luongo back in between the pipes, the Panthers will look to get back in the win column and keep their late-season playoff hopes alive. After winning four games in a row, they've lost each of their last two games, falling 3-2 in Anaheim on Sunday and 4-2 in Dallas on Tuesday.
Aleksander Barkov, who was recently voted the NHL's most-underrated player by 500 of his peers, leads the Panthers with 85 points (32 goals, 53 assists), including a league-leading 13 goals and 32 points since Feb. 17. Incredibly, the 23-year-old center needs just nine more points to catch Pavel Bure for the most points in a single season in franchise history (94).
"I think the players respect his play a lot," Panthers defenseman Mike Matheson said of Barkov's latest accolade. "It's hard not to with the way he plays and the year that he's been having… I think the offensive side of the game has really taken off."
"He always plays so well defensively and does the little things that don't quite get noticed, but the last month or two he's really taken off offensively. He's such an unselfish player, but I think he's started to be a bit more selfish and shoot the puck, as he should be with the shot he has."
While the top line of Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Evgenii Dadonov has been doing a lot of damage as of late, combining for 12 goals and 29 assists over the last seven games, Boughner has said after recent losses that he'd like to see a lot more secondary scoring down the stretch.
And in hopes of sparking his other lines, Florida's bench boss moved a few pieces around prior to tonight's game, with the most noticeable adjustment being the reinsertion of Jayce Hawryluk on the second line after the rookie sat out each of the last three games with a lower-body injury.
Hawryluk, 23, has posted four goals and four assists in 34 games this season.
"He's a guy that brings energy to our lineup," Boughner said. "I think when you come back from out West, with the time change and everything else, you need guys like that in your lineup that are going to give you a little extra jump. I'm excited to see him back in there."
The Coyotes (36-31-6) currently have a one-point lead over Minnesota for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. They are expected to deploy goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who has started each of the last 14 games. In that stretch, Arizona has surrendered just 34 goals.
A team that doesn't necessarily have that one "big line," Alex Galchenyuk leads the Coyotes in goals (17), while Clayton Keller paces the club in points (46). Unlike the Panthers, who boast five 50-point players and 20-goal scorers, no player on Arizona has yet to reach either mark.
"They work really hard," Panthers center Vincent Trocheck said. "We're definitely going to have to come out ready to play. We can't come out slow. When we played against them in Arizona, they were coming at us from all angles. We have to make sure we're ready."
In their only previous meeting this season, Luongo made 27 saves to lead the Panthers to a 4-3 shootout win in Arizona. Overall, the Coyotes have lost four straight games played in Sunrise.
"We played pretty well there last time," Boughner said. "We had a really, sort of, a [bad] start, but we played good in the second half [of the game]. We'd like to play 60 minutes here tonight."

NOTES

-- Jonathan Huberdeau ranks second on the Panthers in scoring with a career-high 79 points (23 goals, 56 assists), including 10 goals and 17 assists over his last 17 games. His 56 assists currently stand as the franchise record for most assists in a single season in Panthers history.
-- Mike Hoffman leads the Panthers with a career-high 33 goals. Of those scores, a team-leading and career-best 16 have come on the power play, which ranks tied fourth in the NHL. The 29-year-old winger has notched 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists) over his last 18 games.
- Keith Yandle leads all Panthers defensemen in points (57) and assists (48). The 32-year-old also ranks third in the league in power-play points (36), while his career-high seven power-play goals are the most among all NHL blueliners. With just one more point, he will overtake Robert Svehla (57) for the most points in a single season by a defenseman in franchise history.
-- Aaron Ekblad leads the Panthers in average ice time per game (23:33), while also pacing the club's defensemen and ranking tied for seventh among NHL blueliners in goals (13). The 23-year-old enters tonight's matchup with three goals and six assists over his last 13 games.
-- Evgenii Dadonov has registered 10 points (three goals, seven assists) over his last seven games. The 30-year-old winger ranks third on the team in goals (25), while also sitting fourth in assists (34) and points (59). He is just one point shy of his second straight 60-point campaign.
-- Frank Vatrano leads the Panthers with 21 even-strength goals and has reached new career-highs in goals (22), assists (14) and points (36) this season. The 25-year-old winger also paces the club's forwards in blocked shots (69), while ranking second in hits (116).
-- Entering tonight's game with the second-ranked power play in the NHL (26.9 percent), Florida is currently the only team in the league this season to have four different players register at least 30 points on the man advantage, which also stands a franchise first.

GEICO GOALIE MATCHUP OF THE GAME

Roberto Luongo (14-15-4, 3.16 GAA, .897 SV%) vs. Darcy Kuemper (24-17-6, 2.48 GAA, .920 SV%)
After yielding the last six starts to Montembeault, Luongo will return to Florida's net against the Coyotes. The 39-year-old has earned at least a point in five of his last seven outings, going 2-2-3 with a .905 save percentage in that span. In his career against Arizona, he's gone 15-12-5 with a 2.31 goals-against average, .925 save percentage and three shutouts.
Kuemper is expected to make his 15th straight start for the Coyotes. In that 14-game stretch leading up to tonight's contest, the 28-year-old has posted a 10-3-1 record with a .937 save percentage and one shutout. In his career against Florida, he's gone 2-1-0 with a 2.41 goals-against average, .928 save percentage and one shutout.

PROJECTED LINEUP

Forwards
Jonathan Huberdeau - Aleksander Barkov - Evgenii Dadonov
Jayce Hawryluk - Vincent Trocheck - Mike Hoffman
Frank Vatrano - Riley Sheahan - Troy Brouwer
Jamie McGinn - Henrik Borgstrom - Colton Sceviour
Defense
Mike Matheson - Aaron Ekblad
Keith Yandle - MacKenzie Weegar
Mark Pysyk - Josh Brown
Goalies
Roberto Luongo
Sam Montembeault
Scratches:Denis Malgin, Dryden Hunt, Ian McCoshen, Brady Keeper, James Reimer
Injured Reserve: Derek MacKenzie (shoulder)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

• March 18: The Panthers signed D Brady Keeper to a two-year, entry-level contract.
  - March 15: F Colton Sceviour was activated from the injured reserve list.
  - March 8: G Sam Montembeault's emergency conditions of his recall were terminated.
  - March 1: D Riley Stillman was loaned to Springfield (AHL).

IN-ARENA ACTIVATIONS

• 50-50 Raffle (Buy Tickets
  Here
  )
  - $5 Beer Thursday
  - Student Rush Networking Event
  - Clothing Drive

BITE OF BB&T CENTER

• Fish Tacos for $11 outside sections 129 and 307

HOW TO WATCH

When: Thursday, March 21, 7:00 p.m.
Where:BB&T Center - Sunrise, FL
TV:Fox Sports Florida
Stream:
HERE
Florida Panthers Radio Network:560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 1370 WAXE (Treasure Coast)