MacDonald Given Opportunity to Shine in Final Preseason Game

SUNRISE, Fla. - After a strong showing in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Lightning in Orlando, defenseman Jacob MacDonald will be given one last chance to lock down a roster spot when the Florida Panthers host Tampa in Saturday night's preseason finale at BB&T Center.

"He was really good last game," coach Bob Boughner said. "He's had a really good camp. He deserves to play tonight. He's sort of in that mix of the rest of the guys that are here. He's made a real good case for himself. I like what I've seen from him."
With Aaron Ekblad nursing a minor lower-body injury (Boughner said he'll be ready to go by the regular-season opener), MacDonald will take his place alongside Keith Yandle on Florida's top pairing. In three exhibition games, MacDonald leads all Panthers defensemen with two goals.
"It's exciting," said MacDonald, who signed a two-year, two-way deal with the Panthers this summer. "Like we said on Thursday, it's one more chance to come out and give it everything I've got and give myself the best chance to make the team… All-around game is what I'm here to do. If I can go out there and play solid in the D-zone, the other parts of my game will come."
MacDonald, 25, broke out last season with New Jersey's minor-league affiliate, the Binghamton Devils. An AHL All-Star, he led the league in both goals (20) and points (55) by a defenseman in 75 games. Still searching for his NHL debut, he hopes to use his added minutes against Tampa on Saturday to show the Panthers that he can "just play with the top guys in the world."
"They're obviously the elite of the elite," MacDonald said of the Lightning's core. "I want to go out there, play alongside those guys, keep up and hold my own against them. I want to try and shut them down."
Making just their third start of the preseason as a unit, the Panthers will also be deploying their top line of Evgenii Dadonov, Nick Bjugstad and Aleksander Barkov. So far this preseason, the trio has combined for six goals, including Barkov's game-winner on Tuesday night in Tampa.
While there is always some rust in the preseason, that unit has been solid since the get-go.
"They sort of picked up where they left off last year," Boughner said. "They've got some chemistry -- Daddy, Barky and Bjugy. Bjugy's had a really good camp…. They're a force when they have the puck down low in the other team's end. They have a lot of puck possession. They're big, heavy and strong on pucks."
The preseason finale will also mark the first time Barkov dons the "C" at home.
"It's always special with this group of guys," said Barkov, who was named the 10th captain in franchise history on Sept. 17. "We have a great group here and I'm proud to be part of it… Just play this game like a regular-season game. Of course we're not going to get any points if we win, but it's still a really important game. We want to finish the preseason on a really good note."
In net for the Panthers will be Roberto Luongo, who allowed six goals on 32 shots to pick up his first loss of the preseason on Thursday. In two exhibition starts, the 39-year-old goaltender has stopped 46 of 53 shots, including a stellar 20-for-21 performance on Sept. 19 in Montreal.
With the regular-season opener coming up on Oct. 6 in Tampa, Boughner said it's time for Luongo, who posted a fantastic .929 save percentage last season, to start finding his rhythm.
"Lu hasn't played a lot in the preseason," Boughner said. "If you ask him, he'd probably say the same thing. The more he plays now, I think, the better. It's tough to go 10 days, eight days or seven days in between games for a guy like that. It'll be good to see him back in there tonight."
The Lightning are expected to also ice the majority of their starters, including Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, J.T. Miller and Alex Killorn. Nikita Kucherov, who led Tampa with a career-high 100 points last season, will not suit up due to a lower-body injury.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has allowed seven goals in two exhibition games, is expected to start.

NOTES

-- In addition to Ekblad, forward Micheal Haley is also suffering from a lower-body injury he sustained on Thursday's loss. Boughner said he expects Ekblad to return to practice next week and be ready for the start of the regular-season. Haley, however, could be a bit longer than that.
-- Henrik Borgstrom will make his team-leading sixth appearance of the preseason on Saturday. In five games thus far, the 21-year-old rookie has tallied one goal and one assist. After moving form center to the wing, he will play on the left side of Florida's third line, which will also feature Jared McCann at center and Denis Malgin on the right wing.
-- The Panthers and Lightning have split their preseason series thus far, with Florida winning on Tuesday in Tampa and the Lightning taking the victory in Thursday's neutral-site game in Orlando. After Saturday night's rubber match, the two teams will have a week off before opening the 2018-19 season against each other in Tampa on Oct. 6.
-- Dadonov leads the Panthers with three goals in two preseason games. His four points are also tied for the team lead. "We have to play our game and our structure," he said. "We just have to get back into game shape and be ready to start."

PROJECTED LINEUP

Forwards
Evgenii Dadonov - Aleksander Barkov - Nick Bjugstad
Jonathan Huberdeau - Vincent Trocheck - Mike Hoffman
Henrik Borgstrom - Jared McCann - Denis Malgin
Maxim Mamin - Derek MacKenzie - Colton Sceviour
Defense
Keith Yandle - Jacob MacDonald
Mike Matheson - Mark Pysyk
Bogdan Kiselevich - Alexander Petrovic
Goalies
Roberto Luongo
James Reimer
Injuries:Aaron Ekblad (upper-body, day-to-day), Micheal Haley (upper-body, day-to-day)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

• Sept. 24: F Owen Tippett was returned to Mississauga (OHL).
  - Sept. 24: F Mark Letestu was released from his professional try out (PTO).
  - Sept. 24: D Riley Stillman and G Samuel Montembeault were loaned to Springfield (AHL).
  - Sept. 18: F Patrick Bajkov, F Jayce Hawryluk, D Michael Downing and D Thomas Schemitsch were loaned to Springfield (AHL).
  - Sept. 18: F Blaine Byron, F Bobby Farnham, F Jake Horton, F Matt Mangene, F Harry Zolnierczyk, D Dylan MacPherson, D Linus Nassen and G Evan Cormier were released from their tryouts but are expected to report to Springfield (AHL) training camp.
  - Sept. 18: F Serron Noel was returned to Oshawa (OHL).

HOW TO WATCH

When: Saturday, Sept. 29, 7:00 p.m.
Where:BB&T Center - Sunrise, FL
Florida Panthers Radio Network Presented by HARD Lifestyle Beverages: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 1370 WAXE (Treasure Coast)
Where to stream it:Stay tuned to @FlaPanthers on Twitter for livestream information.