The newest members of the Florida Panthers are eager to make a good first impression.
After coming over from Carolina in a package deal during Monday's trade deadline, forwards Erik Haula and Lucas Wallmark are both expected to be in the lineup when the Panthers wrap up their five-game road trip against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on Tuesday night.
New Panthers Set to Debut as Road Trip Wraps Up in Arizona
"I thought the [new] guys jumped in well," Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville said after today's morning skate. "We kind of went over it beforehand, system-wise. I think over the course of their careers there's been a lot of systems they've played that are very comparable… Just go out there and play, right off the bat. We'll adjust as we go along. They both seem very astute."
Quenneville said that the additions of Haula and Wallmark will provide some depth to the team's lineup, especially down the middle. Taking over for Vincent Trocheck, who was shipped to the Hurricanes in the deal, Haula is expected to center the team's second line, while Wallmark, who can be plugged in several places, is expected to play right under him in the middle of the third.
"We're looking for balance," Quenneville said. "We want to make sure that we've got scoring on all the lines, and hopefully we get a little more possession time and a little more predictability."
Known for his speed and versatility, Haula said he received a "warm welcome" from his new teammates upon his arrival to the arena this morning. In 41 games with Carolina this season, the 28-year-old had 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists) while winning 53.9 percent of his faceoffs.
"I'm just trying to bring some speed, a 200-foot game," said Haula, who isn't too far removed from a stellar 2017-18 season in which he set career-highs in goals (29), assists (26) and points (55) playing with the Vegas Golden Knights. "I just want to come in, try to do my thing and fit in."
In the midst of his second full season in the NHL, Wallmark has already set a new career-best with 11 goals to go along with 12 assists for 23 points. Like Haula, the 24-year-old also has quite the knack for winning draws, arriving to Florida with a solid 50.1 percent faceoff win percentage.
"I feel like I can play my game and be good in both ends," said Wallmark, a native of Umea, Sweden. "I want to be a great player out there, hopefully. That's what I'm looking for here."
The arrival of Haula and Wallmark comes at a very crucial time in the season for the Panthers (32-24-6), who currently find themselves two points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs (32-23-8) for third place in the Atlantic Division with one game in hand and 20 still left on their schedule.
And between the two players, 59 games of playoff experience have been added to the roster.
"I haven't been outside the playoffs ever in my career yet," said Haula, a native of Pori, Finland. "I'm not planning to start now. We have a good group here. I'm excited to get started. The mindset now is that every game is important."
Looking to make up some ground before a head-to-head matchup with Toronto on Thursday in Sunrise, the Panthers opened up their five-game road trip out West with impressive wins in San Jose and Anaheim before going on to lose a pair of very tight games in Los Angeles and Vegas.
After backing up Sam Montembeault against the Golden Knights, Sergei Bobrovsky is expected to be between the pipes for the Panthers in Arizona. Over his last three starts, the 31-year-old veteran has posted a 2-1-0 record with a 3.02 goals-against average and .917 save percentage.
In 10 career starts against the Coyotes, Bobrovsky has gone 7-2-1 with a pair of shutouts.
"Every game's going to be critical here," Quenneville said. "We're playing playoff hockey."
Standing in the way of Florida and two points is an Arizona team also currently pushing toward the postseason. At 31-26-8, they are tied with Calgary for the first wild card spot in the Western Conference, while also sitting two points behind Vancouver third place in the Pacific Division.
The Coyotes have won three of their last five games, including a 7-3 upset over red-hot Tampa Bay on Sunday. Against the Lightning, Conor Garland and Clayton Keller had two goals apiece, while Carl Soderberg, Brad Richardson and Derek Stepan also lit the lamp to help aid the route.
Nick Schmaltz leads Arizona in scoring 42 points (eight goals, 34 assists), while Keller sits just behind him in second with 40 (15 goals, 25 assists). Garland, meanwhile, paces the club with 22 goals, including six over his last 12 games.
Darcy Kuemper is expected to get the nod in net against the Panthers, returning to action for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury on Dec. 19. In 25 games this season, the 29-year-old has gone 15-8-2 with a 2.17 goals-against average, .929 save percentage and two shutouts.
"It's been a long road," Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet said. "He's been our best player for the last year, year-and-a-half. Now we get our best player back. It strengthens our goaltending."
In the previous meeting between the two clubs, Arizona topped Florida 5-2 at BB&T Center.
Of course, back then, the Panthers didn't have Haula and Wallmark in their lineup.
"We have a great group of guys here," Wallmark said. "We will make the playoffs here."
PANTHERS NOTES
-- Jonathan Huberdeau leads Florida and ranks ninth in the league with 76 points (22 goals, 54 assists). Over his last eight games, the 26-year-old winger has registered three goals and five assists. Piling up points in bunches, he leads the team in multi-point performances with 21.
-- Aleksander Barkov ranks second on the Panthers in scoring with 61 points (20 goals, 41 assists)
-- his third straight seasons with at least 60 points. Entering tonight's matchup on a four-game point streak, the 24-year-old center has recorded three goals and two assists in that span.
-- Evgenii Dadonov leads Florida in goals (25), goals on the road (16) and power-play goals (11). Of his 46 points (25 goals, 21 assists), 27 (16 goals, 11 assists) have come on the road.
-- Mike Hoffman ranks second on the Panthers in goals (24), third in points (51) and first in shots (181). Carrying a four-game point streak into tonight's tilts, the 30-year-old winger has tallied three goals and two assists in that span, including netting goals in consecutive games.
-- Keith Yandle ranks first among Panthers defensemen with 43 points (five goals, 38 assists), marking the seventh straight season he's hit the 40-point plateau. The NHL's active "Iron Man," the 33-year-old is expected to suit up in his 860th consecutive regular-season game tonight.
-- Noel Acciari ranks fifth on Florida with a career-high 19 goals. The 28-year-old forward also leads the team in hits (110) and ranks first among the all of the league's forwards in blocks (91).
-- Aaron Ekblad ranks second among Panthers defensemen in scoring with 37 points, including a career-high 32 assists. Also leading the squad in average ice time per game (22:57), the 24-year-old's seven points (all assists) since Feb. 13 are tied for most among all NHL defensemen.
-- Aleksi Saarela has scored two goals over his last three games.
PROJECTED LINEUP
Forwards
Jonathan Huberdeau - Aleksander Barkov - Evgenii Dadonov
Frank Vatrano - Erik Haula - Mike Hoffman
Brett Connolly - Lucas Wallmark - Aleksi Saarela
Colton Sceviour - Noel Acciari - Mark Pysyk
Defensemen
MacKenzie Weegar - Aaron Ekblad
Riley Stillman - Anton Stralman
Keith Yandle - Mike Matheson
Goalies
Sergei Bobrovsky
Sam Montembeault
Scratches:Dominic Toninato, Josh Brown, Dryden Hunt (lower-body)
Injured Reserve: Chris Driedger (lower-body), Brian Boyle (upper-body)
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Feb. 24: D Emil Djuse was acquired from Dallas in exchange for a sixth-round pick.
- Feb. 24: F Erik Haula, F Lucas Wallmark, F Eetu Luostarinen and D Chase Priskie were acquired from Carolina in exchange for F Vincent Trocheck.
- Feb. 20: F Dryden Hunt was recalled from AHL Springfield.
- Feb. 19: F Mason Marchment was acquired from Toronto in exchange for F Denis Malgin.
- Feb. 18: F Aleksi Saarela was recalled from AHL Springfield.
HOW TO WATCH / LISTEN
When: Tuesday, Feb. 25, 9:00 p.m. ET
Where: Gila River Arena - Glendale, AZ
TV: FSF
Stream:
FOX Sports GO
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 850 WFTL (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 1370 WAXE (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM Streaming 932
Territory on Tap Locations:
HERE
