NOTEBOOK: Panthers Taking 9-Game Homestand One Game at a Time

In today's Baptist Health Practice Notebook, a franchise-record homestand, Chris Driedger is set to make his first start with the Panthers and MacKenzie Weegar looks like he's ready to go.
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. - Joel Quenneville can't recall having this much time on home ice.
Despite spending over four decades in professional hockey, the Florida Panthers bench boss doesn't believe he's ever been involved in something quite like the franchise-record, nine-game homestand the team will open up against the Nashville Predators on Saturday at BB&T Center.

"I don't know if it was six or seven games
.

DRIEDGER TO START

Chris Driedger is expected to make his Panthers debut against the Predators on Saturday.
Leading the AHL with a .938 save percentage prior to being recalled by Florida on Monday, the 25-year-old goaltender impressed the organization during this summer's training camp and has put up exceptional numbers while manning the crease for AHL Springfield the past two seasons.
Last season, Driedger, who inked a two-year, two-way contract with the Panthers back in April, posted an 18-10-2 record, 2.45 goals against average and an AHL-best .924 save percentage.
"When we looked at our homestand schedule here, we wanted to get him a game," Quenneville said when asked about the decision to start Driedger. "It's merit-based by how he played in training camp and how he's played down there last year and this year. Let's see how he handles it. It's a great opportunity for him, and [Sergei Bobrovsky] will certainly get back in here soon."
Originally a third-round pick (76th overall) by Ottawa in the 2012 NHL Draft, Driedger, who stands 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, appeared in three career NHL games during his tenure with the Senators, recording a 0-0-1 record, 2.53 goals against average and .889 save percentage.
Driedger's last NHL game came on Oct. 28, 2016.
"I love his competitiveness," Quenneville said. "He's patient. He takes up a lot of net. Everybody's been happy with him organizationally. We really like what we saw in training camp. He gets an opportunity… A long time between [starts] here. Let's see how he handles it."
For more information, check out the latest episode of the Territory Talk podcast to hear what Driedger had to say about his long road back to the NHL and opportunity with the Panthers.

WEEGAR READY TO GO

The Panthers appear to be getting a big piece of their blue line back.
After missing the previous eight games while recovering from an upper-body injury suffered in a 6-5 shootout win at the New York Rangers on Nov. 10, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar is expected to make his long-awaited return to the lineup against the Predators on Saturday.
"He's ready to go," Quenneville said confidently. "He's had some good skates and some practices as well. We really liked what he was bringing us prior to the injury."
Prior to the injury, the 25-year-old had been playing alongside Aaron Ekblad on Florida's top-defensive pairing. In the 17 games, he accumulated 10 points (three goals, seven assists).