Panthers Kick Off Trip Looking to Cool Off Pens, Murray

PITTSBURGH -The Florida Panthers will have to overcome a tough test in order to get back on track when they kick off a vital five-game road trip against the red-hot Pittsburgh Penguins and their streaking goaltender, Matt Murray, on Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena.

The Penguins (23-13-6) have won eight of their last nine games, outscoring their opponents 30-9 during the eight-game winning streak that preceded their 5-3 loss against Chicago on Sunday. In that span, they held opponents to one-or-fewer goals five times behind resurgent play from Murray, who is 7-0-0 with a .962 save percentage and two shutouts since returning from injury.
Facing a hot goalie, Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said it's best to keep things simple.
"Put pucks to the net, get guys to the net and put rebounds in," said Barkov, who has 14 points (five goals, nine assists) over his last 10 games. "When a goalie's hot, you're probably not going to beat him with a clean shot from the flank. Maybe sometimes, but not against a hot goalie. It doesn't have to be pretty. We just need to learn how to find a way to win games."
Sitting nine points out of a playoff spot with two games in hand, the Panthers (17-16-7) have won six out of their last 10 games, but know they will need to be even better if they hope to climb the standings and start making up some ground during the second half of the season.
Following a 6-2-0 stretch, they have gone 0-1-1 over their last two games, losing consecutive contests for the first time in nearly a month. With a tough trip through Western Canada coming up, Panthers coach Bob Boughner hopes tonight's matchup will serve as a jumping off point.
"It's a big trip for us," Boughner said. "We've definitely got to put some points in the bank. You cannot look past obviously this game. This is a team that's been playing well. A team that has four lines they can roll, and they're active offensively. Tonight, the main thing for us is about managing our game, managing the puck and getting our matchups as best we can."
Boughner added that one of the biggest keys to tonight's game will be keeping the play at 5-on-5 as much as possible. For although the Panthers enter tonight with the league's third-ranked power play (27.8 percent), Pittsburgh's unit isn't far behind at sixth-overall (26.5 percent).
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby leads Pittsburgh in goals (19) and points (51), while Phil Kessel paces the club in power-play points (20) and power-play goals (7).
"You don't want to take penalties against those guys," said Barkov, who has committed just one minor penalty this season. "They have a pretty good power play and pretty good players who can make you pay for it. Of course when you play against those guys you need to be even more prepared to play good."
On the other end of the ice, the Penguins also aren't sleeping on the Panthers.
"They're a good team," Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese said. "They have a lot of skill, a lot of speed. I think their power play's right up there near the top of the league. They have a lot of weapons. I think it's important to be dialed in to going into tonight."
The Panthers recalled Ian McCoshen from their AHL affiliate on Monday, but the 23-year-old defenseman won't be in the lineup tonight. Known for his physicality on defense, the former second-round pick posted three goals and one assist in 38 games with Florida last season.
"Talking to [Thunderbirds coach Geordie Kinnear] the other day and asking who's playing the best down there right now as a defensive-defenseman that's defending the best and McCoshen's name came up right away" said Boughner. "That's what we need here. He's going to see some games on this trip, I'm sure… It's nice to have him back."
With this being their first matchup of the season, the Panthers went 1-2-0 against the Penguins in 2017-18.

NOTES

-- Mike Hoffman ranks first on the Panthers in goals (20), power-play goals (10) and shots on goals (135). The 29-year-old winger ranks third on the team with 38 points, including 15 (eight goals, seven assists) over his last 16 games.
-- Evgenii Dadonov ranks second on Florida in goals (17), while also leading the team in even-strength goals (11). The 29-year-old winger ranks fourth on the team with 35 points, including 16 (eight goals, eight assists) over his last 18 games.
-- Named to his third All-Star Game on Wednesday, Keith Yandle ranks first among Florida's blueliners in points (35) and assists (29), while his 22 power-play points on the season places him fifth in the NHL and first among all defensemen.
-- Panthers winger Jonathan Huberdeau has recorded 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists) over his last 20 games. The 25-year-old winger also leads the team in points (46), assists (35) and multi-point games (17) this season.
-- Aaron Ekblad leads Florida's blueliners with eight goals. With one more goal, the 22-year-old will surpass Robert Svehla (61) for the most goals by a defenseman in franchise history.
-- Since Nov. 1, the Panthers have gone 34-for-104 (32.7 percent) on the power play, which ranks first in the NHL during that span. In that time, they have registered at least one goal with the man advantage in 26 of 31 games.
-- Florida has gone a perfect 9-for-9 on the penalty kill over its last four games.

GEICO GOALIE MATCHUP OF THE GAME

Roberto Luongo (8-8-1, 3.24 GAA, .896 SV%) vs. Matt Murray (11-5-1, 2.89 GAA, .913 SV%)
After backing up James Reimer on Saturday, starter Roberto Luongo will slide back in between the pipes in Pittsburgh. The 39-year-old is 3-3-0 in his last seven appearances, allowing two-or-fewer goals in two of those games. In his career against the Penguins, he owns a 15-10-6 record with a 2.94 goals-against average, .907 save percentage and four shutouts.
Looking to extend his winning streak to a career-high eight games, Murray will get the nod in net against the Panthers. The 24-year-old netminder posted a 33-save shutout during his last outing on Friday against Winnipeg, lowering his goals-against average to a microscopic 1.27 during his streak. In four career starts against Florida, he's gone 3-1-0 behind a .925 save percentage.

PROJECTED LINEUP

Forwards
Jonathan Huberdeau - Aleksander Barkov - Evgenii Dadonov
Frank Vatrano - Henrik Borgstrom - Mike Hoffman
Troy Brouwer - Jared McCann - Denis Malgin
Jayce Hawryluk - Juho Lammikko - Colton Sceviour
Defense
Keith Yandle - Aaron Ekblad
Mike Matheson - Mark Pysyk
Bogdan Kiselevich - MacKenzie Weegar
Goalies
Roberto Luongo
James Reimer
Scratches: Ian McCoshen, Micheal Haley, Nick Bjugstad (upper body)
Injured Reserve: Derek MacKenzie (shoulder), Jamie McGinn (back), Vincent Trocheck (ankle)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

• Jan. 7: D Ian McCoshen was recalled from Springfield (AHL)
  - Jan. 7: D Chris Wideman was loaned to Springfield (AHL)
  - Dec. 30: D Alexander Petrovic was traded to Edmonton for D Chris Wideman and a 2019 third-round pick.
  - Dec. 29: G Michael Hutchinson was traded to Toronto for a 2020 fifth-round pick.

HOW TO WATCH

When:Tuesday, Jan. 8, 7:00 p.m.
Where: PPG Paints Arena - Pittsburgh, PA
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)
Watch Party: Thanks to the new "Territory on Tap" program, every road game now offers a chance for a watch party in South Florida! To see which local bars and restaurants will have drink specials and giveaways for today's game,
visit the official "Territory on Tap" page!
We also hope to see everyone at tonight's official party at Bokamper's in Fort Lauderdale!