After suffering a 5-2 loss in New York on Oct 23, the Panthers went on a 6-3-0 run before seeing their five-game winning streak come to an end with a 7-3 loss on Thursday night in Columbus. In that game, they jumped out a 2-0 lead before being outscored 7-1 over the final two periods.
"We want to move on from that," Panthers winger Troy Brouwer said. "We want to be a real good hockey team in this league, so we want to have a real good bounce-back game tonight."
While Florida's turnaround can be chalked up to an improvement in the team's all-around play, it's the offense that continues to perform at a historic clip. The team has been averaging 3.19 goals per game and converting 23.2 percent of its power plays - both all-time highs for the club.
The Panthers scored twice on the man advantage against the Blue Jackets, improving to 9-for-24 (37.5 percent) over the last six games. During that span, six different players have scored a power play goal, while 10 have registered a point, including top-unit quarterback Keith Yandle.
Yandle, 32, leads the Panthers is both goals (tied-3) and points (9) on the power play.
"We've gotten an abundance of shots," Yandle said of Florida's power play, which leads the NHL with 12 goals on the road. "We're finding ways to get pucks to the net, getting rebounds. I think probably the biggest thing is getting in the zone, getting time to set up. The centermen are doing a great job of winning faceoffs, and that means we're starting with the puck."
In terms of individual offensive performances, Mike Hoffman continues to re-write the history books in his first season with the Panthers. With an assist in Columbus, the 28-year-old winger registered a point in his 14th-consecutive game, surpassing Hall of Famer Pavel Bure's franchise record of 13 set during the 1999-00 campaign.
"It'd be a little better if we could celebrate tonight," Hoffman said after the game. "But we'll have to wait for another point for that."
Looking to get back into the win column quickly, Panthers coach Bob Boughner is adjusting his lineup for the first time since Nov. 2 - a span of six-games. Back in are forward Maxim Mamin and defenseman Mark Pysyk, while forward Denis Malgin and defenseman Alexander Petrovic take a seat. Pysyk has been out of the lineup since suffering an injury on Oct. 19 in Washington.
"We've got a quick turnaround," Yandle said. "We're going to come ready to play tonight and redeem ourselves."
The Rangers (9-8-2) had gained a point in seven straight games before enduring a 7-5 loss to the New York Islanders on Thursday night. Chris Kreider scored twice for the Rangers in that loss to push his team-leading total to 10. Of those goals, six have come in the last eight games.
New York traded forward Ryan Spooner to Edmonton for forward Ryan Strome on Friday.
"Teams that are both quick," Boughner said of tonight's matchup. "I think that both teams play with some good team-speed. I think we've got to do a good job of not letting these guys get behind us. I thought we were a little guilty of that against Columbus. We've got to make sure that we're ready to play when the puck drops. This is a building that if you're not, they can jump on you quick."
