SUNRISE, Fla. – The top spot in the Atlantic Division will be on the line when the Florida Panthers (46-20-5) return home to host the Boston Bruins (41-16-15) at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday.
Tied atop the division with 97 points each, Florida has played one fewer game than Boston.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Panthers forward Kevin Stenlund said after this morning's skate at the Baptist Health IcePlex. “Every game feels like a playoff game right now. It’s going to be a tough game, but a fun one.”
Getting two major pieces back just in time to play the Bruins, captain Aleksander Barkov and top-pair defenseman Gustav Forsling will return to the lineup for the Panthers. Barkov had missed the last three games with an injury, while Forsling had sat out the last two games due to an illness.
Aaron Ekblad, the other half of the team’s top pair next to Forsling, participated in this morning’s skate and is getting closer to making a return as well. Sidelined since March 9 with a lower-body injury, the 28-year-old blueliner is champing at the bit to get back into action. But given their position in the standings, the Panthers won't rush the star D-man back into a game.
“He’s definitely day to day,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. “He wants in. We’re going to be real careful. We’re going to hold him longer than he wants us to hold him. He’s going to have to get through two or three practices with some bumping and grinding.”
Snapping out of a four-game skid, the Panthers returned to form with a 4-1 win at Philadelphia on Sunday. Sam Reinhart scored twice, Carter Verhaeghe lit the lamp once, Brandon Montour dished out three assists and backup goaltender Anthony Stolarz turned aside 32 of 33 shots for Florida.
With his two goals, Reinhart became just the became just the second player in franchise history to hit the storied 50-goal mark in a season, joining Hall of Famer Pavel Bure (1999-00 and 2000-01).
“Pretty cool,” said Reinhart, who leads the NHL with 27 power-play goals. “It’s a number I never really thought about until the last month or so. Pretty cool and nice to have it out of the way now.”
In addition to his lofty goal total, Reinhart also paces the Panthers in scoring with 83 points. Next up is Matthew Tkachuk, who ranks second in points (78) and first in assists (55). Verhaeghe is third in points (69) and sits second in goals (32), including lighting the lamp in each of the last two games.
Tied for third in the NHL in wins (32) and making a bid for his third Vezina Trophy, Sergei Bobrovsky will get the nod in net against Boston. Over his last17 appearances, the 35-year-old veteran has posted a 11-5-1 record while stopping 466 of 501 shots for an outstanding .930 save percentage.
Dropping each of their last two games, the Bruins enter tonight’s matchup looking to rebound from a 3-2 loss at Philadelphia on Saturday. After Danton Heinen evened the score for Boston and made it 2-2 at 16:12 of the third period, Tyson Foerster scored with 1:29 left to give the Flyers the 3-2 win.
Just one point shy of triple digits, David Pastrnak leads the Bruins in scoring with 99 points (44 goals, 55 assists). Prior to being held off the scoresheet in each of the last two games, the lethal sniper had found the back of the net a whopping eight times over his previous 12 games.
“Just be hard on him and don’t give him too much time,” Stenlund said of defending against Pastrnak. “Every guy in this league is good when you give them time. Less time is a good start.”
While Pastrnak has done a lot of the heavy lifting on the offensive side of the puck, Boston’s roster does boast six other players that have registered at least 15 goals this season: Brad Marchand (27), Charlie Coyle (23), Jake DeBrusk (18), Trent Frederic (17), Pavel Zacha (17) and Morgan Geekie (16).
Splitting duties between Boston’s pipes, goaltenders Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark have appeared in 39 and 35 games, respectively. Posting almost identical numbers, Swayman has gone 22-8-8 with a .917 save percentage, while Ullmark has gone 19-8-7 with a .917 save percentage.
Halfway done with their four-game season series, the Bruins have bested the Panthers in each of their two previous matchups this season. On Oct. 30, the Bruins claimed a 3-2 win in overtime at TD Garden. Less than a month later, they locked down a 3-1 win on the road at Amerant Bank Arena.
Looking for revenge, the Panthers expect to be flying right from the start.
“Both coaches will be wired up for this one because it’s going to be fun,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. “The decisions you make matter and you feel like you’re part of the game a little bit. That’ll make it not one of 82 [games]. We haven’t beat ‘em yet this year.”
PREGAME QUOTES
“There’s enough of an experience between the two teams on the style of game that’s played and the cost of the games we play against each other that they’ll all be very aware of it and wired. Both teams will be wired.” – Paul Maurice
“We all know they’re a skilled group, but we’ve got to play our game. Stay on pucks and be hard and just play our game.” – Kevin Stenlund
“These are the ones you want at this time of the year. You want something on the line, you want something to play for. Both teams have the same goal in mind. This is a good test.” – Sam Reinhart
FIVE CATS STATS
- Brandon Montour has produced six three-assist games this season.
- The Panthers boast the fourth-ranked power play in the NHL at 26.2%.
- Matthew Tkachuk has notched 15 points (5G, 10A) in 16 career games vs. Boston.
- Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers with 11 multi-goal games this season.
- Eetu Luostarinen is one point away from hitting 100 career points in the NHL.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Vladimir Tarasenko
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Nick Cousins – Kevin Stenlund – Steven Lorentz
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Brandon Montour
Niko Mikkola – Uvis Balinskis
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Dmitry Kulikov
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Anthony Stolarz
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- March 25: F Ben Steeves agreed to terms on a 2-year ELC commencing in 2024-25
- March 21: D Uvis Balinskis recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Tuesday, March 26 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports+
Radio: 790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM Channel 91 / App & Streaming 932; Panthers App
Tickets: Click Here
