Preview: Bobrovsky's Back as Panthers Host Blackhawks

SUNRISE, Fla. - Sergei Bobrovsky is expected to make his season debut between the pipes when the Florida Panthers host the Chicago Blackhawks at BB&T Center on Tuesday night.
After beginning training camp on the "unfit to play" list, Bobrovsky has been practicing since Wednesday and is "more than ready" to return to action, according to coach Joel Quenneville.

"He had a great summer, offseason, came into camp ready to go, just got slowed down a little bit there at the start," Quenneville said. "I think he's come back and looks as sharp as he did going into it."
Heading into his second season with the Panthers, Bobrovsky went 23-19-6 with a 3.23 goals-against average, .900 save percentage and one shutout in 2019-20. Coming online late in the season, the 32-year-old went 3-2-1 with a .921 save percentage over his final six appearances.
In the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers, he started all four games against the New York Islanders.
"We're very excited to see him," forward Noel Acciari said of Bobrovsky. "He's been working very hard this offseason. We've been skating with him for months now. Seeing all the hard work he's put in, I know he's ready and we're excited to have him and have our brick wall back there."
With their two-time Vezina Trophy winner back in net, the Panthers will look to build upon a strong start to their 2020-21 campaign following a 5-2 win over the Blackhawks on Sunday.
After the Blackhawks pulled even and made it a 2-2 game early in the third period, rookie Eetu Luostarinen lit the lamp just 22 seconds later to put the Panthers back on top 3-2. Feeding off that momentum, Patric Hornqvist and Jonathan Huberdeau then scored to secure the 5-2 win.
Despite having to shake off some expected rust that had accumulated after a historically long offseason, Quenneville likes how the Panthers finished and saw progress as the game went on.
"I really liked how we responded there when they made it 2-2," Quenneville said of the effort in the home opener. "Obviously scoring quickly helped, but I thought from there on out we finished the game in a real good fashion. I thought we had more pace to our game, had the little things -- the little puck battles, the little coming up with scrums. Everybody seemed to be more aware positionally. We had more pace to our game. You add it all up, that's playing the right way."
Manning the crease for the Cats, backup goaltender Chris Driedger stopped 25 of 27 shots.
"I think our goaltending over the last week or so, no matter which goalie we've been looking at, everybody seems like they're in the right position, aware and ready to go," Quenneville said.
Following an offseason of change, eight different players made their debut with Florida in the win over Chicago, with four of them picking up at least one point. That diverse group included both Luostarinen and Hornqvist, who each chipped in a goal and an assist to lead the charge.
"Those guys came in and contributed right away, which was great," Acciari said of the team's new additions. "First game, shaking off the cobwebs and just kind of getting that game-feel. Overall, I thought there were times where we kind of stumbled over ourselves a little bit, but overall I think it was a good first game and we just want to build off that and get better."
With the Panthers holding an optional morning skate, Quenneville said that there "could be a couple" changes to the lineup as the team wants to "get guys in" for a different look in tonight's rematch with the Blackhawks. Among the players that were healthy scratches during the opener and could potentially slot back in are defenseman Riley Stillman and forward Vinnie Hinostroza.
Chicago didn't hold a morning skate, so the status of their roster is also up in the air.
On Sunday, Alex DeBrincat and Connor Murphy each lit the lamp in the loss to the Panthers while goaltender Collin Delia turned aside 24 of 29 shots that came his way in net. Powering the offense, DeBrincat leads the team in goals (2), power-play goals (2) and points (3) this season.
Looking to bounce-back after a grueling trip through the Sunshine State, Chicago has lost its first three games of the season, allowing five goals in each of those defeats. Prior to losing 5-2 in Florida, they opened their season with two losses in Tampa Bay by scores of 5-1 and 5-2.
Given that the Hawks have their back against the wall, the Cats expect a tough game tonight.
"A dangerous team, dangerous opponent," Quenneville said. "I think we've got to take care of our business. We've got to get to that next level where we're never comfortable with what we've done in the past and it's always moving forward and trying to improve off these different levels."

TEAM RECORDS

FLA: 1-0-0, 2 PTS
CHI: 0-3-0, 0 PTS
FLA all-time vs. CHI: 14-18-3-7

PANTHERS NOTES

-- Aleksander Barkov needs to score just two more goals to tie Scott Mellanby (157) for the second-most goals in Panthers history. In Sunday's home opener, the 25-year-old center picked up a primary assist on the power play while also going 16-for-22 (72.7%) in the faceoff circle.
-- A 2020 NHL All-Star, Jonathan Huberdeau led the Panthers in scoring last season with 78 points (23 goals, 55 assists) in 69 games. In Sunday's home opener, the 26-year-old winger earned second-star honors after racking up a game-high three points (one goal, two assists).
-- Aaron Ekblad notched a career-high 41 points (five goals, 36 assists) last season. The 24-year-old defenseman also led the Panthers in plus/minus (+12) and average time on ice (22:59). He netted Florida's first goal during Sunday's home opener while skating a game-high 24:47.
-- Patric Hornqvist had a goal and an assist in Sunday's home opener. The 34-year-old forward is in his first season with the Panthers after being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in a trade during the offseason. Over his last seven seasons, he's never scored fewer than 17 goals.
-- Radko Gudas led the Panthers with three hits during Sunday's home opener. In the midst of his first season with Florida after joining the team on a three-year deal during free agency, the 30-year-old led all Washington Capitals defensemen in hits (164) during the 2019-20 campaign.
-- Nine different Panthers recorded a point in Sunday's win over the Blackhawks.

PROJECTED LINEUP (OPTIONAL MORNING SKATE)

Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe - Aleksander Barkov - Anthony Duclair
Jonathan Huberdeau - Alex Wennberg - Patric Hornqvist
Frank Vatrano - Eetu Luostarinen - Owen Tippett
Vinnie Hinostroza - Noel Acciari - Brett Connolly
Defensemen
MacKenzie Weegar - Aaron Ekblad
Riley Stillman - Anton Stralman
Keith Yandle - Radko Gudas
Goalies
Sergei Bobrovsky
Chris Driedger
Scratches:Ryan Lomberg, Gustav Forsling,

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

• Jan. 19: G Sergei Bobrovsky added to Florida's active roster; G Sam Montembeault was assigned to the taxi squad
  - Jan. 13: D Kevin Connauton agreed to terms on a one-year contract.
  - Jan 13: F Grigori Denisenko, D Chase Priskie, F Cole Schwindt and F Scott Wilson were loaned to Syracuse (AHL).
  - Jan. 11: D Noah Juulsen was claimed off waivers from Montreal.
  - Jan. 9: D Gustav Forsling was claimed off waivers from Carolina.

IN-ARENA ACTIVATIONS

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50/50 Raffle
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Truly Tuesday
- A limited number of fans will be admitted to BB&T Center for home games throughout the 2020-21 season. To learn more about health and safety precautions taken as a part of the Red Reminders program presented in conjunction with Baptist Health South Florida, click HERE.

HOW TO WATCH / LISTEN

When: Tuesday, Jan. 19, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: BB&T Center - Sunrise, FL
TV:FOX Sports Florida
Stream:
FOX Sports GO
Radio: 790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 107.9/1370 WZTA (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM (Ch. 222) and Streaming 932
Tickets:
HERE