After sitting out the last six games with an upper-body injury, Anthony Duclair will return to the lineup when the Panthers clash with the Stars at American Airlines Center on Tuesday night.
Last suiting up on March 30, the speedy forward has recorded 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in 29 games this season while spending the majority of his time on the team's top line. A strong possession player and driver of play, his 56.66 CF% at 5-on-5 is also third-highest on the team.
Preview: Duclair Returns as Panthers Look for Revenge in Dallas
"It feels like forever," Duclair said after this morning's skate. "I'm just happy to be back, happy to be back playing. It's always not ideal being on the sidelines watching the boys, but I'm glad that I'm back and ready to get going with a bounce-back game tonight."
Sliding right back into his old spot, Duclair will be deployed alongside Aleksander Barkov.
"It brings a whole other aspect to our team, the way he can spread out defenders and the way he can stretch the zone," Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle said of Duclair's ability to provide a spark on offense. "He can score and he's a good passer. When he's on the ice, you know you have a good chance to get some opportunities."
With Duclair back in the mix, the Panthers will look to get back in the win column after watching their losing streak reach three games with a 4-1 defeat in Dallas on Saturday. In that game, the Stars raced out to a 2-0 lead less than two minutes after puck drop and never let up from there.
Netting the lone goal for the Panthers, Barkov broke a tie with Jonathan Huberdeau to claim sole possession of the team's scoring lead with 43 points (17 goals, 26 assists). Piling up the points, the superstar center has amassed eight goals and seven assists in his last 10 games.
Looking to close gap on both the Lightning and Hurricanes for first place in the Central Division with a win tonight, the Cats remain just two points out of the top spot with a record of 26-12-4.
As for the newest members of the Panthers that were acquired over the last week in a series of pre-deadline moves, none will be on the ice tonight. That being said, both Brandon Montour and Nikita Gusev are expected to be in the lineup during the next game at Tampa Bay on Thursday.
Updates on other newcomers like Sam Bennett and Lucas Wallmark should be coming soon.
"I think when you get guys, you're excited to get them on board," Yandle said. "You're excited to meet them. I've heard some great things about the guys we've picked up. Guys have reached out to me about Sam Bennett. I worked out with Brandon Montour one summer. He's a great kid. It's one of those things where we're excited to get them here and get them going."
Continuing to alternate between their two goaltenders, the Panthers will roll with Chris Driedger in net against the Stars. Owning an 11-5-2 record and ranking near the top of the league with a .930 save percentage, the 26-year-old has posted a pair of shutouts in his last six appearances.
Dating back to Feb. 17, Driedger has gone 7-4-1 with a .933 save percentage.
Just six points out of the final playoff spot in the division, the Stars currently sit at 15-14-11 after winning four of their last seven games. Taking a very quick trip out of town for a make-up game following their win over Florida on Saturday, they fell 3-2 in a shootout at Nashville on Sunday.
Playing like a man possessed in recent weeks, Roope Hintz ranks second on Dallas in scoring with 32 points (13 goals, 19 assists), including racking up nine goals and 13 assists over his last 16 games. Ahead of him, Joe Pavelski leads the team in goals (15), assists (22) and points (37).
After surrendering a power play goal in each of their last three games, the Panthers know they'll have to do their best to stay out of the box as the Stars own the league's fifth-ranked power play at 25.2% and have netted at least one goal with the extra attacker in eight of the last 12 games.
Of Pavelski's team-high 37 points, 19 of them have come on the man advantage.
Making his fourth straight start, Anton Khudobin will be between the pipes for the Stars. Owning a 9-9-5 record, the 34-year-old veteran has been on top of his game against the Panthers so far this season, going 2-1-1 while turning aside 136 of 143 shots for an imposing .951 save percentage.
In order to solve Khudobin and the Stars, Panthers coach Joel Quenneville believes having a much stronger start and putting more pucks on net will be two of the big keys to victory tonight.
"We've got to get our shots through," Quenneville said. "They block a lot of shots, they don't give you a lot of time and they look to check and to frustrate you in that area. I thought the last game was the one game where we didn't generate much. We gave them a comfortable lead early and they basically frustrated us the rest of the game. That was kind of a different game than we've seen or been accustomed to playing. Let's get back to playing a fast, quick game."
TEAM RECORDS
FLA: 26-12-4, 56 PTS
DAL: 15-14-11, 41 PTS
FLA all-time vs. DAL:21-19-3-1
PANTHERS NOTES
-- Jonathan Huberdeau ranks second on the Panthers in scoring with 42 points (14 goals, 28 assists). In 17 career games against Dallas, he's produced 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists).
-- Carter Verhaeghe ranks tied for first on Florida in goals (17) and third in points (35). Of his points, 32 have been tallied at even-strength, which are tied for the seventh-most in the league.
-- MacKenzie Weegar ranks tied for first among NHL defensemen in even-strength points with 23. Over his last 19 games, he's notched 14 points (two goals, 12 assists).
-- Patric Hornqvist ranks fifth on the Panthers in goals (12), including seven on the power play.
-- Alex Wennberg has posted eight points (six goals, two assists) over his last 15 games, including scoring the first hat trick of his career during a 5-2 win over Columbus on April 3.
-- Frank Vatrano has accumulated five points (three goals, two assists) in his last six games.
-- Radko Gudas leads the Panthers and ranks second in the NHL in hits with 190.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe - Aleksander Barkov - Anthony Duclair
Jonathan Huberdeau - Alex Wennberg - Patric Hornqvist
Frank Vatrano - Noel Acciari - Owen Tippett
Mason Marchment - Juho Lammikko - Eetu Luostarinen
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling - MacKenzie Weegar
Keith Yandle - Radko Gudas
Markus Nutivaara - Anton Stralman
Goaltenders
Chris Driedger
Sergei Bobrovsky
Scratches: Ryan Lomberg, Matt Kiersted
Taxi squad:Kevin Connauton, Aleksi Heponiemi, Philippe Desrosiers, Brady Keeper, Spencer Knight
Injured reserve: Aaron Ekblad (lower body)
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- April 12: The Panthers acquired F Sam Bennett and 2022 sixth-round pick from Calgary in exchange for F Emil Heineman and a 2022 second-round pick.
- April 11: The Panthers signed F Nikita Gusev to a one-year contract.
- April 10: Florida added D Brandon Montour from Buffalo in exchange for 2021 third-round pick; D Kevin Connauton was recalled from Taxi Squad and D Brady Keeper was loaned to Taxi Squad.
- April 8: The Panthers acquired F Lucas Wallmark and D Lucas Carlsson from Chicago in exchange for F Brett Connolly, F Henrik Borgstrom, D Riley Stillman and a 2021 seventh-round pick.
- April 5: The Panthers re-signed F Mason Marchment to a one-year contract extension; D Vladislav Kolyachonok was reassigned from Minsk (KHL) to Syracuse (AHL).
- April 3: F Patric Hornqvist was activated from IR; D Matt Kiersted was recalled from the Taxi Squad; G Spencer Knight was assigned to the Taxi Squad.
HOW TO WATCH / LISTEN
When:Tuesday, April 13 at 8:30 p.m. ET
Where: American Airlines Center - Dallas, TX
TV:Bally Sports Florida (see alternate channels below)
Xfinity SD: 89
Hotwire (Miami only): 44 and 444
Blue Stream: 100
DTV HD: 654-2
AT&T: 696
AT&T HD: 1696
Atlantic Broadband: 35
Stream:
FOX Sports GO
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 850 WFTL (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 107.9 FM/1370 AM WZTA (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM Streaming 932
Pre-Game Listen:Hear from Sergei Bobrovsky on the latest episode of Territory Talk!
