The Panthers are riding high and getting some reinforcements following a big road trip.
After picking up eight out of a possible 10 points on their five-game trek through the Central Division - including an epic comeback in Columbus on Thursday - the red-hot Cats will now kick off a huge four-game homestand against the Blackhawks at BB&T Center on Saturday.
Preview: Duclair, Stralman Return as Panthers Host Blackhawks
Sitting in third place in the division with a record of 17-5-4, Florida has earned at least one point in seven of its last eight games to climb within a single point of the Hurricanes for the top spot.
"It's definitely good to be back home," Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said after this morning's skate in Sunrise. "Had a good day yesterday seeing sunlight again. Just being home, it's a great feeling. Playing in front of our own fans is huge, too. We've just got to keep going."
Returning to the lineup after missing a few games each, Anthony Duclair and Anton Stralman will both be back in action tonight. Duclair, who's tallied 10 points in 19 games, was skating on the fourth line this morning, while Stralman was paired up with Keith Yandle on the blue line.
"We definitely missed Duke out there," Barkov said. "Everyone's excited. He's excited."
Leading the Panthers and ranking seventh in the league with 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists), Jonathan Huberdeau enters tonight's matchup riding a season-long, five-game point streak in which he's tallied two goals and six assists. Just behind him, Barkov sits second with 28 points.
After earning a win in each of his last four outings, Sergei Bobrovsky is expected to be the man in between the pipes for the Panthers once again. Sitting at 10-2-2, the 32-year-old veteran has been on quite a nice roll lately, going 5-0-1 with a .919 save percentage over his last six starts.
In 15 career games against Chicago, he boasts a 9-4-2 record with a .921 save percentage.
"I've felt unreal," Bobrovsky said after a recent victory. "I've felt focused, I've felt strong and I've felt confident. It's fun to be around and be part of this team. They play great hockey. Everybody delivers every night… We all pull the rope in the same direction. It's fun to be a part of it."
Despite opening up their season with a two-game sweep against the Blackhawks back in January, the Panthers expect to a face a much different team this time around. After dropping its first four games of the season, Chicago has gone 14-6-4 to move into fourth in the division.
Putting himself right into the thick of the conversation for the Hart Trophy, Patrick Kane currently leads the team and sits third in the league with 40 points (11 goals, 29 assists). Supplementing Kane's production, Alex DeBrincat leads the club with 15 goals, including five on the power play.
With those two players leading the charge, Chicago ranks third in the NHL on the power play at 31%.
"For sure, [Kane's] a key guy," said Panthers coach Joel Quenneville, who coached Kane for more than a decade in the Windy City. "You can use him in all situations. He gives their team a lot of excitement, plays in multiple situations. He's playing big minutes, a big part of the offense."
Of course, given Kane's outstanding resume, his numbers should come as little surprise. With that said, the biggest stunner for the Blackhawks this season - and another massive key to their success - has likely been the outstanding play of rookie goaltender Kevin Lankinen in the cage.
After stopping 25 of 30 shots in his NHL debut against the Panthers on Jan. 19, the 25-year-old Finn has gone 10-4-3 since then while posting a .924 save percentage. Starting eight games to Lankinen's 18, Malcolm Subban has gone 4-3-1 behind a .907 save percentage backing him up.
Per Chicago media, Lankinen will man the crease for Chicago tonight.
"It's been fun to watch how good he's been this year," Barkov said of Lankinen, who he played with on some international teams while growing up in Finland. "I think it was just a matter of time before he got his chance in the NHL, and now he's playing really well. Tonight, we want to score as many goals as possible on him, but he's a great guy. I've known him since I was 13 or 14."
Overall, the Panthers have gone 7-3-3 at home, while the Blackhawks are 7-5-3 on the road.
"I didn't mind them when we saw them," Quenneville said of Chicago. "I thought they played pretty good against us. They're a hardworking team - not a lot of room, not a lot of space. Obviously, we know there's a couple guys you've got to really play close attention to. Don't put them on the power play is another thing we've got to be aware of. These guys are checking well, they're working as five-man units in all zones. They play a tight, pretty responsible game."
TEAM RECORD
FLA: 17-5-4, 38 PTS
CHI:14-9-5, 33 PTS
FLA all-time vs. CHI: 15-18-3-7
PANTHERS NOTES
-- Aleksander Barkov ranks second on the Panthers scoring with 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists), including posting two goals and seven assists over his last eight games. He also leads the team in shots on goal (90), takeaways (T-21) and total ice time among forwards (546:06).
-- Patric Hornqvist leads Florida with 11 goals, including four over his last eight games. Of those goals, six have come by way of the power play, which are tied for the fourth-most in the league.
-- Aaron Ekblad ranks second among NHL defensemen in goals (9) and first in power-play goals (5). Over his last five outings, he's tallied three goals and five assists. On Thursday, he notched the 151st assist of his young career, which places him third all-time among Panthers blueliners.
-- MacKenzie Weegar leads Florida's defensemen in points (14) and minutes (517:42) at even-strength. Additionally, he also leads the team in blocked shots (34) and sits second in hits (61).
-- Radko Gudas leads the Panthers and ranks second in the NHL with 120 hits.
-- Mason Marchment has notched five points (two goals, three assists) in his last eight games.
-- Florida is six goals shy of its 5,500th goal as an NHL franchise.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Mason Marchment - Aleksander Barkov - Carter Verhaeghe
Jonathan Huberdeau - Alex Wennberg - Patric Hornqvist
Frank Vatrano - Eetu Luostarinen - Owen Tippett
Noel Acciari - Juho Lammikko - Anthony Duclair
Defensemen
MacKenzie Weegar - Aaron Ekblad
Keith Yandle - Anton Stralman
Gustav Forsling - Radko Gudas
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Chris Driedger
Scratches: Vinnie Hinostroza, Ryan Lomberg, Markus Nutivaara
Taxi squad: Brett Connolly, Grigori Denisenko, Kevin Connauton, Philippe Desrosiers, Riley Stillman
Injured reserve: Noah Juulsen (upper body)
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- March 13: F Anthony Duclair was activated from IR; D Riley Stillman was loaned to the Taxi Squad.
- March 9: D Markus Nutivaara was activated from IR; F Owen Tippett was recalled from the Taxi Squad.
- March 8: D Riley Stillman was recalled from the Taxi Squad; F Grigori Denisenko and D Kevin Connauton were loaned to the Taxi Squad.
- March 7: F Owen Tippett was loaned to the Taxi Squad.
IN-ARENA ACTIVATIONS
-
50/50 Raffle
- After recently suiting up in his 1,000th game in the NHL, the Panthers will honor Keith Yandle with a pre-game ceremony tonight. All fans in attendance will receive a commemorative poster.
- A limited number of fans will be admitted to BB&T Center for home games this season. Learn that have been taken as a part of the "Red Reminders" program presented in conjunction with Baptist Health South Florida at
FloridaPanthers.com/RedReminders
.
- Mobile Ordering is now available at BB&T Center for Panthers games. Visit
FloridaPanthers.com/MobileOrdering
for all the info.
HOW TO WATCH / LISTEN
When:Saturday, March 13 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Where:BB&T Center - Sunrise, FL
TV: FOX Sports Florida
Stream:
FOX Sports GO
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys) 107.9 FM / 1370 AM WZTA (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM 223 / Streaming 932
Pre-Game Listen:MacKenzie Weegar talks culture, pranks and flow on this week's episode of the Territory Talk podcast!
