SAN JOSE – He’s back.
After missing each of the last seven games, top-pair defenseman Aaron Ekblad will return to the blue line for the Florida Panthers when they face-off against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Saturday.
“Aaron’s in,” head coach Paul Maurice said following this morning’s skate. “We’ve missed him. He’s a big part of all pieces of our game, our penalty kill maybe more than anything.”
Despite missing time with an upper-body injury, Ekblad still leads Florida’s defensemen in both assists (18) and points (20), while also ranking third in hits (59) and blocked shots (56).
On the top power play and penalty killing units, he also averages a team-high 23:32 of ice time per game.
“He’s super important,” forward Sam Bennett said of Ekblad. “He’s a guy that plays a lot minutes, a lot of hard minutes. When he’s in the lineup, it’s definitely a reassuring feeling knowing he’s back there.”
Sitting second in the Atlantic Division at 28-18-3, the Panthers are 1-1-0 on their four-game road trip and enter tonight’s matchup on the heels of a 2-1 loss at Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Up 1-0 after 40 minutes on a power-play goal from Evan Rodrigues, the Panthers let their lead slip away in the third period as a pair of unfortunate bounces led to two important goals for the Kings.
Standing tall in defeat, Spencer Knight stopped 26 of 28 shots in Florida’s net.
Overall, the Panthers have surrendered two or fewer goals in four of their last five games.
“All of their most-dangerous chances came after it was 2-1 and we had to open up our game, and they took advantage of that,” Maurice said of the loss to the Kings. “I really liked our second [period]. I thought we were better in the second and they were better in the third.”
In the midst of another great season, Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers in goals (28) and points (52). Matthew Tkachuk ranks second in scoring with 41 points (14 goals, 27 assists), while Aleksander Barkov is third in points (39) and has dished out a team-high 28 assists.
Owning a 19-11-2 record, Sergei Bobrovsky will get the start in San Jose.
Still in a rebuild, the Sharks sit eighth in the Pacific Division at 14-31-6.
Losers in eight of their last nine games, they’ve been outscored 39-25 in that span.
But even with their less-than-ideal record, the Sharks can certainly bite.
Scoring a combined 10 goals over their last two losses, the Sharks are led up front Mikael Granlund (43 points), Wiliam Eklund (37 points) and rookie Macklin Celebrini (35 points).
The centerpiece of San Jose’s plans moving forward, Celebrini has been particularly impressive during his first tour of duty in the NHL. The first-overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, the 18-year-old forward currently leads all NHL rookies with 15 goals.
Overall, San Jose’s biggest issues are on defense.
As a team, they’re allowing the second-most goals per game in the NHL with 3.61.
“All the teams that have drafted high, that’s world-class skill,” Maurice said of the threat San Jose poses. “They’re young, for sure, but it doesn’t change how skilled they are. They’re still skilled. If you give them room, they’re going to score goals on you. That’s everybody’s challenge. We have to be respectful.”
Historically, the Panthers have had plenty of success against San Jose.
Dating back to 2018-19, they’ve won 11 straight games against the Sharks, which is their longest active streak against any opponent. In that span, they’ve also led San Jose 46-23 in goals.
In their previous meeting this season, the Panthers secured a 3-1 win over the Sharks at Amerant Bank Arena on Dec. 7. Tkachuk scored a pair of goals in the win, while Mackenize Blackwood kept the Sharks in the game with a 51-save performance.
Blackwood was so good, in fact, the Sharks traded him to Colorado soon after.
Coming over from the Avalanche in that trade, Alexandar Georgiev could get the nod in net for the Sharks. In 11 appearances since the deal went down, he’s gone 2-9-0 with a .884 save percentage.
“It’s a challenge, for sure,” forward Jesper Boqvist said of facing the Sharks. “We saw it at home, too. They have some really good players up front that can make plays, for sure.”
THEY SAID IT
“He’s a voice that’s been in that room for a lot of years and a good pro. He’s excited for the game. We’ll be very appreciative to have him back.” – Paul Maurice on Aaron Ekblad
“It’s going to be important to come out with a good start tonight. This is a quick team. They have lots of skill. Our start is going to be important.” – Sam Bennett on the Sharks
FIVE CATS STATS
- Evan Rodrigues has scored in each of the last two games.
- Aleksander Barkov has posted 12 points (5G, 7A) in his last nine games vs. San Jose.
- Matthew Tkachuk has dished out 20 assists in 23 career games vs. the Sharks.
- The Panthers rank fourth in the NHL with a .620 winning percentage on the road.
- Sam Reinhart has scored a team-leading 18 goals on the road.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Matthew Tkachuk – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Eetu Luostarinen – Sam Bennett – Mackie Samoskevich
Carter Verhaeghe – Anton Lundell – Jesper Boqvist
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Evan Rodrigues
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov
Uvis Balinskis – Nate Schmidt
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- Jan. 6: D Tobias Bjornfot recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Dec. 23: F Rasmus Asplund loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Saturday, Jan. 25 at 10 p.m. ET
Where: SAP Center – San Jose, CA
TV & Streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX, ESPN+ (out of market)
Radio: 790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT-AM & 92.1 WZZR-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); Panthers App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Cats on Tap: Click Here
