PREVIEW: Hosting Avalanche, Panthers Want to 'Keep Pushing'

The Panthers woke up to some interesting news on Thursday.
Off to a strong 3-0-0 start and tied for first place in the Atlantic Division, they found themselves holding down the coveted top spot in the NHL's latest "Super 16" power rankings this morning.
Well deserved, for sure.
But if you ask the players, they'll tell you it's nothing but a number.

"We're trying not to think about that," said Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau, who has tallied two assists in three games to start the season. "We're having fun. We've just got to play intense every day. We don't look at what everyone thinks about us. We know what we can do."
Although it's true that the power rankings have no impact on the actual on-ice product, it's still certainly nice to see the outside world starting to take notice of what's brewing in South Florida.
Looking to keep building up their early-season momentum, the upstart Panthers will welcome the Avalanche, who occupy sixth place in the power rankings, to FLA Live Arena this evening.
"Let's keep pushing and not be satisfied," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said.
Led by a pair of 20-year-old rookies, the Panthers enter tonight's matchup fresh off a 4-1 win over the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Lightning on Tuesday. In the win, Anton Lundell tallied two points - including netting his first NHL goal - while Spencer Knight made 30 saves.
Also making a dent on the scoresheet, Brandon Montour scored the team's first power-play goal of the season, Sam Reinhart earned a pair of assists -- including the primary helper on Lundell's milestone goal -- and Anthony Duclair lit the lamp for the third straight game to remain red-hot.
Through three games, Florida has outscored its opponents by a combined score of 14-6.
"We've been playing well," Huberdeau said confidently. "Last game was a good game for us. We've just got to keep going at home and get a good start. A good team is coming in. They got beat in Washington, so they're going to come out hard. We've just got to be better than them."
In search of the 300th win of his career, Sergei Bobrovsky will return to the crease against the Avalanche after backing up Knight in Tampa Bay. Looking sharp between the pipes in his first two starts of the season, the veteran owns a 2-0-0 record with a stellar .935 save percentage.
As for other lineup news, center Eetu Luostarinen will make his season debut tonight.
"I'm excited to be back," said Luostarinen, who recorded eight points (three goals, five assists) while skating in a career-high 44 games with Florida last season. "I feel confident in my game."
Showcasing their enviable depth early on this season, the Panthers have had 16 different skaters notch at least one point, while 10 have produced multiple points, including captain Aleksander Barkov, who leads the team in scoring with five points (two goals, three assists).
"We've got a great group up front, our back end is solid and our goaltending has been outstanding through three games," Quenneville said. "It's been a good start in a lot of ways."
Off to a slower than expected start this season, the Avalanche currently sits at 1-2-0 in the standings and is looking to rebound after losing consecutive games to the Blues and Capitals.
Against Washington on Tuesday, J.T. Compher, Darren Helm and Mikko Rantanen scored for Colorado, while Darcy Kuemper surrendered five goals on 39 shots between the pipes.
Taking over for Kuemper in net, Jonas Johansson will make his first start of the season.
"I thought we got outcompeted in a lot of areas, so we gave up way too much," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said after the loss. "I just thought they were the faster, bigger, stronger and hungrier team tonight, start to finish."
Returning from a two-game suspension, captain Gabriel Landeskog is expected to be back on the ice for Colorado tonight and skate on one of the league's top lines with Nathan MacKinnon, who missed the first two games of the season due to COVID-19 protocols, and Mikko Rantanen.
In 2020-21, those three players combined to score 70 goals.
Sharing the team's scoring lead to start the season, Compher and Nazem Kadri have each racked up four points thus far, while Rantanen and Bowen Byram have tallied three apiece.
"You want to spend some time in the offensive zone, you want to hold onto the puck and make them defend," Quenneville said. "They're dangerous off the rush. They've got an active D and some of the best talent in the game. They can score and they've got some speed in their game."

PANTHERS NOTES

• Sergei Bobrovsky owns an 8-2-2 record in his career against Colorado.
  - Aaron Ekblad has record nine points (five goals, four assists) in 12 career games against the Avalanche. Over the first three games of the season, he's produced three points (two goals, one assist) while leading the team in total time on ice (76:03), including 17:39 while shorthanded.
  - Dating back to last season, Florida has won 13 of its last 14 regular-season games at home.
  - Jonathan Huberdeau has dished out a pair of assists in three games to start the season. In 11 career games against the Avalanche, he's accumulated nine points (six goals, three assists).
  - Aleksander Barkov paces in the Panthers with five points (two goals, three assists) in three games thus far. In his career against Colorado, he's posted nine points (four goals, five assists).
  - Expected to play in his 400th NHL game tonight, Anthony Duclair has lit the lamp in each of the first three games this season.
  - Gustav Forsling leads the Panthers in assists (4) and is tied for first in plus/minus (+6).
  - MacKenzie Weegar leads Florida in both hits (15) and blocked shots (6).

PANTHERS LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe - Aleksander Barkov - Anthony Duclair
Jonathan Huberdeau - Sam Bennett - Owen Tippett
Sam Reinhart - Anton Lundell - Patric Hornqvist
Frank Vatrano - Eetu Luostarinen - Mason Marchment
Defensemen
MacKenzie Weegar - Aaron Ekblad
Gustav Forsling - Radko Gudas
Kevin Connauton - Brandon Montour
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

• Oct. 20: D Olli Juolevi was placed on IR.
  - Oct. 18: D Matt Kiersted was loaned to Charlotte (AHL); D Kevin Connauton was activated off IR.
  - Oct. 15: D Chase Priskie and F Maxim Mamin were loaned to Charlotte (AHL).

RECENT ARTICLES / PODCASTS

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5 TAKEAWAYS: Knight, Lundell Shine Bright as Panthers Defeat Lightning
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NOTEBOOK: Duclair Moves Up; Juolevi Joins Practice
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Q&A: Lomberg Talks First Win, Fan Support & More!
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5 TAKEAWAYS: Ekblad, Verhaeghe Score Twice as Panthers Top Penguins

HOW TO WATCH / LISTEN

When: Thursday, Oct. 21 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Where:FLA Live Arena - Sunrise, FL
TV:Bally Sports Florida
Stream: Bally Sports App, ESPN+ (Out of Region)
Radio:560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 850 WFTL (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); SiriusXM Channel 222 / App & Streaming 932
Tickets:
HERE
In-Arena Activations:Thirsty Thursday, 50/50 Raffle