SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers (12-12-2) will look to snap out of four-game slide when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets (13-9-5) at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
The first half of a back-to-back, the Panthers aim to end their homestand on a high note.
"An important back-to-back,” defenseman Aaron Ekblad said following Friday’s practice. “An easy way to get four points is to show up ready to go this weekend.”
With the margin between winning and losing continuing to be razor thin, the Panthers earned one point their last time out in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Nashville Predators on Thursday.
Holding onto a 1-0 lead for most of the game thanks to a first-period strike from new dad Carter Verhaeghe, the Panthers ended up in the extra frame after Ryan O’Reilly evened the score for the Predators in the third period.
In overtime, Steven Stamkos scored the game-winning goal for Nashville.
Standing on his head, Sergei Bobrovsky, who will man the crease against the Blue Jackets, stopped 27 of the shots the Predators fired his way.
In the loss, the Panthers led 35-32 in scoring chances.
“Just realizing we’re going to have to scratch and claw to get points any way possible,” Ekblad said of the challenge ahead for the injury-plagued Panthers. “Obviously, not the outcome we wanted last night, but a tight game. There’s some positive to take out of it.”
With a laundry list of players sidelined by injuries, the Panthers will thankfully get one key skater back in their lineup against the Blue Jackets as Eetu Luostarinen is set to return.
Missing the last eight games after suffering burns during a freak barbequing accident, the two-way forward has produced 10 points (3G, 7A), 42 hits and 18 blocks in 18 games this season.
An integral piece of the puzzle for the Panthers, the impact of Luostarinen’s return can’t be understated.
“Getting a guy back off an injury is a really big deal for us,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “He’s such an important part of everything that’s happened here.”
After losing four straight games, the Blue Jackets enter this afternoon’s matchup on the heels of consecutive wins over the New Jersey Devils (5-3) and Detroit Red Wings (6-5 SO).
In their win over the Red Wings on Thursday – a one-game stop at home before hitting the road – Adam Fantilli led the Blue Jackets with a pair of goals, while Zach Werenski chipped in three assists from the blue line. In the shootout, Kirill Marchenko had the winning goal.
Despite sitting last in the Metropolitan Division, the Blue Jackets have been consistently pocketing key points for a while, leaving 10 of their last 13 games with at least one point.
A beast on the blue line, Werenski leads Columbus in scoring with 29 points (9G, 20A), with Marchenko sitting in second place with 23 points (9G, 14A). Fantilli, the third-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, is third with 19 points, including touching twine a team-high 11 times.
“They’re a big, fast team, and they can make plays,” Maurice said.
Yet to announce a starting goaltender, the Blue Jackets could roll with either Jet Greaves or Elvis Merzlikins. Seeing a healthy split in net, Graves has gone 7-4-5 with a .901 save percentage, while Merzlikins is sitting at 6-5-0 with a .891 save percentage.
Overall, the Panthers are 10-1-0 in their last 11 home games against Columbus.
THEY SAID IT
“We’ve had a whole bunch of these now. We’re a team that gets moved around a lot, the time slots. No issues. I’d rather play afternoons anyway.” – Paul Maurice on the back-to-back
“I was glad to see him. We’ve been waiting for him, and all wanted him to come back as fast as possible. It was a positive energy day when we saw that he was on the ice.” – Anton Lundell on Eetu Luostarinen’s return
FIVE CATS STATS
- Carter Verhaeghe has scored in three of his last four games.
- Sergei Bobrovsky owns a 13-2-1 career record vs. the Blue Jackets.
- Sam Reinhart has scored 10 goals in 16 games at home this season.
- Jesper Boqvist is two points away from his 100th NHL point.
- The Panthers are 5-0-0 when A.J. Greer scores a goal this season.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
FORWARDS
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand
Jesper Boqvist – Evan Rodrigues – Mackie Samoskevich
A.J. Greer – Jack Studnicka – Luke Kunin
DEFENSEMEN
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Donovan Sebrango - Uvis Balinskis
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Daniil Tarasov
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Dec. 1: F Jack Studnicka was recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Nov. 19: F Jack Devine was recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Saturday, December 6 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV
Radio: 104.3 WQAM-FM/560 WQAM-AM (Dade/Broward); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers GameDay App; SiriusXM 91/App & Streaming 931
Tickets: Click here
