NEWARK, N.J. – The reinforcements keep coming.
One game after getting Dmitry Kulikov back on the blue line, center Tomas Nosek will return for the Florida Panthers against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Tuesday.
Yet to suit up this season after undergoing offseason surgery, Nosek appeared in 16 playoff games last season to help the Panthers claim their second consecutive Stanley Cup.
In his season debut, the 33-year-old veteran will center the fourth line.
“I want them to have a little bit of fun,” Maurice said of Kulikov and Nosek. “I give both of them credit. They worked so hard to get back. It was not easy on them. I want them to get out there and feel good because we certainly feel good having them back in our lineup.”
Dropping their first two games out of the break, the Panthers enter tonight’s matchup at 30-27-3 and sitting eight points out of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
In the first game of their four-game trip, the Panthers surrendered a goal in the final minute of regulation to fall to the New York Islanders by a score of 5-4 at UBS Arena on Sunday.
Matthew Tkachuk dished out three assists in the loss, while Sam Bennett scored a pair of goals to extend his point streak to three games. Nearly helping the Panthers secure at least one important point, Sam Reinhart tied the game 4-4 with just 1:58 left on the clock.
“Very tough ending the last game,” said Tkachuk, who’s produced 13 points (5G, 8A) in 13 games since his return from offseason surgery. “Tough time of the year for a game like that to happen. Just got to turn the page. This is a big week. We want to try and put ourselves in somewhat of a conversation to get back. It’s a daunting task, but most importantly it’s just getting back to our game.”
After missing the last game with an undisclosed injury, Uvis Balinskis will return to the lineup for the Panthers. In terms of other changes on the back end, Donovon Sebrango and Jeff Petry will sit, while Tobias Bjornfot, who last took the ice on Feb. 4, will slot back in.
Between the pipes, Sergei Bobrovsky will get the start.
Seventh in the Metropolitan Division at 29-29-2, the Devils snapped out of a five-game skid with a 3-1 win at St. Louis in their last outing on Saturday. Timo Meier, Dougie Hamilton and Nico Hischier all scored against the Blues, while Jacob Markstorm stopped 25 of 26 shots.
Tied for first atop New Jersey’s scoring leaderboard, Hischier and Jesper Bratt have each logged 43 assists, while Jack Hughes, who’s been riding an incredible high ever since scoring the golden goal for Team USA at the Winter Olympics, has amassed 39 points (12G, 27A).
Splitting time between the pipes, the Devils have relied on both Markstrom and Jake Allen. Markstrom has gone 16-14-1 with a 3.13 goals-against average and a .886 save percentage, while Allen is 12-15-1 on top of a 2.64 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.
Per reports from New Jersey’s morning skate, Markstrom will likely start against Florida.
Meeting for the third and final time this season, the Panthers and Devils have each defended their own barn thus far. After the Devils earned a 3-1 win in New Jersey on Oct. 16, the Panthers responded with a 1-0 win in Sunrise just over a month later on Nov. 20.
“They’re dynamic,” Maurice said of the Devils. “They’ve got some really fast, really skilled players. They play that fast game. If you give them ice to play with and you’re off of it, you’re not catching them. What we need to do tonight is not just for the New Jersey Devils. We need to get our game back to where we like it, to look the way we like.”
THEY SAID IT
“Don’t try to get it all back in one shift. Keep your shifts short, keep your game as simple as you possibly can. Enjoy it. That’s a hard rehab. It’s painful at the start. The conditioning that happens at the end is mentally very difficult to do.” – Paul Maurice on Tomas Nosek’s return
“Just play this one game. Just play this style that we’ve been playing for three-plus years. Let’s just try to be successful with it.” – Matthew Tkachuk on the road ahead
“We know what the situation is. We know right that we just look at one game at a time and not too much further ahead or behind.” – Anton Lundell on pushing for the playoffs
FIVE CATS STATS
- Aaron Ekblad has recorded four multi-assist games this season.
- Mackie Samoskevich leads Florida with +13 penalty drawn rating.
- Sam Reinhart is tied with Olli Jokinen (188) for the third-most goals in franchise history.
- Anton Lundell has won a team-high 52.4% of his faceoffs.
- Sam Bennett is one assist away from his 200th NHL assist.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Evan Rodrigues – Brad Marchand
Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Sandis Vilmanis – Tomas Nosek – A.J. Greer
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Uvis Balinskis
Tobias Bjornfot – Dmitry Kulikov
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Daniil Tarasov
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- March 2: F Luke Kunin loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Tuesday, March 3 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Prudential Center – Newark, NJ
TV & Streaming: Scripps Sports, Panthers Plus, TNT, HBO Max
Radio: 560 WQAM-AM (Dade/Broward); 106.3 WESP-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers GameDay App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Cats on Tap: Click Here
