SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers will kick off a back-to-back with a battle against the Washington Capitals at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday at 7 p.m. ET.
The two wild-card teams in the Eastern Conference at the moment, the Panthers enter the matchup sitting at 20-15-2, while the Capitals hold a three-point edge with a record 20-13-5.
“We expect to play a faster game than we did last time,” head coach Paul Maurice said.
Winners in seven of their last 10 games, the Panthers returned from the break with a 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a penalty-filled matchup on Saturday.
Eetu Luostarinen and Brad Marchand each found the back of the net against the Lightning, who rode a strong 9-for-10 performance on the penalty kill to victory.
Leading the Panthers in goals (21), assists (21) and points (42), Marchand enters tonight’s tilt riding a seven-game point streak in which he’s notched 11 points (5G, 6A).
Currently locked in a tie with Terry Sawchuk for eighth place on the NHL’s all-time wins list with 445, Sergei Bobrovsky will get the nod in net against the Capitals.
Owning a 16-9-1 record with a .888 save percentage this season, Bobrovsky has gone 4-1-0 with a .907 save percentage in his last five starts against Washington.
Settling into a nice groove despite missing key players due to injuries, the Panthers have racked up the fourth-most points (16) in the NHL dating back to Dec. 6.
“It’s been pretty good of late,” forward Sam Bennett said. “Our team has done a great job with all the injuries we’ve had. We’ve done a great job of playing our style of hockey.”
After stringing together six straight wins, the Capitals have gone just 3-4-3 since.
Snapping out of a three-game skid, they enter tonight’s matchup on the heels of an important 4-3 overtime win over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday at Prudential Center.
Aliaksei Protas, Anthony Beauvillier and Alexander Ovechkin all scored for Washington in regulation, while Jako Chychrun provided the heroics with the game-winner in overtime.
Tom Wilson leads the Capitals in scoring with 34 points (17G, 17A), while Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leader in goals, ranks second with 33 points (15G, 18A). Evolving into an offensive force on the blue line, Chychrun leads all NHL defensemen with 15 goals.
A familiar face across the ice, Justin Sourdif, who was traded from the Panthers to the Capitals in June, has tallied nine points (3G, 6A) in a career-high 37 games this season.
"He's hit the right spot and is having a lot of success,” Maurice said of Sourdif, a third-round pick of the Panthers in 2020. “We're really happy for him. He's a really good person. Very hard working and loved by his teammates. He’s got some skill.”
Owning a 15-9-3 record with a .917 save percentage, Logan Thompson will get the start for the Capitals. Hitting a rough patch, he’s surrendered 13 goals over his last three starts, but stopped 35 of 38 shots during Saturday’s win over the Devils.
In their first meeting back on Nov. 13, the Panthers cruised to a 6-3 win over the Capitals behind three-point performances from Sam Reinhart (2G, 1A) Anton Lundell (3A) and Luostarinen (1G, 2A), as well as an outstanding 37-save showing from Daniil Tarasov.
This will be the last time the Panthers play the Capitals in Sunrise this season.
“They’re obviously a great team,” Bennett said. “They play hard, and we know that. I think our focus is back on us and getting back to our game, which is pretty simple hockey. It’s getting on the forecheck, getting pucks to the net. Our start is going to be key tonight.”
THEY SAID IT
“It’s always good. Getting to play against the greatest goal scorer of all time is cool no matter who you are. Obviously, they’re legends of the game. Not going to treat them any differently out there, but definitely cool to play against guys like that.” – Sam Bennett on facing Alexander Ovechkin
"He looks awesome,” Verhaeghe said. “Good to see him back out there. He brought us some energy today, for sure. He's worked so hard and he's a huge part of this team over the last few years. To have him back in our lineup will definitely be a huge boost." – Carter Verhaeghe on Matthew Tkachuk returning to practice
FIVE CATS STATS
- The Panthers are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Capitals in Sunrise.
- The Panthers own an 89.6% success rate on the penalty kill since Nov. 26.
- Sam Reinhart has dished out five assists during his four-game point streak.
- Sam Bennett is on a six-game point streak (3G, 3A).
- The Panthers are 10-1-1 when Anton Lundell scores a goal this season.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
FORWARDS
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand
Mackie Samoskevich – Evan Rodrigues – A.J. Greer
Jack Studnicka – Luke Kunin – Jesper Boqvist
DEFENSEMEN
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Daniil Tarasov
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Dec. 1: F Jack Studnicka was recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Monday, December 29 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV
Radio: 560 WQAM-AM (Dade/Broward); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers GameDay App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Tickets: Click Here
