SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers will close the book on another back-to-back when they host the New York Islanders for a battle at Amerant Bank Arena on Sunday.
Winning each of the first two games on their three-game homestand, the Panthers enter tonight’s matchup sitting first in the Atlantic Division with a record of 31-19-3.
“We like where our game’s at and we’re trying to build something here and get to our identity,” forward Carter Verhaeghe said. “The last few weeks, we’ve been playing well.”
In the first half of their back-to-back, the Panthers put forth a dominant effort.
After falling behind 1-0 to the Chicago Blackhawks just seven seconds into the first period, the defending Stanley Cup champions put their nose to the grindstone and got to work.
Cruising to a 5-1 win, the Panthers finished with a 46-22 advantage in scoring chances.
Ten different players recorded at least one point in the win, while Jonah Gadjovich, Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, Evan Rodrigues and Verhaeghe all touched twine.
Between the pipes, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 24 of 25 shots.
“There’s a different flow all the time,” said Bobrovsky, who’s gone 4-0-0 with a .953 save percentage over his last four appearances. “Every game, you face a different flow. You just try and stay focused and be ready.”
After missing the win over the Blackhawks due to an illness, rookie forward Mackie Samoskevich’s status for tonight’s tilt is still up in the air. If he’s unable to take the ice, Gadjovich will likely stick on the fourth line and Florida will roll with the same lineup.
Giving Bobrovsky a breather, Spencer Knight will likely get the start.
Owning a 9-8-1 record with a .905 save percentage, the 23-year-old goaltender has been very strong at home this season, going 4-3-0 with an impressive .934 save percentage.
As a team, the Panthers have allowed two or fewer goals in six of their last seven games.
“Our analytics are really strong here in the last month,” said head coach Paul Maurice, who picked up the 900th win of his career last night. “I don’t think we’ve had enough wins to kind of celebrate the quality of our play, which I like even more. You get on runs when you’re playing well and it disappears, but if you can go a month and move as five really well, defend as five, and you stay with it, then I think you get to keep it longer.”
Across the ice, the Islanders are suddenly surging.
Arriving to Sunrise on a seven-game winning streak, the Islanders find themselves just three points out of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference at 24-20-7.
On Saturday, New York earned a 3-2 win in overtime at Tampa Bay.
After being claimed off waivers from the Panthers on Friday, Adam Boqvist joined Kyle Palmieri in lighting the lamp for New York in regulation. Coming off the bench at the perfect time in the extra frame, Tony DeAngelo netted the game-winning goal for the Islanders.
Over the course of their winning streak, the Islanders have led 24-9 in goals.
In that stretch, their 1.29 goals allowed per game ranks first in the NHL.
“Everybody’s dialed in, obviously it’s a four-point game if it goes the other way,” DeAngelo said after the win against the Lightning. “Everyone knows where they standings are at and we have a long way to go, but these games mean a lot.”
Anders Lee and Bo Horvat are tied for first on the Islanders in scoring with 39 points apiece, while Palmieri ranks third with 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists). Missing time due to an injury earlier this season, Mathew Barzal has tallied 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in 30 games.
After Ilya Sorokin made 28 saves at Tampa Bay, there’s no guarantee he gets a breather.
With Semyon Varlamov and Marcus Hogberg both injured, Jakub Skarek was recalled from the AHL earlier this week.
With Bridgeport in the AHL, Skarek has gone 5-11-1 with a .895 save percentage.
In their first meeting this season, the Panthers earned a 6-3 win on Long Island.
After falling behind 3-0, the Panthers scored six straight goals to stun the home team.
Leading the comeback, Tkachuk notched two goals and one assist.
If you’re attending tonight’s game, make sure to arrive early!
The Panthers will recognize Dmitry Kulikov skating in 1,000 NHL games prior to puck drop.
THEY SAID IT
“They were real happy for me. You love to skate by and see all the smiles. I think that’s just the group that we have here. It’s a lot of laughs, a lot of smiles, and we have a good time when we come to the rink.” – Jonah Gadjovich on scoring vs. Chicago
“I really liked our first period. It was a battle all night. We were just kinda trying to focus on what we do out there, trying to stick with our game.” – Carter Verhaeghe on the win vs. Chicago
FIVE CATS STATS
- Florida’s combined 52.2 faceoff win percentage ranks second in the NHL.
- Sam Reinhart is the first player in Panthers history with four straight 30-goal seasons.
- Matthew Tkachuk has scored in each of the last two games.
- Jesper Boqvist has scored eight goals over his last 19 games.
- The Panthers fourth in the NHL with a 54.72 xGF% at 5-on-5, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Jesper Boqvist – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Evan Rodrigues
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Jonah Gadjovich
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov
Uvis Balinskis – Nate Schmidt
Goaltenders
Spencer Knight
Sergei Bobrovsky
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- Jan. 31: D Adam Boqvist claimed on waivers by New York Islanders
- Jan. 26: D Tobias Bjornfot loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Sunday, Feb. 2 at 6 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX, ESPN+ (out of market)
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT-AM & 92.1 WZZR-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); Panthers App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Tickets: Click Here