SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers will be in search of two crucial points when they wrap up their season series with the Winnipeg Jets at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.
With only four games left until the league breaks for the Olympics, the Panthers (28-22-3) currently trail the Boston Bruins by eight points for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with two games in hand.
No strangers to adversity, the Panthers, who still have several key players out with long-term injuries, will take the ice against the Jets without both Anton Lundell and Brad Marchand.
“Neither will play tonight,” head coach Paul Maurice said of Lundell and Marchand, who’ve combined for 40 goals this season. “They’re both day-to-day. Every day is important for us. They get another day’s rest. There’s a possibility we see them come back [next game], or at least one of them.”
After sweeping their three-game road trip, the Panthers have dropped each of their last two games, including a 5-4 loss in the waning seconds of regulation in St. Louis on Thursday.
Trailing 4-2 in the second period, Matthew Tkachuk pulled the Panthers even against the Blues with a pair of goals – his first and second of the season. But with 7.6 seconds remaining on the clock in regulation, Jimmy Snuggerud put St. Louis up 5-4 with a goal on the power play.
Back like he never left, Tkachuk has notched six points (2G, 3A) in six games since making his season debut following surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle and sports hernia.
“That’s what he does,” teammate Sam Reinhart said of Tkachuk’s immediate impact.
In net, the Panthers will roll with Sergei Bobrovsky.
Just like Florida, the Jets are also in need of points.
Sitting 10 points out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, the Jets (21-25-7) have lost five of their last seven games, including a 4-1 loss at Tampa Bay on Thursday.
Kyle Connor scored the lone goal against the Lightning, who received a 23-save performance from Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Mark Schiefele leads Winnipeg in goals (26), assists (28) and points (64), while Connor ranks second in scoring with 61 points (24G, 37A). On the blue line, Josh Morrissey leads the team’s defensemen in scoring with 42 points (10G, 32A).
On a heater, Scheifele has racked up 19 points (8G, 11A) over his last 15 games.
Between the pipes, the Jets are likely to turn to Connor Hellebuyck, who’s gone 13-15-6 with a .902 save percentage this season. A down season for the league’s reigning Vezina Trophy winner, Hellebuyck has picked up the win in just four of his last 19 appearances.
Last meeting a little over a week ago on Jan. 22, the Panthers squeaked out a 2-1 shootout win over the Jets on the road at Canada Life Centre. Reinhart and Lundell each scored in the skills competition, while Daniil Tarasov stopped 17 of 18 shots in regulation.
“Both teams haven’t shifted,” Maurice said. “We’ve got a couple guys out from that lineup [last time we played them], but both teams are fairly close to the style that they played. They liked their game, or than they couldn’t generate much, and we’d feel the same way.”
Over their last four games against Winnipeg, the Panthers have gone 2-1-1.
THEY SAID IT
“We are paying the price for a tough schedule and a lot of guys out of the lineup. We’ve run some guys so hard that they’re doing it on will now.” – Paul Maurice on Florida’s last two losses
“It’s nice to have him back. He’s in his hometown and probably fired up to play here.” – Uvis Balinskis on Matthew Tkachuk’s three-point night in St. Louis
FIVE CATS STATS
- Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers with 10 power-play goals.
- Twelve different Panthers have recorded at least 20 points so far this season.
- Brad Marchand leads Florida in assists (16) and points (30) at home.
- Sam Bennett has dished out an assist in each of the last two games.
- Jeff Petry is three assists away from his 300th NHL assist.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
FORWARDS
Carter Verhaeghe – Evan Rodrigues – Sam Reinhart
Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Cole Schwindt – A.J. Greer
Sandis Vilmanis – Luke Kunin – Jesper Boqvist
DEFENSEMEN
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Uvis Balinskis
Tobias Bjornfot – Jeff Petry
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Daniil Tarasov
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Jan. 21: F Jack Studnicka loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Jan. 19: F Noah Gregor loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Jan. 16: D Uvis Balinskis agreed to terms on two-year contract extension
- Jan. 10: F Sandis Vilmanis recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Saturday, Jan. 31 at 4 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV
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
Tickets: Click Here
