RALEIGH, N.C. – The Florida Panthers will look to stretch their winning streak to three games when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
After starting their six-game road trip with losses at Montreal and Toronto, the Panthers enter tonight’s tilt on the heels of consecutive wins over Ottawa (3-2) and Buffalo (4-3).
At 24-18-3, Florida remains on the cusp of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
“We’ve played a solid eight periods or so, so just continue to build off that,” forward Evan Rodrigues said of turning things around on the road trip. “Don’t get complacent. It’s going to be a dog fight in the East from here until the end of the season. Every point matters, every game matters, and you’ve got to find a way to be ready for each one.”
In between their win over the Sabres on Monday and tonight’s matchup with the Hurricanes, the Panthers managed to squeeze in a few days back in South Florida and also a trip to the White House on Thursday to be honored as 2025 Stanley Cup champions.
Over the course of their last two wins – which have come without both Matthew Tkachuk (lower body) and Brad Marchand (undisclosed) – Carter Verhaeghe leads the Panthers in scoring with five points (1G, 4A), while Gustav Forsling ranks second with 3 points (1G, 2A).
Lighting the lamp twice in Buffalo, A.J. Greer’s two goals lead the team in that span.
Getting the nod in the first half of the back-to-back, Sergei Bobrovsky will man the crease against the Hurricanes. Owning a 19-12-1 record with a .881 save percentage this season, the veteran netminder boats a .923 save percentage in 34 career games against Carolina.
Out since Nov. 17 with a broken arm, Cole Schwindt will return to the lineup tonight.
Claimed off waivers on Oct. 3, the big center has scored two goals in 10 games this season.
“I thought he got up to speed and he was playing exceptionally well when he got injured,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “He’s going back in on the first day he feels strong enough to play, and we’re hoping to get him back up to speed again as quickly as we can.”
Getting some business done this morning, the Panthers inked defenseman Uvis Balinskis to a two-year contract extension that will keep him in South Florida through at least the 2027-28 season.
Suiting up in 138 games over parts of three seasons with the Panthers, Balinskis, who was scouted from the Czech Extraliga, has produced 29 points (6G, 23A) during his NHL career.
Scoring one goal in five playoff games with the Panthers during last season’s run, Balinskis became just the third Latvian-born player to have their name engraved on the Stanley Cup.
“I didn’t expect any of this at all,” Balinskis said of his time with the Panthers. “I’m grateful it all happened to me. Yeah, it’s good. … We have a great group. We have a championship team, and it’s great to be part of this. Everybody makes you better every day.”
Leading the Metropolitan Division at 28-15-4, the Hurricanes have followed a four-game winning streak with back-to-back losses on the road at Detroit (4-3 OT) and St. Louis (3-0).
Sebastian Aho leads the Hurricanes in scoring with 45 points (17G, 28A), while Andrei Svechnikov is second with 35 points (12g, 23A). After them, three other players have crossed the 30-point mark this season: Nikolaj Ehlers (34), Seth Jarvis (33) and Shayne Gostisbehere (32).
Dealing with an illness, Gostisbehere’s status for tonight’s game is currently up in the air.
Between the pipes, the Hurricanes can turn to either Brandon Bussi or Frederik Andersen. Bussi, who was claimed off waivers from the Panthers prior to this season, has gone 16-3-1 with a .904 save percentage, while Andersen sits at 6-10-3 with a .863 save percentage.
Already 2-0-0 against the Hurricanes this season, the Panthers are trying to complete their first season sweep of Carolina since they went 3-0-0 during the 2021-22 campaign.
In their last meeting with the Hurricanes on Dec. 23, the Panthers overcame a two-goal deficit in the third period to secure a 5-2 win.
“Just a good 60 minutes,” Rodrigues said of the key to securing the season sweep. “They play hard, they play fast, so we have to be ready to match that. Don’t try to be too cute. Just play north and try to be on their D (defensemen).”
THEY SAID IT
“It’s his personality and his character. That’s what that contract is. He’s worked so hard to get better. He’s handled long stretches out of our lineup, and then come in during the playoffs, and in big games and performed very well. He competes how we’d like our hockey team to compete. It’s great that those guys get rewarded, too.” – Paul Maurice on Uvis Balinskis’ contract extension
“Just a good human. He’s a good person, good player. He does what’s asked of him and never complains. A guy who can bring a little jam of when he gets in there.” – Evan Rodrigues on Uvis Balinskis’ contract extension
FIVE CATS STATS
- Since Jan. 1, Anton Lundell is winning 57.5% of his faceoffs.
- The Panthers have low 256 total man games due to injury so far this season.
- Since Nov. 11, the Panthers lead with the NHL with a 96.9% success rate on the PK.
- Sam Bennett has notched four points (2G, 2A) over his last four games.
- Since Jan. 1, Mackie Samoskevich leads the Panthers with 14 hits.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
FORWARDS
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – A.J. Greer
Sandis Vilmanis – Evan Rodrigues – Mackie Samoskevich
Jesper Boqvist – Cole Scwhindt – Luke Kunin
DEFENSEMEN
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Uvis Balinskis
Donovan Sebrango – Jeff Petry
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Daniil Tarasov
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Jan. 10: F Sandis Vilmanis recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Jan. 4: D Tobias Bjornfot was recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Friday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Lenovo Center – Raleigh, NC
TV & Streaming: NHL Network, WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV
Radio: 104.3 WQAM-FM/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
