gamepreviewweb3-20-21

SUNRISE, Fla. - After having their winning streak snapped at four games, the Panthers will look to bounce back when they close out their homestand against the Predators on Saturday afternoon.
With puck drop scheduled for 2 p.m. ET, make sure to adjust your weekend plans accordingly.

"Last game it didn't work out the way we wanted, but you can't overthink it," Panthers forward Alex Wennberg said following Friday's practice. "Right now, it's just getting back to the things we did good and skate. It's a great opportunity here to play against them again and beat them."
Sitting in second place in the Central Division at 19-6-4, the Panthers have won six of their last eight games, but are coming off a 2-1 loss to the Predators on Thursday. In defeat, Jonathan Huberdeau scored Florida's lone goal, while Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 25 of 27 shots in net.
At the other end of the ice, Juuse Saros returned after a stint on the injured reserve list to post one of his best performances of the season. Peppered with pucks throughout the entire game, the 25-year-old goaltender gobbled up 40 of 41 shots to register his first victory since Feb. 28.
Providing all the offense for the Predators, Calle Jarnkrok potted a pair of goals.
"The games are going to get harder here," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said after the loss. "You've got Nashville playing for their lives now to try and get into the race and be a part of the playoff picture. Everybody knows the value of the points going forward."
With his goal last game, Huberdeau claimed sole possession of the top spot on the Florida's scoring list with 35 points (11 goals, 24 assists), which are also the seventh-most in the league. Only one point behind him, Aleksander Barkov has racked up 34 points (12 goals, 22 assists).
Oddly enough, however, it might actually be a defenseman that's carrying the hottest stick into today's matchup. Riding a season-long, six-game point streak, MacKenzie Weegar has tallied one goal and seven assists in that span, increasing his point total to 18 (two goals, 16 assists).
Among all NHL blueliners, Weegar ranks tied for second with 17 points at even-strength.
"He's just evolving in the right fashion," Quenneville said of Weegar, who skates with Aaron Ekblad on the club's top pairing "Defense is a point that we'll always emphasize as far as being a priority, and he adds to it with his possession game. It's a good thing going on for him."
In the blue paint, Chris Driedger will return to action after backing up Bobrovsky in each of the last five games. Showcasing his steadiness in net from the get-go, the 26-year-old goaltender owns a 7-3-2 record with a 2.40 goals-against average and .920 save percentage this season.
Facing the Predators on Feb. 5, Driedger made 24 saves to backstop Florida to a 2-1 victory.
"We have two really good goalies," Wennberg said. "With the schedule that we have, it's great to have a guy play one game and then the next guy step in. It doesn't matter who's in net, we're comfortable with both of them. I think it's really good for our team to have that advantage."
Occupying sixth place in the Central Division at 13-16-1, the Predators are currently six points behind the Blackhawks for the all-valuable fourth spot. After losing six of seven games, they've since recorded a pair of very impressive wins over the Lightning and Panthers so far this week.
Filip Forsberg leads the team in scoring with 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists), including three goals and seven assists in five games against the Panthers this season. That being said, it's Jarnkrok that could pose the biggest threat on the ice today. Including his two-goal outburst on Thursday, the 29-year-old has produced three goals and four assists over his last three games.
"It's nice to see him be able to get rewarded for the opportunities he's getting," Predators coach John Hynes said of red-hot forward via the team's official website. "And when he's getting his opportunities, he's bearing down. You don't score if you're not in those scoring areas and you're not finishing your chances, but it's how he goes about his business. The way he practices is the same way he plays in the game, and that's why he's been able to execute as well as he has."
With both goaltenders coming off strong starts, the Predators will either go with Pekka Rinne or Saros in net. While Saros is only two days removed from his 40-save performance on Thursday, Rinne appeared just as sharp when he made 38 stops in a 4-1 win at Tampa Bay on Monday.
As it stands now, Saros is 6-5-0 with a 2.92 goals-against average and .904 save percentage, while Rinne is 7-11-1 with a 3.09 goals-against average and .899 save percentage.
Overall, the Panthers own a 3-1-1 record against the Predators this season.

TEAM RECORDS

FLA:19-6-4, 42 PTS
NSH:13-16-1, 27 PTS
FLA all-time vs. NSH:18-10-3-6

PANTHERS NOTES

-- Spreading out the offense, the Panthers are currently the only team in the NHL with six 10-goal scorers in their lineup. Those players are Aleksander Barkov (12), Patric Hornqvist (11), Carter Verhaeghe (11), Jonathan Huberdeau (11), Aaron Ekblad (10) and Frank Vatrano (10).
-- Ekblad ranks second among NHL defensemen in goals (10) and first in power-play goals (6). Over his last eight contests, he's registered nine points (four goals, five assists).
-- Radko Gudas leads the Panthers and ranks third in the NHL with 134 hits.
-- Hornqvist ranks tied for second on Florida in goals (11), including six on the power play. In 15 career games against the Predators, he's recorded nine points (three goals, six assists). In the midst of his 13th season in the NHL, he's expected to suit up in his 800th career game today.
-- Verhaeghe leads the Panthers and is tied for sixth in the NHL with 11 goals at even-strength. Over his past five games, he's accumulated five points (three goals, two assists).
-- Florida has gone 11-for-11 on the penalty kill over its last three games.
-- Noel Acciari, Huberdeau and Verhaeghe all took maintenance days and were absent from Friday's practice, but Coach Q said after that he's "thinking that they could all play tomorrow."
With today's puck drop slated for 2 p.m. ET, an accurate lineup won't be known until warmups.

PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

Forwards
Mason Marchment - Aleksander Barkov - Carter Verhaeghe
Jonathan Huberdeau - Alex Wennberg - Patric Hornqvist
Frank Vatrano - Eetu Luostarinen - Owen Tippett
Noel Acciari - Juho Lammikko - Anthony Duclair
Defensemen
MacKenzie Weegar - Aaron Ekblad
Keith Yandle - Anton Stralman
Gustav Forsling - Radko Gudas
Goaltenders
Chris Driedger
Sergei Bobrovsky
Scratches:Vinnie Hinostroza, Ryan Lomberg, Markus Nutivaara
Taxi squad: Riley Stillman, Brett Connolly, Kevin Connauton, Philippe Desrosiers
Injured reserve: Noah Juulsen (upper body)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

  • March 19: F Grigori Denisenko was reassigned to Syracuse (AHL).
    - March 13: F Anthony Duclair was activated from IR; D Riley Stillman was loaned to the Taxi Squad.
    - March 9: D Markus Nutivaara was activated from IR; F Owen Tippett was recalled from the Taxi Squad.

IN-ARENA ACTIVATIONS

-
50/50 Raffle
- The Panthers will celebrate Pride Day. Dr. Shelly Slapion-Foote from the YES Institute will be honored during the game. Dr. Shelly is an active volunteer with YES institute as a clinical therapist volunteer and is a huge front-line support to many gay and transgender youth during this pandemic with counseling services provided virtually. In February 2020, the Panthers honored YES Institute as a Community Champion awarding them a $25,000 grant for their work in our community.
The Panthers will honor Umut Dursun as our Military Hero as part of the club's Heroes Among Us program. Umut was nominatedby our community partner, YES Institute. He was a sergeant in the US Marine Corps. A former Marine in Miami who transitioned from female to male after his service, Umut currently works as the Executive Director of Education for YES Institute.
The South Florida Gay Men's Chorus will have their soloist at BB&T Center to sing the National Anthem prior to the game. A Panthers Pride hat will also be available at
FLATeamShop.com
for purchase.
- A limited number of fans will be admitted to BB&T Center for home games this season. Learn that have been taken as a part of the "Red Reminders" program presented in conjunction with Baptist Health South Florida at
FloridaPanthers.com/RedReminders
.
- Mobile Ordering is now available at BB&T Center for Panthers games. Visit
FloridaPanthers.com/MobileOrdering
for all the info.

HOW TO WATCH / LISTEN

When: Saturday, March 20 at 2:00 p.m. ET
Where:BB&T Center - Sunrise, FL
TV: FOX Sports Florida
Stream:
FOX Sports GO
Radio:560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 107.9 FM/1370 AM WZTA (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM Ch. 223 / Streaming 932
Tickets:
HERE