PHILADELPHIA – Less than 24 hours after a hard-fought battle in the Big Apple, the Florida Panthers will face another tough test against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.
Leaving New York with a point following the 4-3 shootout loss to the Rangers on Saturday, the Panthers will have to regroup quickly in order to take down another tough team from the Metropolitan Division.
“It’s kind of a crazy back-to-back playing a six o’clock tomorrow, but we’ll grind it out and find a way,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said after the loss to the Rangers. “We’re built for these games.”
Owning a 5-4-1 record in their last 10 games and sitting at 45-20-5 overall, the Panthers are still in the driver’s seat in the Atlantic Division. Entering tonight’s matchup, they trail the Boston Bruins by just two points for first place with two games in hand. The two teams also have two head-to-head matchups left.
In New York, the Panthers took the ice without several key players, including both of their top-pair D-men – Aaron Ekblad (lower body) and Gustav Forsling (illness) – as well as captain Aleksander Barkov.
Ekblad and Barkov are likely to sit out again tonight, while Forsling’s status remains up in the air.
“He wasn’t doing great,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said of Forsling’s illness last night. “It wasn’t close. We held him out easily. If he’s feeling better, it’s a possibility.”
One of the league’s most underrated defensemen, Forsling has brought stability on both sides of the ice for the Panthers, logging 35 points (10 goals, 25 assists) to go with an NHL-best +46 plus/minus rating.
Luckily, the Panthers will be getting at least one player back against the Flyers as defenseman Dmitry Kulikov is expected to return to action following a two-game suspension for an elbowing penalty.
Between the pipes, Anthony Stolarz, who began his NHL career with the Flyers, will likely start for the Panthers after backing up Sergei Bobrovsky in New York. In 21 appearances this season, the stalwart backup has registered a 13-5-2 record with a 2.02 goals-against average and .925 save percentage.
Also playing on the second half of a back-to-back, the Flyers defeated the Bruins on Saturday by a score of 3-2 thanks to a late goal from forward Tyson Foerster that came with just 1:29 remaining in regulation.
Sitting at 36-29-9 on the season, the Flyers are 5-3-2 in their last 10 games. Prior to their win over the Bruins, they went 1-0-1 in two games without their captain as Sean Couturier was healthy scratched. Likely coming in with extra motivation tonight, he’s tallied 36 points (11 goals, 25 assists) in 65 games.
Another player to keep an eye on against Philadelphia is former Panthers forward Owen Tippett, who’s scored eight goals in the past five games to increase his goal total on the season to 25. In four career games against his former team, the 25-year-old sniper has yet to light the lamp, but dished out an assist.
With starting goaltender Samuel Ersson stopping 18 of 20 shots in the win over Boston, the Flyers could give him a rest and turn to backup Felix Sandstrom against the Panthers. Last manning the crease on March 16, Sandstrom has played in just four games this season, going 1-1-0 with a .829 save percentage.
Facing off for the third and final time this season, the Panthers will try to get their first win against the Flyers in 2023-24 after enduring a pair of 2-1 losses in their two previous tight-checking matchups.
“You want to play some of the top teams around the league to get you ready,” Tkachuk said. “We’re trying to stay in the moment. It’s a little bit tough with playoffs right around the corner, but these games are just a great test all around.”
PREGAME QUOTES
“Bobby (Sergei Bobrovsky) played amazing. Some of those saves were incredible. All the way out, when we got to our game we played pretty well tonight.” – Matthew Tkachuk on Saturday’s loss to the Rangers
“It’s definitely one we can learn from, but it’s building towards what we want to do.” – Carter Verhaeghe on Saturday’s loss to the Rangers
FIVE CATS STATS
- Matthew Tkachuk has recorded 14 points (5G, 9A) in 14 career games against the Flyers.
- Carter Verhaeghe has dished out a career-high 37 assists this season.
- Sam Bennett ranks second among Florida’s forwards with 140 hits.
- Anton Lundell is winning 53.8% of his faceoffs.
- Sam Reinhart leads Panthers forwards with 20:15 of ice time per game.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Evan Rodrigues – Kevin Stenlund – Vladimir Tarasenko
Nick Cousins – Steven Lorentz – Ryan Lomberg
Defensemen
Josh Mahura – Brandon Montour
Niko Mikkola – Uvis Balinskis
Dmitry Kulikov – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Goaltenders
Anthony Stolarz
Sergei Bobrovsky
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- March 21: D Uvis Balinskis recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Sunday, March 24 at 6:00 p.m. ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports+
Radio: 790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM App & Streaming 932; Panthers App
