PREVIEW: Panthers look to defend home ice in Game 3 vs. Golden Knights

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers are counting on some home cooking.

After dropping the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final on the road, the "Comeback Cats" now look to defend their own building against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 3 at FLA Live Arena on Thursday.

Overall, the Panthers have won four of their last five games in Sunrise.

"Coming back home, I think it's a breath of fresh air for every one of us to take care of home ice like we have all playoffs and make this a series," said forward Matthew Tkachuk, who leads the Panthers in goals (10), assists (12) and points (22) in the postseason. "You can't make it a series unless you win this game tonight. All we're focused on is winning one game."

After opening up the series with a 5-2 loss, the Panthers suffered a 7-2 defeat in Game 2 as penalty minutes piled up and the Knights found success generating offense off of the rush. Combining for the second-most PIMs in a single game in the history of the Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers and Knights teamed up for 148 penalty minutes as tempers flared from start to finish.

Through the first two games of the series, Vegas has gone 4-for-11 on the man advantage.

"I think the boys are fired up, a lot of emotions," said forward Anthony Duclair, who lit the lamp in Game 1 against the Knights. "At the same time, we just need to be a little smarter in certain situations. The last thing we want to do is keep taking penalties and putting those guys on the power play."

The good news for the Panthers is that Radko Gudas will be back on the ice for Game 3.

Gudas, who leads the playoffs with 81 hits, left Game 2 early in the first period after being hit in the head by Vegas forward Ivan Barbashev. While Gudas is expected to return, Eetu Luostarinen, who has yet to suit up since Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final, will remain sidelined with an undisclosed injury.

"Radko is obviously a force for us back there," said Josh Mahura, who serves as Gudas' partner on the blue line. "He can be a game-changing player any given shift with the way he plays."

After rolling with 11 forwards and seven defenseman in Game 2, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said he plans to go back to 12/6 in Game 3. When asked about his thoughts heading into tonight's big tilt, he said he wants to see his players dial back their signature physicality just a bit.

"I think the Boston series was more physical than this series," Maurice said. "I think we've made this series more physical than it needs to be. We had 22 hits in the first period in Game 2. Prorate that out, you don't need 66 hits in a game. There's an energy cost to that."

In addition to staying out of the box, the Panthers still need to solve Adin Hill.

Fresh off a 33-save performance in Game 1, the Knights goalie stopped 29 of 31 shots in Game 2, including gobbling up all 12 shots he faced on the penalty kill. Coming up with clutch saves in key moments, he's saved 3.02 goal above expected in the series, per NaturalStatTrick.com.

For the Panthers, Sergei Bobrovsky will man the crease in Game 3.

"It's really just the simple things," forward Sam Bennett said when asked about beating Hill. "It's getting more traffic to the net, more pucks to the net and making his life hard. He's a good goalie. He's a big goalie. We know that. We've faced good goalies all playoffs. It's just a matter of time. More pucks, more shots that we get to the net, the more success we're going to have."

Tied with Jack Eichel for first on Vegas with four points in the series, Jonathan Marchessault has been doing most of the damage on offense for the Knights. After lighting the lamp once in Game 1, he struck twice in Game 2. He's also scored on the power play in each game thus far.

Additionally, the line of Brett Howden, Chandler Stephenson and Mark Stone has also been very effective for Vegas, particularly in Game 2 with Howden finding the back of the net two times. At 5-on-5, the Knights have led 3-1 in goals with that line on the ice.

As for the Panthers, Anton Lundell and Duclair have been the top producers on offense against the Knights. Lundell, who along with Tkachuk scored the only goals for Florida in Game 2, has tallied two points in the series, while Duclair has also accumulated a goal and an assist thus far.

Despite trailing 2-0 in the series, the Panthers are confident they can change their forunte tonight.

"It's a must-win," Duclair said. "We know the situation. I think even going back to the Boston series, it's not a position you want to be in, but at the same time it brings out the best in us. We're looking forward to the challenge. Coming home, we're going to be energized."

THEY SAID IT

"They're a different team than anyone we've played in these playoffs. I think they're most similar to Boston in terms of size, physicality and how they seal it out and get to our net. We've definitely been able to handle that in the past." -- forward Sam Bennett

"We do have to tweak a few things to improve the results of how we're playing right now. In Game 1 it was right there for us and unfortunately we didn't come out with it, but in Game 2 we definitely got beat all over the ice in every facet of the game. We definitely have a lot to improve on to get the win tonight."-- forward Matthew Tkachuk

"Just being home, just having our crowd by our side and just being comfortable playing in front of our home fans has been a real huge key for us. We're looking forward to the challenge here the next two games." -- forward Anthony Duclair

"[The Knights] did what they needed to do. We need to win these games at home to hold serve. The difference in all our perceptions of the game is, until you go back and watch the game very closely the next day without the emotion, is so much based on the fans. You crack a bar and the home crowd is going to go berserk. You do it on the road and it's a whisper." -- head coach Paul Maurice

PLAYOFF LEADERS

Panthers

Goals:Tkachuk (10)

Assists:Tkachuk (12)

Points:Tkachuk (22)

Knights

Goals:Marchessault (12)

Assists: Eichel (16)

Points:Eichel (22)

PANTHERS PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

Check back closer to puck drop.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

- May 8:F Mackie Samoskevich agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract

HOW TO WATCH

When:Thursday, June 8 at 8 p.m. ET

Where:FLA Live Arena - Sunrise, FL

TV & Streaming: TNT, TBS, truTV, SN, CBC, TVAS

Radio:560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 92.1 WZZR (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); Sirius 138, SiriusXM Channel 220 / App & Streaming 932; NHL App

Tickets:Click Here