SUNRISE, Fla. – After enjoying a four-day break to rest up for the home stretch, the Florida Panthers will return to action against the streaking Nashville Predators at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday.
Coming out of their break trailing the Boston Bruins by three points for first place in the Atlantic Division with a pair of games in hand, the Panthers enter tonight’s matchup with a 45-19-4 record.
“It’s a pretty weird situation to have this many days without a game, but I think it’s going to be good for our team,” Panthers forward Anton Lundell said. “We’ve got some energy and some recovery. At the same time, we got a few good practices in. We’re pretty excited to play again after a while.”
After sitting out the last two practices, Matthew Tkachuk is expected to take the ice against the Predators while Aleksander Barkov, who’s also been nursing a minor injury, is a game-time decision.
Both players participated in this morning’s skate.
“This is not major,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said of Barkov's injury. “The question is can we clean something up with another day? That’s what we’re trying to figure out. Matthew’s going to go.”
Losing consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 17-19, the Panthers went into their break on the heels of a 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. Nearly clawing their way back from a 4-0 deficit, they led 38-5 in shots on goal over the final two periods of action, but just fell short.
In defeat, the Panthers led 4.61-2.41 in expected goals, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
Tip your cap to Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and his 47 saves.
Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers in goals (48) and points (79). Tkachuk ranks second in scoring with 76 points (22 goals, 54 assists). Tied for third, Carter Verhaeghe and Barkov have each logged 66 points. Verhaeghe also ranks second on the team in goals (30), with 22 coming at even strength.
Making his fourth straight start, Sergei Bobrovsky will get the nod in net against Nashville. Owning a 32-14-2 record with a .916 save percentage this season, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner has gone 11-4-0 over his last 15 appearances.
With Dmitry Kulikov set to serve the first game of a two-game suspension he received for an elbowing penalty in the loss to the Lightning, the Panthers recalled defenseman Uvis Balinskis from the AHL this morning to bolster their blue line.
Appearing in 18 games with the Panthers this season, the 27-year-old recorded a goal and an assist. In 35 games with the Charlotte Checkers, he’s logged 21 points (three goals, 18 assists).
Put in a familiar spot, Balinskis will share the blue line with Josh Mahura against the Predators. When Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour were injured at the start of the season, Balinskis and Mahura were paired up for 136:18 at 5-on-5.
“He’s obviously a great player,” Mahura said. “There’s obviously the familiarity between him and I, but also just the team in general. It’s great to see him back up here. We’re going to have some fun tonight.”
Making an impressive second-half push in the Western Conference, the Predators enter tonight’s matchup riding a 15-game point streak, which is the longest active streak in the NHL. During that torrid stretch of success, they’ve recorded a 13-0-2 record while outscoring the opposition 65-29.
In their last outing, the Predators enjoyed an 8-2 beatdown of the San Jose Sharks at home.
After the Sharks took a 2-1 lead in the second period, the next seven goals belonged to the Predators, who had seven different players light the lamp in the win. Earning first-star honors, Michael McCarron scored two goals, including what went on to hold up as the game-winner.
Picking up his 30th win of the season, Juuse Saros stopped 18 of 20 shots.
“I’m really proud of the group,” Nashville head coach Andrew Brunette told reporters after the lopsided win. “It wasn’t going to be easy, but we dug in a little bit deeper and we found our game.”
A 2024 NHL All-Star, Filip Forsberg leads the Predators in goals (36) and points (74). Second in scoring on the team, Roman Josi ranks third among NHL defensemen with 70 points (18 goals, 52) assists). Sitting third in scoring, Gustav Nyquist has registered 60 points (18 goals, 42 assists).
Meeting for the second and final time this season, the Panthers topped the Predators 4-1 in their first matchup at Bridgestone Arena on Jan. 22. Sam Bennett had three assists in the win, while Tkachuk and Verhaeghe each produced a goal and an assist. In net, Anthony Stolarz 26 saves.
In 17 career games against Nashville, Tkachuk has racked up 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists).
“They’ve been really good the last 15 games," Lundell said of Nashville. "We know we’re going to get a good team against us. I think it’s going to be important to find our game right away after a break. Everybody is fresh and full of energy. Everything is there. We just need to dial it in right away.”
As a reminder, it’s "White Out Night" in Sunrise!
The Panthers will be wearing their road white jerseys, so fans are encouraged to do the same.
PREGAME QUOTES
“When we look at our schedule it’s pretty much a game every second day until the playoffs. It’s probably the last push, the last games. We want to shape our game as everyone else wants as well. Just trying to play the best we can and keep building from game to game.” – Anton Lundell
“[The Predators] are a hot team right now. We’ve got a great test in front of us tonight. We’re just looking at us, looking to build our game and play our best hockey tonight.” – Josh Mahura
FIVE CATS STATS
- The Panthers own a 13-0-1 record in games in which Sam Bennett scores a goal.
- The Panthers have scored on the power play in eight of their last 11 games.
- Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers with 10 multi-goal games.
- Matthew Tkachuk is tied for first on the Panthers with 22 multi-point games.
- Carter Verhaeghe leads the Panthers with 45 points at even strength.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Evan Rodrigues – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Nick Cousins – Eetu Luostarinen – Vladimir Tarasenko
Jonah Gadjovich – Kevin Stenlund – Ryan Lomberg
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Niko Mikkola – Brandon Montour
Josh Mahura – Uvis Balinskis
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Anthony Stolarz
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- March 21: D Uvis Balinskis recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- March 17: G Evan Cormier loaned to Florida (ECHL)
- March 16: G Evan Cormier recalled from Florida (ECHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Thursday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: Hulu, ESPN+
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM Channel 221 / App & Streaming 932; Panthers App
Tickets: Click Here
