"We're really excited to continue building off our home record here," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said after morning skate. "These are always tricky games coming back from a trip. We have to be ready to go. We've got a little bit of an angry Nashville team here."
Coming back strong from the break, the Panthers defeated the Hurricanes (3-2 OT) and Wild (6-2) before finishing off their three-game sweep on the road with a 5-2 win at Chicago on Sunday.
Leading the NHL in goals (206), Florida has registered at least five goals in a league-best 22 games this season, while also scoring at least six goals in nine games. Nine different Panthers have accumulated at least 11 goals, while eight have dished out at least 20 assists this season.
Over their last nine games on the road, the Cats have posted a 7-2-0 record.
"One of the things we've been working on is our road game, and I think we were up to the challenge on this trip," Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe said. "We're always really good at home and hopefully we can continue that. On the road trip we played a solid three games."
Lighting the lamp in all three games on the trip, Aaron Ekblad was named the NHL's "Second Star of the Week" on Monday after posting six points (three goals, three assists) in three games.
Jonathan Huberdeau paces the Panthers and ranks tied for second in the NHL in scoring with 70 points (17 goals, 53 assists). Tied for second on the team in scoring, Ekblad also sits fifth in points (47) and second in both goals (13) and plus/minus (+35) among the league's blueliners.
"I think he's playing like he did [before his injury] last year, maybe even another step up," Brunette said of Ekblad, whose 47 points have already set a new career-high. "Some of our guys could easily be in the top-3 stars every week. He's been that good this year."
In recent weeks, the third line has certainly been shining bright.
Dating back to Jan. 25, the dynamic trio of Mason Marchment (nine goals, seven assists), Sam Reinhart (five goals, seven assists) and rookie phenom Anton Lundell (two goal, nine assists) has combined to register 16 goals and 23 assists during an incredibly torrid eight-game stretch.
"We read each other and just make plays," said Lundell, a contender for the Calder Trophy. "We go out and have fun. It's been a lot of fun to play. I feel like we get better all the time. Even if we have some good games, we just try to improve our game as a line and as a team, too."
Holding onto the first wild card spot in the Western Conference, the Predators, who sit at 28-18-4, saw their losing streak reach four games with a 5-3 loss at Carolina on Friday. During their active slump, they've surrendered at least four goals in each game while being outscored 18-9.
A contender for the Norris Trophy, Roman Josi, who won the award in 2019-20, leads the Predators in scoring and is tied for first among all NHL defensemen with 51 points (13 goals, 38 assists). Not far behind him, Matt Duchene (44) and Filip Forsberg (41) have also crossed the 40-point plateau for Nashville, which is averaging 3.04 goals per game this season as a team.
In net tonight, the Predators will either turn to all-star Juuse Saros, who's gone 24-15-3 with a .923 save percentage, or backup David Rittich, who sits at 6-3-2 with a .882 save percentage.
Manning the home crease, Sergei Bobrovsky will start his fourth straight game since coming back from the break. On a personal six-game winning streak, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner has gone 26-4-3 with a .919 save percentage this season. Nearly unbeatable on home ice, he's also amassed a stellar 16-1-0 record with a .926 save percentage at FLA Live Arena.
Facing off for the first time this season, the Panthers owned a 5-2-1 record against Nashville in 2021-22 as Huberdeau led the Cats with 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in those games.
"I think their game is up another notch or two," Brunette said of Nashville. "Their big guys are having big years. They're very well coached and disciplined with how they play. They're going to try to limit as much as space as we can get. They're playing on top of their game this year. I've watched them multiple times, and there's not a lot of space. They're a very competitive group."
