DALLAS – Showdown in Texas.
In the third game of their current four-game road trip, the Florida Panthers (15-13-2) will take on the Dallas Stars (21-6-5) at American Airlines Center on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
The second and final meeting of the regular season between the two teams, the Panthers defeated the Stars 4-3 in a shootout on Nov. 1, with goals from Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart, and Sam Bennett.
Marchand also scored the lone shootout goal in the win.
“We got to stick our identity and our start has to be key,” A.J. Greer said following the team’s morning skate. “It’s another fast team like Colorado; they move the puck well and have some really good offensive players.”
Looking to reset after their last outing, the Panthers fell 6-2 to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday at Ball Arena in Denver.
Scoring his first of the season, Noah Gregor found the back of the net in the first period to even the score at 1-1 before the Avalanche would eventually pull away.
Getting his fourth of the season, Mackie Samoskevich scored late in the third from a feed from A.J. Greer and Evan Rodrigues.
“You usually get a pretty good reset after those games,” head coach Paul Maurice said of resetting from the loss to Colorado. “Everybody knows it. Nobody's happy. You want to get it over with, get it off you.”
While the outcome wasn’t what the Panthers were looking for, a bright spot in the game was the continued success of the penalty kill.
Going a perfect three-for-three against the Avalanche, the Panthers have allowed just one power play goal in their last 19 times shorthanded (94.7%).
Against the league’s best power play in Dallas (33%), the battle of the two special teams could be critical in securing two points on Saturday night.
“I think the way we’ve been playing with that aggressiveness, the pressure we put on the other team, we want to keep doing that,” Gustav Forsling said of the team’s penalty kill.
Sergei Bobrovsky will get the start in net for the Panthers.
Over his career against the Stars, Bobrovsky owns a 20-2-2 record, .920 SV%, and 2.44 GAA.
Holding the second most wins in the NHL, the Stars (47 points) sit four points behind the Avalanche (51 points) for the top spot in the league and Central Division.
Coming off a 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Dallas is 8-1-1 in their last 10 games.
Prior to the loss, the Stars had an 11-game point streak.
A loaded offense, Dallas is led upfront by Mikko Rantanen, who leads the team with 42 points (13G, 29A) and ranks sixth in the NHL in points.
“He’s a super skilled player,” Forsling said of Rantanen. “Heavy on the puck, you want to stay on the right side and get sticks on puck. It’s a team effort, so everyone’s got to be dialed.”
The play of Jason Robertson also can’t be missed, as he leads the Stars with 20 goals on the season.
On the backend, Miro Heiskanen might be one of the most underrated superstar defensemen in the league.
With seven points (4G, 3A) in his last five games, the Finnish blueliner is nearly a point-per-game the season with 29 points (7G, 22A) in 32 games.
Jake Oettinger is expected to start in net for Dallas.
The Minnesota native owns a 14-5-2 record, .908 SV%, and 2.51 GAA this year.
THEY SAID IT
“There’s a combination of high offensive IQ and skill.” – A.J. Greer on playing with Evan Rodrigues and Mackie Samoskevich
“Same as last game – a lot of skill, a lot of offense, good power play, so hopefully we’ll learn something from last game.” – Gustav Forsling on the Stars
FIVE CATS STATS
- Brad Marchand has 24 points (13G, 11A) in 23 games against the Stars
- The Panthers are 14-9-2-1 all time on the road in Dallas
- Carter Verhaeghe has 15 points (7G, 8A) in his last 11 games
- Sam Reinhart has six multi-point nights this season
- The Panthers are 6-2-0 this season when Sam Bennett scores
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
FORWARDS
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand
A.J. Greer – Evan Rodrigues – Mackie Samoskevich
Jesper Boqvist – Jack Studnicka – Noah Gregor
DEFENSEMEN
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry
GOALTENDERS
Sergei Bobrovsky
Daniil Tarasov
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Dec. 8: F Jack Devine was loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Dec. 1: F Jack Studnicka was recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Saturday, December 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET
Where: American Airlines Center – Dallas, TX
TV & Streaming: WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV
Radio: 104.3 WQAM-FM/560 WQAM-AM (Dade/Broward); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers GameDay App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Cats on Tap: Click here
