Just three points out of a playoff spot with a record of 29-26-6, the Panthers are looking to get back in the win column following a 3-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres in their last outing on Friday.
Despite firing off 50 shots on goal against Buffalo, Carter Verhaeghe was the only player that got one past Craig Anderson. Turning back the clock, the 41-year-old goaltender, who played for the Panthers from 2006-07 to 2008-09, gobbled up 13 of the 14 high-danger shots he saw.
Following a long rehab from offseason Achilles surgery, Anthony Duclair made his season debut for the Panthers against the Sabres. Over 17:26 of ice time, the speedy forward registered four shots, five hits and one takeaway, while also earning the primary assist on Verhaeghe's goal.
But even with Duclair back in the lineup, the Panthers will still be undermanned against the Lightning as both Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett are expected to sit out with injuries. This will be the fifth straight game that Bennett has missed and the second for Barkov.
"When you have those two guys out of your offense, you probably will not have the puck as much in the offensive zone and you will have to battle harder in your own end," Panthers head coach Paul Maruice said. "We're just going to look different, and that's OK. It doesn't have to be as dynamic. We have to be considerably smarter with what we do with the puck.''
Facing off for the fourth time this season, the Panthers dropped their first two matchups against the Lightning before cruising to a 7-1 win in their most-recent meeting on Feb. 6. In that lopsided win, Matthew Tkachuk led Florida's relentless attack with four points (two goals, two assists).
That was one of a team-high 26 multi-point games this season for Tkachuk, who leads the Panthers and ranks sixth in the NHL in scoring with 78 points (28 goals, 50 assists). After Tkachuk, Verhaeghe is second on the team in points (53), including a team-high 31 goals.
With the Panthers planning to run with 11 forwards and seven defenseman against the Lightning, Casey Fitzgerlad is expected to make his debut with Florida. Claimed off waivers from the Sabres on Jan. 11, the 26-year-old has appeared in 59 career games in the NHL.
Back between the pipes after making 30 saves against the Sabres, Sergei Bobrovsky will get the nod against Tampa Bay. Tied with Evgeni Nabokov for the most career NHL wins by a Russian-born goaltender (353), Bobrovsky owns a 10-5-1 record over his last 17 appearances.
"Obviously we didn't get the result we wanted against Buffalo," Panthers forward Nick Cousins said. "Last time we played Tampa was kind of a one-side game after the break. We need these points really bad. We have to come out, establish our game and get a greasy road win."
Sitting third in the Atlantic Division at 37-18-4, the Lightning are looking to rebound from a 7-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday at PPG Paints Arena. Leading 2-1 after the first period, Tampa Bay surrendered a whopping six goals in the second period to the Penguins.
Anthony Cirelli, Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point all found twine against Pittsburgh, while Brian Elliott stopped 29 of 36 shots in the Lightning's net. Kucherov leads the team in scoring with 85 points (23 goals, 62 assists), while Point is second with 69 points (36 goals, 33 assists).
Acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators on Sunday, Tanner Jeannot is expected to make his debut with the Lightning. In 56 games with the Predators this season, the 25-year-old forward recorded 14 points (five goals, nine assists) and dished out a team-leading 213 hits.
Expected to man the crease for the Lightning in this matchup, Andrei Vasilevskiy has posted a 28-14-2 record with a .919 save percentage and two shutouts in 2022-23. Over his last 12 regular-season appearances against Florida, he's gone 6-6-0 with a .904 save percentage.
"At the end of the day, it's all under our control," Ekblad said of the playoff push. "We have to win games and get two points every night or it's all moot anyways. We know the situation that we're in. We're aware of it and we're pushing every day to find a way in."
