"We see a lot of them," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said after the team's pre-flight morning skate at the Panthers IceDen. "We know some of their traits. These games are always a good measuring stick for us going into the regular season. You've got to be ready against them."
After getting the best of the Lightning during the regular season in 2020-21, the Panthers went on to lose in six games against the eventual back-to-back Stanley Cup champions in what many pundits and fans agree was one of the most enthralling series throughout the entire postseason.
Looking back, Quenneville hopes the Panthers learned a lot from the renewed rivalry.
"We did a real good job against them in the regular season and in the playoffs," he said. "I thought we played pretty well. Knowing you learn from the best, hopefully we apply it properly."
With expectations higher than ever, the Panthers have looked strong in recent exhibitions.
Improving to a perfect 4-0-0 in the preseason, they're coming off a 6-3 win over the Stars on Friday. Named first star of the game, Aleksander Barkov notched three points (one goal, two assists), while Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 11 of 12 shots over 40 minutes of action in net against Dallas. Overall, 10 different players recorded at least one point for Florida in the win.
Leading the Panthers in preseason scoring, Barkov has racked up six points (one goal, five assists). Behind him, Sam Bennett and Brandon Montour have each posted four points, while Frank Vatrano, Jonathan Huberdeau, Carter Verhaeghe and MacKenzie Weegar have three.
Initially slated to return to the crease for tonight's game, Bobrovsky will instead stay back in South Florida as he and his wife, Olga, are expecting to welcome their first child any minute.
"It doesn't get any better," Quenneville said of the impending visit from the stork.
With Bobrovsky staying put, Quenneville said Spencer Knight will likely get in the nod in net against the Lightning tonight. In his only start of the preseason, the 20-year-old rookie made 29 saves in a 3-1 win over the Predators in Game 2 of the split-squad doubleheader on Sept. 26.
Bursting onto the scene after joining the Panthers toward the tail end of 2020-21, Knight, who was drafted 13th overall in 2019, posted a 4-0-0 record, 2.32 goals-against average and .919 save percentage over four appearances (three starts) to close out the regular season.
Carrying that momentum into the postseason, he then went 1-1-0 with a 2.06 goals-against average and .933 save percentage in Florida's opening-round series against the Lightning, including a 36-save performance in his playoff debut to secure a critical 4-1 win in Game 5.
"Only got in a few games and a few playoff games, but it's really helpful for me going into the offseason, just being able to recognize that I've started my professional career," Knight said earlier this summer. "It gave me a sense of what it's like around here and about being a pro."
Sitting at 1-3-0 in the preseason, Tampa Bay was handed a 6-1 loss in Nashville on Saturday. Boris Katchouk scored the lone goal against the Predators, while Brian Elliott surrendered six goals on 27 shots. Over their first four exhibitions, the Lightning have been outscored 15-4.
Brayden Point, Ondrej Palat, Nikita Kucherov and Gabriel Fortier lead Tampa Bay in preseason scoring with three points each, while Pat Maroon, Corey Petty and Katchouk have all tallied two.
"We know they're the defending back-to-back champs, the best team in the league," Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas said. "We can use it for ourselves as a measuring stick. We want to perform at our highest level and make sure we're ready for the season over these next games."
