"It's another good test," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said following Tuesday's practice. "Carolina's playing extremely well. They skate and they work, and they can make plays. They have a lot of skill on their side here... Let's make sure we check well and manage the puck."
Improving to a solid 4-0-1 on the road, the Panthers are coming off a 6-4 win at Tampa Bay on Monday. Spreading out the offense, Jonathan Huberdeau, Anthony Duclair, Aleksander Barkov, Owen Tippett, Frank Vatrano and Anton Stralman all found the back of the net during the game.
Owning one of the top defenses in the NHL this season, Tampa Bay was allowing an average of just over two goals per game before surrendering a total of 12 over three games against Florida.
"We had a lot of people doubting us early on in the year," Duclair said after the win. "I think we proved a lot of people wrong here these last three games. We're going to obviously see [the Lightning] again. We want to make sure we're playing our best against these teams."
Huberdeau leads the Panthers with 17 points (five goals, 12 assists), including racking up one goal and four assists over his last four games. Behind him, Barkov ranks second with 14 points (five goals, nine assists), while Carter Verhaeghe and Patric Hornqvist have notched 12 apiece.
Heading into tonight's matchup, the young and speedy third line of Vatrano, Tippett and Eetu Luostarinen has also been on fire as of late. Over the last three games, the trio has combined for eight points (four goals, four assists), including a torrid three-game goals streak for Vatrano.
"I think it's going to be a tough game," Huberdeau said. "I think we're playing well. We've got to focus on our game. When we play fast and with speed, we're a tough team to play against. We play physical as well. We've just got to keep doing that. It should be a good game [at Carolina]."
For Huberdeau, tonight's matchup is also a reunion of sorts.
Almost a full year after Vincent Trocheck was dealt to the Hurricanes in a multi-player deal at the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline, the Panthers will face off against their former teammate tonight.
Originally selected in the third round (64th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft, Trocheck still ranks 11th in Florida's history in goals (111), as well as ninth in both assists (171) and points (282).
"It'll be fun," said Huberdeau, who remains good friends with Trocheck. "Obviously, me and Troch were pretty close when he was playing with us. It's going to be special, but obviously there's no friends on the ice. It's going to be good to see him out there, for sure."
Speaking of the Hurricanes, they enter tonight's matchup riding a three-game winning streak, including a 7-3 thrashing of the Blue Jackets on Monday. In that win, Brock McGinn (two goals, two assists) and Teuvo Teravainen (one goal, three assists) led the charge for Carolina's attack.
With balanced scoring up and down the lineup, Jordan Staal leads the team with 14 points (six goal, eight assists), while Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho and Trocheck have each chipped in 13. On a four-game point streak, Trocheck has tallied one goal and five assists in that span.
"When you put guys that do it right with some real talented players, you have a chance to see these kinds of results," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour told reporters after beating Columbus.
Between the pipes, Chris Driedger will make his second straight start for the Panthers after stopping 27 shots in Monday's win over the Lightning. Hitting the ground running, he's jumped out to a 4-1-1 record with a 2.31 goals-against average and .926 save percentage this season.
For the Hurricanes, Alex Nedeljkovic is expected to get the nod. Appearing in only two games this season, he's gone 1-1-0 behind a 2.92 goals-against average and .882 save percentage.
"It's tough to play against us right now," Huberdeau said of Florida's strong start. "Obviously winning makes it way more fun. We get confidence by winning. That's what we're doing right now."
