ST. PAUL, MN – Hockey day in Minnesota.
Making the second stop of their three-game road trip, the Florida Panthers (26-20-3) will visit the Minnesota Wild (29-14-9) at Grand Casino Arena on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET.
Splitting their two games last year, the away team was victorious in each meeting as the Wild took the first game 5-1 (Oct. 22) in Florida and the Panthers won 6-1 (Dec. 18) in Minnesota.
Saturday’s tilt will be the first time the two teams meet this season.
“Being able to slow them down, that's not what we try to do,” head coach Paul Maurice said of defending the Wild’s offense. “We just try to just make sure we're skating with them.”
Hoping to build off their 2-1 shootout win over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, the Panthers remain five points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, with two games in hand.
In just his second game back, after missing the first 47 games, Matthew Tkachuk picked up his first point with an assist on Sam Bennett’s 18th goal of the season.
“It's big for our group having back in the room,” longtime friend Luke Kunin said of having Tkachuk back in the mix.
Holding the Jets to zero shots on their two power play opportunities, the Panthers eighth ranked penalty kill (82.4%) will look to stand strong as they go against the league’s seventh best power play (23.8%) in the Wild.
“I think everyone just knows what we do on the PK,” Niko Mikkola said of the penalty kill’s success. “We keep up pressure, hard pressure, and I think that’s been working for us.”
Sergei Bobrovsky will man the crease for the Panthers.
The 37-year-old sits two wins away from his 450th career win.
Coming into Saturday off a win, the Wild defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in overtime at Grand Casino Arena.
A points night for Minnesota’s stat leaders, Kirill Kaprizov (2G, 1A), Mats Zuccarello (2G, 1A) and Quinn Hughes (3A) each recorded three points.
Dynamic every time he touches the ice, Kaprizov ranks tied for fourth in goals (27) and eighth in points (62) in the NHL.
“The all-around skill,” Mikkola said of what stands out about Kaprizov. “He’s a fast skater. He's good with the cutbacks. Great skill set with and without the puck. He's overall a great player and we just need to know when he's on the ice.”
One of the league’s best defenseman, Hughes has been on a tear since joining the Wild in mid-December.
Tied for first in assists (43) and tied for fifth in points (47) among NHL defensemen, Hughes has 24 points (2G, 20A) in 20 games with the Wild.
Filip Gustavsson is expected to get the start for the Wild.
This season, the Swedish goaltender owns a 17-9-5 record, .910 save percentage, and 2.57 goals against average.
THEY SAID IT
“There are some guys out there who are very special, and you got to know when they're on the ice, and he's definitely one of them.” - Luke Kunin on Quinn Hughes
“He can pick out so many small things that are happening in the game.” – Paul Maurice on Matthew Tkachuk
FIVE CATS STATS
- Aaron Ekblad has 13 points (4G, 9A) in 19 career games against the Wild
- The Panthers 11 road regulation wins are tied for fifth most in the NHL
- Sam Bennett leads the Panthers with 11 road goals this season
- The Panthers are 6-4-0 against the Wild in the last 10 meetings
- Sam Bennett (11G, 7A), Sam Reinhart (7G, 11A) and Carter Verhaeghe (7G, 11A) each have 18 road points
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
FORWARDS
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Mackie Samoskevich – Evan Rodrigues – A.J. Greer
Sandis Vilmanis – Cole Scwhindt – Luke Kunin
DEFENSEMEN
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Uvis Balinskis
Tobias Bjornfot – Jeff Petry
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Daniil Tarasov
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Jan. 21: F Jack Studnicka loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Jan. 19: F Noah Gregor loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Jan. 16: D Uvis Balinskis agrees to terms on two-year contract extension commencing in 2026-27
- Jan. 10: F Sandis Vilmanis recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Jan. 4: D Tobias Bjornfot was recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Saturday, Jan. 24 at 9 p.m. ET
Where: Grand Casino Arena – St. Paul, MN
TV & Streaming: WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV
Radio: 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
