SUNRISE, Fla. – With the playoffs nearly out of reach, the Florida Panthers will try to play the role of spoiler when they host the Ottawa Senators at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday.
Entering tonight’s tilt, the Senators (38-25-10) sit two points out of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
“They’ve worked their way back into the playoffs, and now they’re right there in that 8-9 spot,” forward Matthew Tkachuk said. “It’s always a little nerve-wracking for a team like them to play a team like us that is in a position where you never know what you’re going to get. It’s not how we want to be looked at, but that’s kind of how it’s been the last little bit.”
With a top-10 protected pick in the upcoming draft, the Panthers (35-35-3) are currently tied for the fifth-fewest points in the NHL after weathering an injury-plagued year.
As it stands now, the number of injured players on their roster is nearly in double digits.
And although Cole Schwindt is back on the ice in a yellow no-contact jersey, head coach Paul Maurice doesn’t believe any of the team’s other injured players will return this season.
That means that Aleksander Barkov, Anton Lundell, Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart, Evan Rodrigues, Jonah Gadjovich, Niko Mikkola and Uvis Balinskis are done until 2026-27.
“He’s the only player that has a chance to come back this year,” Maurice said of Schwindt.
In the midst of a three-game losing streak, the Panthers enter tonight’s matchup on the heels of a 3-1 loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
Mackie Samoskevich scored Florida’s lone goal late in regulation to spoil a shutout for Igor Sherterkin, who finished with 26 saves. The man standing between the Panthers and some points, Shesterkin saved 2.68 goals above expected, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
In defeat, Florida led 37-19 in scoring chances.
“These games are never easy,” defenseman Aaron Ekblad said after the loss. “Back-to-backs are one of the tougher things to do in this league and everybody put in their best foot forward, and not the outcome we wanted.”
Owning a 9-14-2 record with a 3.10 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage, Daniil Tarasov will get the nod in net for the Panthers against the Senators.
Missing both games of the back-to-back in the Big Apple after heading home to welcome the birth of his first child, Sam Bennett will return to the lineup against Ottawa. Reaching a new career-high this season with 54 points, the grizzled center has scored six goals in his last 13 games.
In his return, he should enjoy some newfound dad strength.
“Sam Bennett has a new healthy boy at home,” Maurice said.
In need of a late-season push, the Senators have followed up a four-game winning streak with two straight losses, including a 4-2 loss at Tampa Bay in their last outing on Saturday.
After taking a 2-0 lead over the Lightning on goals from Dylan Cozens and Jordan Spence, the Senators surrendered four straight goals to leave Tampa with no points. Standing tall in net for the Lightning, Andrei Vasilevskiy turned aside 26 of 28 shots that came his way.
Tim Stutzle leads the Senators in scoring with 75 points (32G, 43A), while Drake Batherson ranks second with 63 points (29G, 34A). Limited to just 53 games due to injury, Brady Tkachuk, Matthew’s younger brother, has logged 51 points (20G, 31A).
Banged up on the blue line, the Senators will take the ice against the Panthers without their top-two scoring defensemen as Jake Sanerson (48 points) and Thomas Chabot (31 points) are both dealing with injuries.
Meeting for the third time this season, the Panthers have come out on top in both of their two previous meetings with the Senators. After cruising to a 6-2 win in Sunrise on Oct. 11, the Panthers clawed their way to a hard-fought 3-2 win at Ottawa on Jan. 10.
Ekblad and defensive partner Gustav Forsling lead the Panthers with four points each against the Senators this season.
“We’re trying to get back to our consistency, playing Panther hockey,” Tkachuk said.
THEY SAID IT
“It’s been good to have the family in town. The schedule worked out great. We got back in Sunday night, and got to see them a little bit yesterday. No complaints about getting to catch up.” -- Matthew Tkachuk on having his brother, Brady, in town with the Senators
“I thought we played a well-rounded game. They had chances, we had chances. They just got one shorthanded goal late.” -- Mackie Samoskevich on Sunday's loss to the Rangers
FIVE CATS STATS
- Aaron Ekblad expected is expected to skate in his 804th career game as a Panther tonight, which will move him into a tie with Aleksander Barkov for the most in franchise history.
- Florida ranks seventh in the NHL on the penalty kill at 81.6%.
- Since making his season debut, Matthew Tkachuk has 27 points (12G, 15A) in 26 games.
- Sam Bennett has scored five goals in 11 games in March.
- Seth Jones is averaging a team-high 23:23 of ice time in March.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Mackie Samoskevich – Eetu Luostarinen – A.J. Greer
Jesper Boqvist – Tomas Nosek – Noah Gregor
Cole Reinhardt – Luke Kunin – Vinnie Hinostroza
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Donovan Sebrango– Seth Jones
Dmitry Kulikov – Mike Benning
Goaltenders
Daniil Tarasov
Sergei Bobrovsky
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- March 30: G Tyler Muszelik signed to a two-year, entry-level contract commencing in the 2026-27 season
- March 29: F Jack Studnicka loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- March 28: F Jack Studnicka recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- March 24: F Noah Gregor recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Tuesday, March 31 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV
Radio: 104.3 WQAM-FM/560 WQAM-AM (Dade/Broward); 106.3 WESP-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH-FM (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR-FM (Treasure Coast); Panthers GameDay App; SiriusXM 222/App & Streaming 931
Tickets: Click here
