NASHVILLE – The Florida Panthers will try to snap out of a four-game skid when they drop the puck against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Monday.
Using a nine-game winning streak to build up a nice cushion prior to their current mini-slump, the Panthers enter tonight’s tilt sitting second in the Atlantic Division at 27-14-4.
In position to win in each of their last four losses at one point or another, the Cats know they're due for a bounce back.
“This is all about confidence,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. “I don’t mean, ‘Hey, go out there and feel good.’ This is the process. This is what we’re doing. It’s a little bit off right now, but we’re not going to change. We don’t want the game to get broken open and we don’t want to try a bunch of hope plays because we feel desperate to win a hockey game.”
With officiating in the spotlight for the second straight game, the Panthers matched a franchise record by allowing five power-play goals -– two of them coming from all-star forward Kirill Kaprizov -- in a 6-4 loss to the Wild in their last outing on Friday.
Despite trailing 5-2 in the third period, the Panthers kept on pushing and dominated Minnesota for the final 20 minutes. Making it a one-goal game, Anton Lundell and Gustav Forsling lit the lamp on back-to-back shifts to make it 5-4 at 8:23.
But with the whistles being swallowed late in the game, the Panthers weren’t given a chance to find the game-tying on the power play. Instead, Ryan Hartman locked in the 6-4 win for the Wild with an empty-net goal with just 12 seconds left.
Making contact with Minnesota goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury in the first period, Panthers forward Will Lockwood received a three-game suspension on Saturday.
In defeat, Florida led 23-6 in scoring chances at 5-on-5.
“There’s little things we have to clean up in our game,” Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour said. “For the most part, I think we’ve just got to get back to what our strengths are. I think we’ll be good at that tonight.”
With his franchise-record goal streak ending at eight games in the loss to the Wild, Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers in goals (33) and points (57). With one more goal, the all-star forward will reach a new career-high mark. Over his last nine games, he’s scored 10 goals.
Set to miss his third straight game with a lower-body injury, Aleksander Barkov, who could return to action as early as Wednesday’s game against the Arizona Coyotes in Sunrise, ranks second on the Panthers in scoring with 46 points (11 goals, 35 assists).
Cracking the scoresheet in 10 of his last 11 games, Matthew Tkachuk has 43 points.
After stopping nine of 10 shots in relief against Minnesota, Anthony Stolarz is expected to get the start in Nashville. Just a few days removed from celebrating his 30th birthday on Saturday, the veteran backup sits at 6-4-2 with a .912 save percentage this season.
With no Barkov and Lockwood, the Panthers recalled 21-year-old rookie forward Mackie Samoskevich from the AHL on Sunday. Making his NHL debut in October, the former first-round puck has registered 11 goals and 15 assists in 32 AHL games this season.
Samoskevich is expected to be deployed on the third line in Nashville.
“It’s pretty special," Samoskevich said. "I’m pretty excited for it. I’ve put in a lot of work this year down in Charlotte. Hopefully it’ll pay off today."
In fourth place in the Central Division at 25-20-1, the Predators have won three of their last five games, but enter tonight’s tilt on the heels of a 3-2 loss at Arizona on Saturday.
Roman Josi and Tommy Novak each scored against the Coyotes, who rode a 30-save performance from Connor Ingram to the win. In net for Nashville, Juuse Saros, making his fourth straight start, stopped 21 shots and was beat twice by Clayton Keller.
“We had a hard time getting back on track after they made it 3-1,” Predators coach Andrew Brunette told reporters after the loss. “We needed a line to step up and give us a shift and play in their end a little bit, and we didn't get that tonight.”
Having an all-star season, Filip Forsberg leads Nashville in both goals (22) and points (49). Tied for second in scoring, Ryan O’Reilly and Josi each have notched 40 points. In fourth, Gustav Nyquist has registered 36 points (12 goals, 24 assists).
Getting the nod against the Cats, Saros has gone 18-17-1 with a .902 save percentage.
Meeting for the first time this season, Florida went 0-2-0 against Nashville in 2022-23.
“It’s kind of a transition in style,” Maurice said of the Predators. “They’ve been such a heavy, defense-oriented group for a long time. They still have those players. They have the hard working, grinding players, but they’ve opened up their game a little bit more.”
When the puck drops, Maurice will tie Barry Trotz for the second-most games coached in NHL history with 1,812.
PREGAME QUOTES
“Not think about it too much. Just go out, play your game and play the same way I’ve been playing down there. I’ve got a lot of confidence coming into this game, so I’m going to try and use it tonight.” – Mackie Samoskevich on his approach tonight
“Roman Josi is such a brilliant talent back there. He can play 29 minutes and still get up the ice at the end of the game. He’s such a force. We’ll have to be on our toes.” – Paul Maurice on Nashville’s blue line
“It’s always fun when they get to be a part of this. It’s a one-tripper, but I think it’s good for them. They’re excited and we’re excited to play in front of them.” – Brandon Montour on the Panthers hosting their Dads Trip
FIVE CATS STATS
- Carter Verhaeghe is expected to play in his 300th NHL game tonight.
- Sam Reinhart leads the NHL with 16 power-play goals.
- The Panthers rank third in the NHL with a 55.81 xGF% at 5-on-5.
- Kevin Stenlund has won a team-best 55.5% of his faceoffs.
- Niko Mikkola leads Florida in blocked shots (75) and hits (78).
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Evan Rodrigues – Kevin Stenlund – Mackie Samoskevich
Jonah Gadjovich – Steven Lorentz – Ryan Lomberg
Defensemen
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Brandon Montour
Josh Mahura – Dmitry Kulikov
Goaltenders
Anthony Stolarz
Sergei Bobrovsky
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Jan. 21: F Mackie Samoskevich recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Jan. 20: F Rasmus Asplund loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Jan. 17: F Rasmus Asplund recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH
When: Monday, Jan. 22 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports+
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM App & Streaming 932; Panthers App
