ANAHEIM -The Florida Panthers are poised to conquer California.
On the heels of a thrilling win in Los Angeles on Saturday, the Panthers will have a good chance to extend their winning streak to five games and complete their three-game sweep through the Golden State when they visit the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night at Honda Center.
Streaking Panthers Can Finish Off Conquest of California in Anaheim
"We're not dead yet," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said after beating the Kings. "We can make things interesting. We just have to keep winning. Tomorrow's another big day for us."
In Los Angeles, Florida's top line did most of the heavy lifting, as Evgenii Dadonov scored twice, Aleksander Barkov chipped in three assists, and Jonathan Huberdeau netted the game-winning goal with 1:56 left in regulation to push Florida's winning streak to four games with a 4-3 victory.
The two hottest skaters in the NHL at the moment, Barkov and Huberdeau are first and second, respectively, in the league in scoring since Feb. 17. In that span, Barkov has registered 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points, while Huberdeau has tallied 10 goals and 14 assists for 24 points.
Like several of his teammates, Huberdeau is also on the verge of history. If he can pick up an assist tonight, he will break a tie with Viktor Kozlov for the most helpers in a single season in franchise history (54). However, not far behind Huberdeau is Barkov, who has 51 assists.
"We know we're a good team," Huberdeau said. "I feel our record is not showing how good of a team that we are. Obviously we're not where we want to be this year. We're still a little far out of the playoffs, but we can only control to win every game. From now, win out until the end."
It's certainly a tall order, but they are more than up to the challenge.
With 11 games left on their schedule, the Panthers own a 32-27-12 record for 76 points, which places them eight points behind Columbus for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. They have points in 13 of their last 16 games, owning an 9-3-4 record in that span.
In order to get to 96 points, they'll need to finish the season 10-1-0.
"It doesn't matter how you win, you just need to win," said Barkov, who leads the team with 81 points, one of just three players in franchise history to surpass the 80-point plateau. "Right now, we have 11 or 10 games left. We're still in it. We just need to keep going like this and find a way to win the games. We're on a good roll, so just keep going."
Helping that roll maintain momentum has been the play of rookie Sam Montembeault in net.
Picking up his fourth straight win on Saturday, he became just the eighth goaltender in the last 35 years to begin his NHL career without a loss in each of his first five appearances, according to NHL Public Relations. In that 4-0-1 span, he's turned away 116 of 128 shots (.906 percent).
"I'm feeling good when I'm playing," said Montembeault, a third-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. "The guys let me see the puck really well, too. It's just easier. I'm always nervous at the beginning, but after a few shots I'm just getting comfortable and feeling the puck well."
The Ducks (29-35-9) look down upon only the Kings in the Pacific Division standings, but have been playing some inspired hockey as of late. Following a five-game losing streak, they have since gone 5-3-0, scoring 28 goals in that span, including a 5-3 win in Colorado on Friday.
Corey Perry, who didn't make his season debut until Feb. 2 because of a knee injury, scored twice - including the go-ahead goal -- against the Avalanche, giving him five points in his last five games. In 22 games, the 33-year-old veteran has registered five goals and four assists.
"Starting your season in February is not easy," Perry told reporters after the game. "Guys have been skating for four months, playing games every other day, and I've been trying to play catch-up."
In their only previous meeting this season, Anaheim topped Florida 3-2 on Nov. 28 in Sunrise.
NOTES
-- Mike Hoffman leads the Panthers with a career-high 33 goals. Of those scores, a team-leading and career-best 16 have come on the power play. The 29-year-old winger has also notched 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists) over his last 16 games.
-- Keith Yandle leads all Panthers defensemen in points (56) and assists (47). The 32-year-old also ranks second in the league in power-play points (35), while his career-high seven power-play goals are the most among all NHL blueliners. With two more points, he will overtake Robert Svehla for the most points in a single season by a defenseman in franchise history.
-- Aaron Ekblad leads the Panthers in average ice time per game (23:36), while also pacing the club's defensemen in goals (12). The 23-year-old enters tonight's matchup with two goals and six assists over his last 11 games.
-- Frank Vatrano leads the Panthers with 21 even-strength goals and has reached new career-highs in goals (22), assists (14) and points (36) this season. The 25-year-old winger also paces the club's forwards in blocked shots (69), while ranking second in hits (111).
-- Entering tonight's game with the second-ranked power play in the NHL (26.9 percent), Florida is currently the only team in the league this season to have four players register at least 30 points on the man advantage, which also stands a franchise first.
-- Panthers rookie center Henrik Borgstrom has recorded three goals and three assists over his last eight games.
GEICO GOALIE MATCHUP OF THE GAME (UNCONFIRMED)
Sam Montembeault (4-0-1, 2.39 GAA, .906 SV%) vs. John Gibson (21-21-8, 2.88 GAA, .916 SV%)
While there's definitely a chance that Roberto Luongo slides back in between the pipes to give Montembeault a night off, the Panthers might also want to continue rolling with their streaking rookie. The 22-year-old has started each of the last four games and won them all, posting a .922 save percentage in that span. Five games into his NHL career, he's never seen the Ducks.
After stopping 41 of 44 shots to pick up the win on Friday in Colorado, there's a good chance that the Ducks go back to Gibson against the Panthers. The 25-year-old owns a 4-1-0 record over his last five starts, registering a .925 save percentage in that span. In his career against Florida, he's gone 2-3-0 with a 3.46 goals-against average and .909 save percentage.
PROJECTED LINEUP (NO MORNING SKATE)
Forwards
Jonathan Huberdeau - Aleksander Barkov - Evgenii Dadonov
Frank Vatrano - Vincent Trocheck - Mike Hoffman
Dryden Hunt - Riley Sheahan - Troy Brouwer
Jamie McGinn - Henrik Borgstrom - Colton Sceviour
Defense
Mike Matheson - Aaron Ekblad
Keith Yandle - MacKenzie Weegar
Mark Pysyk - Josh Brown
Goalies
Sam Montembeault
Roberto Luongo
Scratches:Denis Malgin (lower body), Jayce Hawryluk (lower body), Ian McCoshen, James Reimer
Injured Reserve:Derek MacKenzie (shoulder)
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- March 15:Colton Sceviour was activated from injured reserve
- March 8: G Sam Montembeault's emergency conditions of his recall were terminated
- March 1: D Riley Stillman was loaned to Springfield (AHL)
- Feb. 28:G Samuel Montembeault was recalled from Springfield (AHL) on an emergency basis
- Feb. 26:D Riley Stillman was recalled from Springfield (AHL) on an emergency basis
- Feb. 25:F Dryden Hunt was recalled from Springfield (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH
When:Sunday, March 17, 9:00 p.m.
Where:Honda Center - Anaheim, CA
TV:Fox Sports Florida (Alternate Channels Below)
DISH:441
DISH HD:9579
DISH HOPPER:412-29
DTV HD:654-1
AT&T:721
AT&T HD:1721
Stream:
HERE
Florida Panthers Radio Network:560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys)
Watch Party: Thanks to the new "Territory on Tap" program, every road game now offers a chance for a watch party in South Florida! To see which local bars and restaurants will have drink specials and giveaways for tonight's game,
please visit the official "Territory on Tap" page!
