SUNRISE, Fla. – Right back at it.
Closing out the six-game homestand, their longest of the season, the Florida Panthers (13-12-2) will host the New York Islanders (16-10-3) at Amerant Bank Arena on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET.
“Even though both teams are on a back-to-back, there’s some speed up that ice that’ll come both ways,” head coach Paul Maurice said ahead of Sunday’s game.
Meeting for the first time this season, the Panthers went 2-1-0 in last year’s matchups, winning 6-3 on both Oct. 26 and Feb 2., and falling 4-2 on March 16.
Playing in the second of a back-to-back, Florida came away with two points after beating the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-6 in overtime on Saturday.
“Emotionally, we needed that game,” Maurice said after the win.
With just 3.2 seconds left on the clock, Sam Bennett buried a pass from Brad Marchand to snap the team’s four-game losing streak.
“It was nice to feel that momentum, feel the energy in the building,” Bennett said.
Staying hot, Bennett has racked up eight points (2G, 6A) in the last five games.
Centering Marchand and Carter Verhaeghe, the line’s talent was on full display in the win.
Recording a season-high 10 shots, Marchand led the team with four points in the game (1G, 3A).
On the opposite wing, Verhaeghe notched three points (2G, 1A) and has 10 points (5G, 5A) in his last five games.
Making a few lineup changes, Maurice announced that Jeff Petry will come in for Donovan Sebrango and Noah Gregor will come in for Luke Kunin.
Between the pipes for the Panthers, Daniil Tarasov will get the start.
Over his last three starts, Tarasov is 2-1-0 with a .911 SV%.
On the visiting bench, the Islanders also come into Sunday’s tilt on the second game of a back-to-back.
Playing the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday at Benchmark International Arena, the Islanders extended their winning streak to three with a 2-0 win.
In the win, Ilya Sorokin stopped all 32 shots he faced.
Upfront and down the middle, Bo Horvat remains one of the best centerman at the dot in the league, snapping back at 58.4% this season.
Horvat also leads the Islands in goals (17), points (29), and is tied for first in plus/minus (+10).
On the backend, 2025 1st overall pick Matthew Schaefer has been as advertised.
Third on the Islanders in points, the 18-year-old ranks first amongst rookie defensemen in goals (8), points (20), game-winning goals (2), shots (81), time on ice (23:29), and is tied for first in assists (12).
“Looks like he’s been in the league a whole bunch of years,” Maurice said of Schaefer. “The Islanders got a cornerstone for their franchise for probably 20 years.”
In net, the Islanders will either go with Sorokin (10-8-2, .912 SV%, 2.47 GAA) or David Rittich (6-2-1, .901 SV%, 2.61 GAA).
THEY SAID IT
“This team is built on not quitting and being able to battle through adversity.” – Brad Marchand
“The bench was as good as it’s been all year.” – Paul Maurice
FIVE CATS STATS
- After their 7-6 (OT) win vs. CBJ on Dec. 6, the Panthers became the sixth team to register a three-goal comeback win this season
- Florida owns a 9-6-2 record at home this season
- Brad Marchand has 43 career points (17G, 26A) against the Islanders
- Seth Jones is tied for the team lead with four power play goals
- Luke Kunin has 22 blocked shots this season
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
FORWARDS
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand
A.J. Greer – Evan Rodrigues – Mackie Samoskevich
Jesper Boqvist – Jack Studnicka – Noah Gregor
DEFENSEMEN
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry
Goaltenders
Daniil Tarasov
Sergei Bobrovsky
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Dec. 1: F Jack Studnicka was recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Nov. 19: F Jack Devine was recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Sunday, December 7 at 5:00 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV
Radio: 104.3 WQAM-FM (Dade/Broward); 106.3 WESP-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers GameDay App; SiriusXM 219/App & Streaming 931
Tickets: Click here
