SUNRISE, Fla. – Nothing like a little home cooking after a long road trip.
Kicking off a five-game homestand, the Florida Panthers (8-7-1) will clash with the Washington Capitals (8-7-1) at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
“They’re a really, really good team,” head coach Paul Maurice said of the visiting Capitals. “They’re a contending team. I don’t’ think the record matters much – they’re solid.”
Getting a boost in their own barn, the Panthers are 5-1-1 at home this season.
“It’s fun playing in front of our fans,” forward Carter Verhaeghe said.
Going 2-2-0 on their four-game road trip, the Panthers closed out their trek out west with a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Monday.
Jesper Boqvist, Brad Marchand and Sam Reinhart all found the back of the net in the win, while Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 30 of 32 shots between the pipes.
After backing up Bobrovsky, Daniil Tarasov will get the start against Washington.
Entering tonight’s matchup on a sizzling five-game goal streak, Marchand, who’s off to the hottest start of his career, leads the Panthers in goals (11) and points (18).
Approaching a major milestone, the 37-year-old forward is two points away from 1,000.
“He’s unstoppable,” Verhaeghe said of Marchand’s streak. “I don’t know how he does it every game, to have that kind of motor and be going every night. Everything he shoots [is going in]. It’s amazing. Such a great player. You can see the energy he brings every night.”
Speaking of ageless wonders, the Capitals certainly have one of their own.
The NHL’s all-time goals leader, Alex Ovechkin, the “Great 8” as he’s known, has lit the lamp four times this season and recently netted the 900th and 901st goals of his career.
In his career against Florida, he’s scored 45 goals in 74 games.
“That’s insane,” Verhaeghe said of Ovechkin’s latest achievement. “You’d be lucky to play in 900 games in the league, let alone score 900 goals. He’s so special. Obviously, the greatest goal scorer of all time. Growing up as a kid, you’d watch him. He was one of my favorite players growing up, so it’s cool to be able to play against him.”
After dropping two straight games, the Capitals returned to the win column and picked up two big points with a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center on Tuesday.
Brandon Duhaime, Dylan Strome and Jakob Chychrun all scored against the Hurricanes, with Ovechkin padding his record-setting total with an empty-net goal late in regulation to lock in the win.
Earning first-star honors, Logan Thompson stopped 30 of 31 shots.
An early-season candidate for the Vezina Trophy, Thompson has been a stabilizing backbone for the Capitals this season. Appearing in 11 games, he’s gone 7-4-0 with a 1.56 goals-against average and .935 save percentage.
Up front, Tom Wilson leads Washington in goals (9) and points (16), while Strome ranks second in points (15) and first in assists (10). On the blue line, John Carlson has chipped in 13 points (4G, 13A), including dishing out two assists in the win over the Hurricanes.
Tonight’s game is the first of three meetings between Florida and Washington this season.
“Their systemization of the game is very similar to ours,” Maurice said. “They have a veteran group that doesn’t mind defending hard. They play hard, but they’re very quick up the ice.”
THEY SAID IT
“A long couple road trips to start the season. It’s nice to be back, get back on our time, get some energy and play in front of our fans.” – Carter Verhaeghe
“It’s never been a sense that we need to be at home to win or to play well. We’ve played pretty well at home, and most teams do.” – Paul Maurice
“It (the road trip) did a lot of good for us. I feel really close with the guys now.” – Donovan Sebrango
FIVE CATS STATS
- Evan Rodrigues is one goal away from his 100th NHL goal.
- Brad Marchand leads the Panthers with three first-period goals.
- Mackie Samoskevich is tied for first on Florida with five power-play points.
- Niko Mikkola has blocked a team-high 23 shots.
- The Panthers own a 7-1-0 record when scoring first this season.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
FORWARDS
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand
Carter Verhaeghe – Evan Rodrigues – Sam Reinhart
Jesper Boqvist – Sam Bennett – Mackie Samoskevich
A.J. Greer – Cole Schwindt – Luke Kunin
DEFENSEMEN
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Donovan Sebrango – Jeff Petry
Goaltenders
Daniil Tarasov
Sergei Bobrovsky
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Oct. 27: D Tobias Bjornfot reassigned to Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Thursday, November 13 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV: WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV
Radio: 104.3 WQAM-FM/560 WQAM-AM (Dade/Broward); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers GameDay App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Tickets: Click here
