SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers will get a key player back when they close the book on their season series with the Washington Capitals at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday.
After Gustav Forsling and Matthew Tkachuk exited with injuries in the first period at Carolina on Thursday, Forsling will be back in the lineup tonight, while Tkachuk, according to head coach Paul Maurice, is on track to return on Tuesday against Buffalo.
Despite being out, Tkachuk was a full participant in morning skate.
“We’re lucky,” Maurice said. “We have two guys that are really important that couldn’t finish the game, but in a different set of circumstances we’d probably have both on the ice.”
Second on the Panthers in scoring with 65 points (20 goals, 45 assists), Tkachuk also ranks second in the NHL with 38 points since Jan. 1. Forsling, meanwhile, ranks second on the team in blocked shots (78) and leads the NHL in plus/minus (+39).
Given the high value of both players, the Panthers are breathing a collective sigh of relief.
“Not seeing them yesterday because it was a day off for us, we didn’t really know what to expect today,” Panthers forward Jonah Gadjovich said. “Hearing that they’re doing well is all we could ask for.”
Nearly matching the NHL record, the Panthers saw their road win streak end at 11 games with a 1-0 loss to the Hurricanes.
A tight game between two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, the game remained scoreless until the final 19 seconds of regulation when Sebastian Aho pounced on a loose puck in the offensive zone and scored to give the 1-0 win to Carolina.
With both goalies on top of their game, Sergei Bobrovsky, who saw his personal win streak snapped at seven games, made 28 saves for Florida, while Pyotr Kochetkov stopped all 45 shots he faced for the Hurricanes to earn this third shutout of 2023-24.
Looking good even in defeat, Florida generated more than four expected goals.
“We’ve shown that we’re a team that can play any style of game,” Panthers forward Sam Bennett said. “We were comfortable in that game 0-0 the whole night. We didn’t get frustrated. We played hard right to the end. That’s how it's going to be in the playoffs.”
Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers in goals (39) and points (67). After him, four other players have also crossed the 50-point mark: Tkachuk (65), Carter Verhaeghe (59) and Aleksander Barkov (54). An elite sniper, Verhaeghe also ranks second on the team in goals with 30.
Dealing with an illness, fourth-line center Kevin Stenlund, who’s scored nine goals this season and plays a key role on the penalty kill for the Panthers, is a game-time decision to suit up against Washington, according to Maurice.
After backing up Bobrovsky the last three games, Anthony Stolarz will start tonight. Making 45 saves in a 4-0 win at Buffalo in his last outing on Feb. 15, the 6-foot-6 backup goaltender owns a 9-5-2 record with a .926 save percentage this season.
“Stolie’s awesome,” Bennett said. “The guys love him. Every game he steps in, he’s kept us in games and given us a chance to win. He’s been outstanding for us and we have tons of confidence when he goes in the net, for sure.”
Sitting five points out of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with a couple games in hand, the Capitals improved to 26-21-8 with a 5-3 win at Tampa Bay on Thursday.
After the Lightning turned a 3-1 deficit into a 3-3 game by scoring two goals within the first 3:06 of the third period, the Capitals responded with goals from Rasmus Sandin and Connor McMichael to extend their win streak to three games.
In net, Washington’s net Charlie Lindgren made 29 saves.
Losing a key piece in the third period against the Lightning, T.J. Oshie, who’s scored 10 goals in 38 games this season, suffered a non-contact injury and had to be helped to the locker room.
After the game, Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said concern was “fairly high.”
Oshie is not expected to suit up against Florida.
Finding their scoring touch during their three-game win streak, the Capitals are averaging five goals per game during that successful stretch. Over those three games, McMichael has been carrying the hottest stick on the team, touching the twine a team-leading four times.
Alex Ovechkin leads Washington in scoring with 42 points (16 goals, 26 assists) and is in the midst of his best stretch of the season. Entering tonight’s matchup on a 10-game point streak, the “Great 8” has racked up 14 points (eight goals, six assists) during that span.
“They’re a good team,” Gadjovich said of the Capitals. “They can score goals. They’re fast, physical. We’ve got to play our game and worry about ourselves. That’s all we can do.”
Getting together for the third and final time this season, the Panthers have bested the Capitals in each of the previous two matchups. After securing a 4-3 overtime win in their first meeting at Washington Nov. 8, the Panthers earned a 4-2 win in Sunrise on Feb. 8.
At the time of this writing, the Capitals have yet to announce a starting goaltender.
“I think we’ve just got to stick to our game plan, play our game and if we all show up we have a chance at winning every night,” Gadjovich said. “That’s just kind of our game plan.”
PREGAME QUOTES
“It’s part of our identity, being physical and being heavy on the forecheck. That’s part of our game and it’s going to be very important to establish that early tonight.” – Sam Bennett
“[Anthony Stolarz] is awesome. He’s a great piece to our team here. Every time he gets called on, he shows up and does the job for us.” – Jonah Gadjovich
FIVE CATS STATS
- Since Dec. 23, the Panthers lead the NHL in wins (19) and points (40).
- Carter Verhaeghe leads Florida in goals (22) and points (44) at even strength.
- Aleksander Barkov is winning a team-best 56.5% of his faceoffs.
- Sam Reinhart has scored a team-leading nine game-winning goals.
- Ryan Lomberg leads the Panthers with 137 hits.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Nick Cousins
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Ryan Lomberg
Jonah Gadjovich – Steven Lorentz – Will Lockwood
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Brandon Montour
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Dmitry Kulikov
Goaltenders
Anthony Stolarz
Sergei Bobrovsky
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Saturday, Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports+
Radio: 790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM Channel 219 / Streaming 932; Panthers App
Tickets: Here
