2. The team will not hold a morning skate ahead of their tilt with the Cats but did take the ice on Friday at the Florida Panthers IceDen in preparation for tonight’s game. Head coach Martin St-Louis confirmed that Jake Allen will face the Panthers.
3. It will be a homecoming of sorts for Mike Matheson; the 29-year-old defenseman is expected to play in his 500th career NHL game against the team that drafted him 23rd overall in 2012. He took part in five seasons with the Panthers before being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2020. In 499 games, the Pointe-Claire, QC, native has recorded 63 goals and 134 assists. He is only three points shy of 200 career NHL points.
4. The Panthers staved off a New York Rangers comeback attempt to win it 4-3 at Amerant Bank Arena on Friday. Head coach Paul Maurice was able to count on his top-three scorers for offense as Sam Reinhart, Aleksander Barkov, and Carter Verhaeghe combined for a total of seven points (3G, 4A). Reinhart ranks fourth in goals (23) and 10th in points (44) when factoring for games played. Florida occupies the second spot in the Atlantic Division with 44 points (21-12-2) and has won six of their last 10 games.
5. The game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET at Amerant Bank Arena. Watch the game on Citytv, TVA Sports or Sportsnet East, or listen in on the radio on TSN 690 or 98,5 fm.