SUNRISE, Fla. --What happens when the two best teams in the NHL meet?
We'll find out on Saturday when the Panthers host the Hurricanes at FLA Live Arena.
While the Cats have earned a point in all 10 of their games this season en route to a 9-0-1 record, the Canes stand as the last undefeated team left in the NHL with a record of 9-0-0.
Florida leads the league with 19 points, but Carolina is right behind with 18.
BY THE NUMBERS: Panthers Near Perfect Through 10 Games
"We're obviously pretty familiar with them," Panthers Interim Head Coach Andrew Brunette said of facing the Hurricanes after Friday's practice. "We know they're undefeated and a great team. …They're a really good measuring stick for us and a good test to see where we're at right now."
For tickets to this can't-miss matchup, visit FloridaPanthers.com/Tickets.
But before the puck drops for that heavyweight battle, let's take a moment to reflect.
With that in mind, here are several key numbers to soak in from Florida's first 10 games.
0:The number of times the Panthers lost in regulation. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Say it however you want. Clawing their way to at least one point in each of their first 10 games, they stand as one of just two teams left in the league that have yet to lose in regulation. The only other team is the Hurricanes, but that could change come Saturday's highly-anticipated matchup in Sunrise.
2:The number of game-winning goals for Eetu Luostarinen. Coming up in the clutch, he scored the first overtime game-winner of his career during Thursday's 5-4 win over Washington. Strong at both ends of the ice, the Panthers have led 3-0 over the 83:22 he's been on the ice at 5-on-5.
2.10:The average number of goals the Panthers are giving up per game. Thanks to the terrific tandem of Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight -- as well as some very responsible defensive play in front of them -- the Panthers are currently the second-best defensive team in the league.
3:Wins for Spencer Knight. Backing up Sergei Bobrovsky, the 20-year-old rookie has picked up right where he left off last season. Owning a .912 save percentage, the former first-round pick has gone 3-0-1 so far this season, which has improved his career record to an impressive 7-0-1.
5: The number of points for Anton Lundell. One of the top rookies in the league, the 20-year-old forward has tallied two goals and three assists in six games this season (he missed four due to an injury). Almost more impressive, however, is the fact that he's winning 51.2% of his faceoffs.
6:Anthony Duclair's goal total. Trailing only Aleksander Barkov on the team's goal-scoring list, Duclair has scored in six of 10 games to start the season. All six of those goals have come at even-strength, including a diving score that looked like something out of Bobby Orr's playbook during a 4-1 win over the Bruins (Orr's old team, oddly enough) back on Oct. 27 in Sunrise.
7:Jonathan Huberdeau's active point streak. Hopefully this doesn't jinx things, but he's been on fire as of late. Tying his career-best streak, the playmaking wizard has recorded three goals and seven assists over his last seven games. In each of those seven, he's tallied at least one assist.
9: The number of assists for Gustav Forsling. If you haven't hopped on the "Gus Bus" yet, now is the time. Tied for first among the league's defensemen in assists, Forsling, who set a career-high with 12 assists in 2020-21, has already tallied three multi-assist games so far this season, including dishing out three important helpers during a 4-1 victory over the Bruins on Oct. 27.
10:The number of points for Aaron Ekblad. Cracking the scoresheet in eight of 10 games to start the season, the Panthers' No. 1 defenseman also ranks first among all NHL blueliners in goals with four. Of those 10 points, four have come on the man advantage, including one goal.
12:The number of Panthers that have recorded at least five points this season. A big reason for the team's scoring outburst has been a balanced attack. In fact, no team in the league currently has more players with at least five points. Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau are tied for the team-scoring lead with 12 points each, but six other players have at least seven points.
15:The combined points for Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart. Two is always better than one, especially in the case of high-scoring forwards named Sam. Both in the midst of their first full seasons playing in South Florida, Bennett has registered seven points (four goals, three assists) in eight games, while Reinhart has notched eight points (two goals, six assists) in 10 contests.
21:MacKenzie Weegar's block total. After finishing eighth in voting for the Norris Trophy in 2020-21, the stalwart defenseman has picked up right where he left off. In addition to leading Florida in blocked shots, he also sits second on the team in hits (28) and ice time per game (24:11).
40:The number of hits for Radko Gudas. The Butcher is back at it again, ranking fourth in the league (second among defensemen) with 40 hits through 10 games. No stranger to dishing out bone-crunching body checks, he previously led the league with a whopping 250 hits in 2020-21.
41:The number of goals Florida has scored. The highest-scoring team in the league right now isn't the one with Connor McDavid, Alex Ovechkin or Auston Matthews. It's the Panthers. With four or more goals in eight of their first 10 games -- including a quartet of five-goal contests -- they've simply been wreaking havoc on opposing goaltenders seemingly every single game.
54.7%:The percentage of shot attempts the Panthers are controlling at 5-on-5. One of the best possession teams in the league, that 54.7 CF% places them behind only the Wild (55.63%) and Maple Leafs (55.75%). Florida has won or tied the possession battle in nine of 10 games to start the season, including controlling over 60% of shot attempts in wins over the Islanders and Coyotes.
.948:Sergei Bobrovsky's save percentage. Off to the best start of his career, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner has been a brick wall between the pipes for the Panthers. Riding that stellar save percentage to a 6-0-0 start, he's allowed more than two goals in just one game.
188:The number of goals Aleksander Barkov has scored in his career. Tied for third in the NHL with seven goals this season, the Panthers captain needs just one more goal to pass fellow Finn Olli Jokinen for the most goals in franchise history. With how hot he's been, that should be soon.
Have a favorite number of your own through 10 games? Let us know!
\All advanced statistics courtesy of NaturalStatTrick.com*
