Monday and Tuesday: Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 p.m. ET
The Panthers will open up their homestand with back-to-back games against the Blue Jackets (15-22-9) at BB&T Center on Monday and Tuesday. Quickly falling out of the playoff race in the Central Division, Columbus has dropped 12 of its last 14 games. During their current five-game losing skid, they've been outscored 23-12, including a 5-1 loss at Dallas on Saturday. Struggling to find success at both ends of the ice, the Blue Jackets rank 28th in the league on offense (2.43 goals per game) and 26th in defense (3.28 goals allowed per game). Up front, Oliver Bjorkstrand leads the team in scoring with 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists), while Cam Atkinson and Jack Roslovic are tied for second with 29 points apiece. In six games against the Panthers this season, Bjorkstrand has posted six points, including lighting the lamp four times. Speaking of Florida, look for Aleksander Barkov to continue piling up the points in these two games. Tied for the team-scoring lead with 45 points, he's racked up 10 goals and eight assists in his last 14 games. And of his team-leading 18 goals this season, three have come against Columbus. In six games against the Blue Jackets this season, the Panthers have come out on top five times.
TV: Bally Sports Florida (Mon), Bally Sports Sun (Tues)
Radio:560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN on Monday, 850 WTFL on Tuesday (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 107.9 FM/1370 AM (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM Ch. 219 / Streaming Ch. 932
Tickets:
FloridaPanthers.com/Tickets
Thursday and Saturday: Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m. ET
In two of their biggest games of the season, the Panthers will look to make their move in the standings when they host the Hurricanes (29-10-4) on Thursday and Saturday at BB&T Center. Entering this week in first place in the Central Division, Carolina has won five of its last seven games, including capping off a two-game sweep of the Predators with a 3-1 win on Saturday. One of the top clubs on special teams, the Hurricanes rank first in the league on the power play (27.9%) and tied for fifth on the penalty kill (84.1%). Fueled by a balanced attack, Carolina has six different skaters with at least 30 points, including Sebastian Aho (40), Vincent Trocheck (37) and Dougie Hamilton (35). Helping the Hurricanes take five of six games from the Panthers so far this season, Trocheck has scored in each meeting with his former team. As for the Cats, look for Anthony Duclair to generate some offense in these games. Putting up 19 points in 32 games this season, he's currently riding a solid five-game point streak in which he's scored three goals.
TV:Bally Sports Sun and ESPN+ (Thurs), Bally Sports Florida (Saturday)
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 850 WFTL (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 107.9 FM/1370 AM (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM Ch. 223 on Thursday, 220 on Saturday / Streaming Ch. 932
Tickets:
FloridaPanthers.com/Tickets