Cats Forecast: Homestand Wraps Up; Patty Fest at FLA Live Arena

The Florida Panthers will do a little bit of waiting before getting back to work.
After taking a few days to rest and recharge, the Panthers will continue their playoff push with two big matchups at FLA Live Arena this week. After facing off against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, they'll close out their homestand against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

As it stands now, the Panthers (33-27-7) sit just three points behind the New York Islanders (34-26-8) for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with one important game in hand.
"We're at the point in the season where the standings are something you look at daily," Panthers forward Eric Staal said on Monday. "You take advantage of days like this to recover properly, but also put the work in as well. We're looking forward to preparing for the rest of the homestand."
Starting to heat up, the Panthers have gone 4-1-1 over their last six games.
"We're for sure trending," Staal said. "Once we got healthy, everyone started to feel comfortable in the roles they're given and with the opportunities they have. We have good players. When you have everyone contributing collectively, you're going to end up with some good results."
To see what's going on this week and beyond for the Panthers, continue reading below.

THE GAMES

Thursday: vs. Montreal Canadiens, 7 p.m. ET
The Panthers will continue their homestand with a matchup against the Canadiens (26-34-6) at FLA Live Arena on Thursday. Montreal enters this week having lost each of its last six games, including a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Devils on Saturday. That being said, none of those six losses have been blowouts. Five of the six were decided by one goal, including two that went to the shootout. Nick Suzuki leads the Canadiens in scoring with 49 points (21 goals, 28 assists), while Cole Caufield is second in points (36) and first in goals (26). In net, Jake Allen and Sam Montembeault have both seem ample time. Starting five of the last seven, Allen has gone 14-21-3 with a .899 save percentage this season. For the Panthers, look for Aleksander Barkov to find the twine in this contest. In 29 career games against Montreal, Barkov has scored 22 goals.
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports+, ESPN+
Radio:560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); SiriusXM Streaming Channel 932; NHL App
Tickets:
Here
Saturday: vs. New Jersey Devils, 6 p.m. ET
The Panthers will close out their seven-game homestand with a battle against the Devils (44-16-6) at FLA Live Arena on Saturday. Tied with the Hurricanes atop the Metropolitan Division, New Jersey has won seven of its last nine games, including a 3-0 shutout against Carolina on Sunday. Owning the fourth-ranked offense in the NHL with an average of 3.53 goals per game, the Devils have scored at least three goals in each of their last nine games. Jack Hughes leads New Jersey in scoring with 79 points (37 goals, 42 assists). After him, Dougie Hamilton (63), Nico Hischier (61) and Jesper Bratt (60) have also hit the 60-point mark. Between the pipes, Vitek Vanecek has posted a 28-7-3 record with a .910 save percentage. Also getting some reps in as of late, Akira Schmid has gone 8-4-1 with a .927 save percentage. For the Panthers, keep an eye on Eetu Luostarinen in thit tilt. Working his way up to the top line, the 24-year-old forward has logged 14 points (six goals, eight assists) over his last 15 games.
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports+, ESPN+
Radio: 96.5 WPOW-FM HD-2 (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); SiriusXM Streaming Channel 932; NHL App
Tickets:
Here

PATTY FEST

The Panthers will host "Patty Fest" presented by Jameson on Thursday.
An exclusive pre-game party prior to the matchup against the Canadiens, "Patty Fest" will take place at the brand new Jameson Crossbar located behind sections 117-119 at FLA Live Arena.
All guests must be 21 years or older, and the first 250 attendees will receive the following:
• Access to "Patty Fest" pre-game party
• Two drink tickets per guest (21+)
• All-inclusive food (buffet style)
• Commemorative St. Patrick's Day coin or pin
• Ticket for Panthers vs. Canadiens
The event begins at 4:30 p.m., with Happy Hour specials being available until puck drop.
To purchase tickets, click
HERE
.

CATZ B SIDE

Who's ready to party?
Following their matchup against the Rangers on March 25, the Panthers will host a "Catz B Side" electronic music event on the JetBlue Tarmac featuring performances by Öwnboss, Mark Sixma, MR.BLACK & Sam Blacky.
For fans who already have tickets to the game, an add-on can be purchased in order to experience the postgame concert.
To purchase tickets, click
HERE
.
For more information, click
HERE
.

PROSPECT SPOTLIGHT

Jack Devine had himself a weekend for Denver.
After scoring four goals to lead the Pioneers to a 6-2 win over the Miami RedHawks in Game 1 of the NCHC Quarterfinals on Friday, the 19-year-old forward lit the lamp again during a 7-2 win in Game 2 on Saturday to help Denver advance to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff.
"It's obviously a big accomplishment," Devine told DenverPioneers.com following his scoring spree in Game 1. "I thought it was big that it happened in the playoffs and we got the win here."
The 32nd player in Denver's history to score four or more goals in a game, Devine scored three of his four goals on the power play. Per the school's post-game notes, he's just the third player in the program's long and storied history to produce three power-play goals in a single contest.
After scoring three goals as a freshman in 2021-22, Devine currently ranks third on the Pioneers with a career-high 14 goals in 36 games this season. Hoping to help Denver defend its NCAA crown, he's been heating up down the homestretch with nine goals over his last eight games.
Devine was selected by the Panthers in the seventh round (221st overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft.

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