NOTEBOOK: On the Eve of Opening Night

In today's Baptist Health Practice Notebook, the Panthers are gearing up for their long-awaited opening night matchup, Chris Driedger is ready to start in net, and Coach Q is excited for fans.
SUNRISE, Fla. -The Florida Panthers are more than ready for the real thing.
After having their initial season-opening series against the Dallas Stars postponed, the Panthers finally closed the book on their training camp on Saturday at BB&T Center with their final on-ice session before kicking off their 2020-21 campaign against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.

"We're excited," forward Jonathan Huberdeau said. "It's been a little longer than other teams. I just think we've been practicing a lot. Now we're just excited to drop the puck for the first game and get into the season… We worked hard during training camp and I feel that we're ready."
Looking to change the culture in Sunrise, the Panthers overhauled their roster this offseason, with new general manager Bill Zito bringing in a wealth of new players he believed could help start to build the foundation for a new era of professionalism and success within the franchise.
These changes were evident throughout the team's two-week camp, as newcomers such as Anthony Duclair, Alex Wennberg, Patric Hornqvist and Radko Gudas blended seamlessly with familiar faces such as Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, MacKenzie Weegar and Huberdeau.
And although it can be difficult to develop chemistry without the benefit of playing competitive games - and also given the fact players are following social-distancing protocols off the ice - it appears that this new group has already found something special as they prepare for puck drop.
Of the 22 players on the opening night roster, only 10 played a game with Florida in 2019-20.

"We've got a lot of new stuff - new management, a lot of new guys," said Huberdeau, who led the Panthers in scoring with 78 points (23 goals, 55 assists) last season. "It obviously feels different, but I like the room. We have some new leaders, too. We're all on the same page. We want to have a winning culture here, and that's what we push for. It's got to start tomorrow."
When asked what he thought of the team's performance throughout camp - which included a pair of instrasquad scrimmages - head coach Joel Quenneville, who is entering his second season behind the Panthers bench, complimented the passion and pace that players showed.
As part of this fresh start, those two characteristics will be a big part of the team's new identity.
"Let's make sure we prioritize that, creating an identity," Quenneville said. "I think being predictable is a good attribute; being relentless is the best attribute as a player, as a collective group or as a team… We'll see what takes place and how we identify ourselves as a team."
Looking at the actual composition of the roster, little has changed over the past week.
Barkov is centering Carter Verhaeghe and Duclair on the top line. On the second, Huberdeau is joined by Wennberg and Hornqvist. On the third, you've got Owen Tippett, Eetu Luostarinen and Frank Vatrano, while Noel Acciari is flanked by Brett Connolly and Ryan Lomberg on the fourth.
On defense, Ekblad and Weegar have maintained their status from last season as the team's top-defensive pairing. After that, there's been a bit of movement, but Anton Stralman and Riley Stillman have paired together a lot, while Gudas has been working mostly with Gustav Forsling.
Even though a lot of this could change by opening night - and there will always be moving parts throughout the season - it's impossible to ignore the amount of balance up and down the lineup.
"I think that this team can surprise," Quenneville said. "I believe that we have more depth. We've got some more pace. I think we're competitive and deeper in our lineup. We've got a number of guys that are pushing to get in the lineup… I think there's a good fresh attitude around here."

DRIEDGER TO START

Although we'll have to wait until Sunday's morning skate to officially know who's slotting in where on forward and defense, we do know who will be manning the crease against Chicago.
With Sergei Bobrovsky still working his way back from starting camp on the "unfit to play" list, Quenneville announced that Chris Driedger will make the first opening night start of his career.
Sam Montembeault will serve as the team's backup.
"He played big games at the end of the year last year," Quenneville said of Driedger, who locked down the backup job behind Bobrovsky in 2019-20. "He was our go-to guy and handled tough situations extremely well. The way he just keeps his composure and his coolness is pretty unique. It doesn't change him one bit. I'm sure he's excited about the opportunity."
After starting out last season in the AHL, Driedger burst onto the scene when he became the first goaltender in Panthers history to post a shutout in their first-career NHL start after stopping all 27 shots he faced in a 3-0 victory over the Nashville Predators in Sunrise on Nov. 30, 2019.
From there, the 26-year-old continued to build upon his debut when called upon, finishing the season with an impressive 7-2-1 record, 2.05 goals-against average and .938 save percentage.
"Last year was great for me to just come into the league, get in some games, get some confidence and get this team hopefully confident in me," said Driedger, who's been sporting a sweet new Mandalorian-themed mask. "I'm just looking to take that forward into this season."

As for Bobrovsky, who has been practicing since Wednesday, Quenneville said that the plan right now is for him to start the second game of the season against the Blackhawks on Tuesday.
"He's on that path right now," Quenneville said of Bobrovsky, who went 23-19-6 last season. "He's ready to go, but we're being cautions and doing things probably the right way knowing that he does need some time to help with conditioning as well so that he's more than ready to start."

HOME-ICE ADVANTAGE

For the first time since March, the crowd noise will be real for the Panthers.
As the first NHL hockey arena to achieve the International WELL Building Institute's (IWBI) WELL Health-Safety Rating, BB&T Center will open its doors to fans for all 28 home games throughout the 2020-21 season, beginning with Sunday night's home opener against Chicago.
For the limited number of fans that are allowed into the arena (the plan is to start with 25% capacity), they'll be greeted by bright new signage known as "Red Reminders," which were created in partnership with Baptist Health South Florida to promote good safety practices.
These reminders include everything from social-distancing aids to contactless ordering details.
"It's an advantage," Quenneville said. "We're looking forward to it. It doesn't matter how many fans are in the building, it's fun playing in front of people. It's what we do. That's sports. We need to take advantage of it and use it. "Whether it's the excitement of the building or the noise, or if you need some momentum on your side, it can help as you progress over the course of the game and a season. I look forward to it… It's been a long time since we've seen fans."
Like Quenneville said, it's going to be great seeing the arena full of fans and energy again! For more information on the "Red Reminders" program, click HERE.
To purchase tickets to upcoming home games, click HERE.

SATURDAY'S PRACTICE LINES

Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe - Aleksander Barkov - Anthony Duclair
Jonathan Huberdeau - Alex Wennberg - Patric Hornqvist
Frank Vatrano - Eetu Luostarinen - Owen Tippett
Ryan Lomberg - Noel Acciari - Brett Connolly
Defensemen
MacKenzie Weegar - Aaron Ekblad
Riley Stillman - Radko Gudas
Gustav Forsling - Anton Stralman
Markus Nutivaara - Brady Keeper
Keith Yandle
Goalies
Chris Driedger
Sam Montembeault
Sergei Bobrovsky
Group 2: Vinnie Hinostroza, Aleksi Heponiemi, Mason Marchment, Kevin Connauton, Phillipe Desrosiers