SUNRISE, Fla. - Already facing off for the third time during the month of November, the Panthers will close out their season series with the Capitals at FLA Live Arena on Tuesday.
A rubber match in the heated three-game series, Eetu Luostarinen scored in overtime to lift the Panthers to a 5-4 win in their first meeting back on Nov. 4, while Alex Ovechkin's 28th career hat trick guided the Capitals to a 4-3 victory in their second meeting just a few days ago on Nov. 26.
PREVIEW: A 'Great Test' as Panthers Close Out Season Series with Capitals
"They've all been very competitive games," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said. "It could've gone either way in each game. We didn't love our Friday night game, but credit to them, I thought they closed space on us really well. They kind of did that in the second half of the game when we played them here. They're a real good team. It's a great test for us tonight."
Sitting at 14-4-3, the Panthers enter tonight's matchup looking to break out of the two-game skid that has followed their four-game winning streak. After their loss at Washington on Friday, they saw their 11-game winning streak at home snapped in a 4-1 loss to the Kraken on Saturday.
Still the only team with double-digit victories on home ice, Florida has scored a league-high 51 goals at home while allowing just 27 against for an impressive +24 goal differential in Sunrise.
"That's just the game of hockey," Panthers forward Frank Vatrano said of managing the ebbs and flows of a season. "It's ups and downs all year regardless of how good you're doing. You lose one game in a row and it's an awful feeling, and then you lose two in a row and it's an even worse feeling. We know how good of a team we have, and we know the structure we have in front of us. If we stick to that, we're going to be a hard team to play against. It's going to be fun."
Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Panthers in scoring with 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists), while Anthony Duclair, Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad are tied for second with 17 each. Both still out of the lineup while nursing injuries, Duclair and Barkov skated earlier this morning.
Looking to continue his domination in his home crease, Sergei Bobrovsky will start against the Capitals. Owning a 9-1-2 record with a 2.03 goals-against average and .936 save percentage, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner has still yet to lose a game in Broward County, going 7-0-0.
Among goalies with at least five starts at home, he ranks second in save percentage (.948%).
On the back end, Matt Kiersted will slide into the lineup for the third time this season after being recalled from AHL Charlotte on Monday to help fill in for Gustav Forsling, who is week-to-week with a lower-body injury that he sustained during the third period of Saturday's loss to Seattle.
Posting one assist in two games with the Panthers earlier this season, the 23-year-old blueliner has also played well with the Checkers, tallying six points (two goals, four assists) in 16 games.
"I'm really excited," said Kiersted, who signed with Florida as a free agent late last season after closing the book on his collegiate career at North Dakota. "I think there's a good opportunity in front of me here to get in the lineup and play against a good team like the Washington Capitals."
In tonight's tilt, Kiersted will be paired with grizzled veteran Radko Gudas on the blue line.
"Guddy is great," said Kiersted, who has spent more time at 5-on-5 with Gudas than with any other defenseman since joining the Panthers. "He helps me and talks to me a lot and teaches me little things along the way. He's good. I like playing with him. He makes it easy on me."
In first place in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 14-3-5, the Capitals have won nine of their last 11 games. In their last outing, they extended their winning streak to three games with a 4-2 win at Carolina in which goalie Ilya Samsonov stopped 30 of 32 shots between the pipes.
Providing more than enough support for Samsonov, Alex Ovechkin, Aliaksei Protas, Dmitry Orlov and John Carlson all scored against the Hurricanes. Tied 2-2 in the third period, Orlov lit the lamp on the man advantage with just 2:55 left in regulation to send the Capitals ahead 3-2.
"It was a great moment for us to win the game," Orlov, who has found the back of the net twice over his last three games, told reporters. "I tried to come [in the slot] and make a strong shot."
Flying up the NHL's all-time goals leaderboard, Ovechkin, who trails Jaromir Jagr (766) by 17 goals for third place, ranks second in the league in both goals (19) and points (37). In his last five games, Ovechkin has scored seven goals, including a hat trick last time out against Florida.
While Ovechkin is certainly the engine that drives Washington's fifth-ranked offense (3.55 goals per game on average), three other players have also notched at least 20 points. Second on the team in scoring, Evgeny Kuznetsov has 27 points, while Tom Wilson and Carlson each have 22.
Yet to announce their starter, the Capitals could turn to Samsonov again as he's gotten the nod in five of the last six contests. In 11 games this season, the 24-year-old netminder has posted a 9-0-1 record behind a 2.27 goals-against average, .918 save percentage and three shutouts.
Facing off for one last time this season, the Panthers know what to expect from the Capitals.
"They're a really good team," Vatrano said of going toe-to-toe with Washington. "They've got some firepower up front and a very good power play. They've got all-around structure. We know the contest we have ahead of us tonight, and we want to come out with two points."
PANTHERS NOTES
- With just one more point, Joe Thornton will move into a tie with Mark Recchi (1,533) for 12th place on the NHL's all-time scoring list.
- Jonathan Huberdeau has recorded 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) in 24 career games against the Capitals.
- The Panthers rank second in the NHL with 77 goals, including 53 at even strength.
- Florida ranks first in the NHL with 240 takeaways.
- Aaron Ekblad leads all Panthers defensemen in scoring with 17 points (six goals, 11 assists).
- MacKenzie Weegar leads Florida in blocked shots (46) and ranks second in hits (63).
- Carter Verhaeghe has scored four goals over his last six games.
- Radko Gudas leads the Panthers with 94 hits.
- Frank Vatrano has produced five points (four goals, one assists) over his last eight games.
PANTHERS LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Jonathan Huberdeau - Sam Bennett - Owen Tippett
Carter Verhaeghe - Anton Lundell - Sam Reinhart
Frank Vatrano - Joe Thornton - Maxim Mamin
Ryan Lomberg - Eetu Luostarinen - Patric Hornqvist
Defensemen
MacKenzie Weegar - Aaron Ekblad
Matt Kiersted - Radko Gudas
Lucas Carlsson - Brandon Montour
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Nov. 29: F Aleksi Heponiemi and D Matt Kiersted recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Nov. 28: D Gustav Forsling placed on IR | F Aleksi Heponiemi loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Nov. 27: F Aleksi Heponiemi recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Nov. 27: F Aleksander Barkov placed on IR retroactive to Nov. 16
- Nov. 26: F Ryan Lomberg re-signed to a two-year contract extension
RECENT NEWS
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Registration for the 'Sunrise Showdown' NHL 22 Tournament is Open
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Panthers Re-Sign Forward Ryan Lomberg to a Two-Year Contract Extension
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NOTEBOOK: A Team Effort on Defense; Gudas Setting the Tone
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Doug Plagens' Panthers Mailbag: Panthers Chasing History
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5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers Make History at Home on Ekblad's OT Winner
HOW TO WATCH / LISTEN
When: Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Where:FLA Live Arena -- Sunrise, FL
TV:Bally Sports Florida
Stream:Bally Sports App, ESPN+ (Out of Region)
Radio:560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); SiriusXM 91 / App & Streaming 932
Tickets:
HERE
IN-ARENA ACTIVATIONS
- The Panthers are celebrating their Movember Night at FLA Live Arena. The first 5,000 fans to enter the building will receive a complimentary Movember mustache. Additionally, a portion of the 50/50 Raffle proceeds for the night will benefit the Movember Foundation. To receive double the number of tickets before puck drop, visit
FloridaPanthers.com/5050
to enter the raffle now.
- It's another Truly Tuesday at FLA Live Arena, which means fans 21 and older can purchase discounted Truly Hard Seltzer cans at all concession stands where the beverage is available.
