Preview: Following Epic OT Win, Panthers Look to Build Momentum

Fresh off one of their wildest wins of the season, the Panthers will look to end their road trip on an even higher note when they close the book on a back-to-back set with the Stars on Sunday.

"It's a good feeling that we have right now," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. "Let's keep it going and keep the momentum as best we can. We don't want to change too much."
Bringing his teammates to their feet twice in the span of less than a minute at American Airlines Center, Aaron Ekblad played the role of hero twice on Saturday, pulling off the unusual feat of scoring a pair of goals in overtime after his initial game-winning tally was taken off the board for offside.
Admittedly discouraged after his first goal was overturned, Ekblad was right back on the ice for the next shift. And following a pair of spectacular saves by Sergei Bobrovsky - including a kick save with his right pad - he was sent soaring up ice on a rush alongside Jonathan Huberdeau.
Barreling down the slot, he then took a pass from a Huberdeau, quickly pulled the rubber from his forehand to his backhand, and lifted a shot over Anton Khudobin's right pad and into the net with less than 10 seconds left to snap Florida out a three-game skid with a 4-3 overtime victory.
"I thought Bob came up with those two great saves that set it up for a great play," Quenneville said. "What a move by Ek, I guess you could say on both [goals]. I don't think I've ever seen someone score two overtime goals in the same game. That can go down as one of the better moves that we've seen. A lot of good things happened. We worked hard across the board."
Seeing their record improve 21-9-4 with the win, the Panthers currently occupy third place in the Central Division, while the Stars fell to 11-11-9 as they fight to remain in the postseason picture.
"It's a big deal," Ekblad said of the win, Florida's third in three games against Dallas this season. "There's like a depression when you go through these things. Three games doesn't sound like much, but it's a lot in this league. It's important in terms of seeding and position for us to win."
Not lost in the late-game insanity, Carter Verhaeghe also had an amazing showing in the Big D.
Finding the back of the net three times - once at even-strength, once on the power play and once while shorthanded - the 25-year-old forward registered the second hat trick of his career.
With Aleksander Barkov and Patric Hornqvist sidelined by injuries, Verhaeghe is among the group of players tasked with filling the scoring void left by their absence. Also lending a hand, Noel Acciari had two assists in the win, giving him four - all primary - in his last three games.
"Everyone had to step up tonight," said Verhaeghe, who leads the Panthers and ranks tied for 13th in the NHL with 15 goals. "I had some good chemistry with Ach [Acciari] and Duke [Anthony Duclair]. We played a good game and I'm lucky a couple went in for me tonight."
Putting the Cats on top quickly, Verhaeghe's first goal came just 24 seconds after puck drop.
"Outstanding game [for Verhaeghe] right from the first shift," Quenneville said. "Tremendous shot on two of his goals. Can't say enough good things about how he plays the team game, with some structure and some speed."
Dropping five of their last seven games, the Stars will have revenge on their mind tonight. In Saturday's defeat, John Klingberg, Denis Gurianov and Joel L'Esperance all put the puck in the back of the net, while Anton Khudobin stopped 24 of 28 shots.
In overtime, Miro Heiskanen nearly had the game-winner, but was denied by an absurd lunging blocker save from Bobrovsky.
Joe Pavelski leads Dallas in goals (15), assists (17) and points (32), while Roope Hintz, who was scratched due to an injury last game, sits second on the team in scoring with 21 points. At the blue line, Klingberg paces the team's defensive corps with 21 points, including 15 assists.
"We need to win games," Klingberg said. "We're going to have to go on a run here pretty soon."
Given the nature of back-to-back contests - and this jam-packed season as whole - it wouldn't be at all surprising to see both teams switch up their goaltenders tonight. That means Chris Driedger could potentially get the nod for the Panthers, while Jake Oettinger goes for the Stars.
Driedger boasts an 8-4-2 record with a 2.28 goals-against average and .923 save percentage, while Oettinger has gone 5-2-6 with a 2.28 goals-against average and .912 save percentage.
With no skate this morning, Quenneville will provide updates to the media at 4 p.m. ET.

TEAM RECORDS

FLA: 21-9-4, 46 PTS
DAL:11-11-9, 31 PTS
FLA all-time vs. DAL: 20-18-3-1

PANTHERS NOTES

-- Jonathan Huberdeau ranks tied for first on the Panthers in scoring with 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists). On the road, he also leads the team with 20 points (five goals, 15 assists).
-- Aaron Ekblad sits first among NHL defensemen in goals (tied-11), power-play goals (6) and game-winning goals (3). In his last 13 games, he's registered 10 points (five goals, five assists).
-- MacKenzie Weegar ranks tied for third among NHL defensemen in even-strength points with 18. Over his last 11 games, he's accumulated one goal and eight assists.
-- Carter Verhaeghe leads the Panthers and is ranks tied for sixth in the NHL with 13 even-strength goals. Over his last 10 games, he's amassed 11 points (seven goals, four assists).
-- Alex Wennberg has tallied four points (two goals, two assists) over his last seven games.
-- Radko Gudas leads the Panthers and ranks second in the NHL in hits with 156.
-- Florida owns the league's third-ranked power play on the road at 28.8%.

PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe - Noel Acciari - Anthony Duclair
Jonathan Huberdeau - Alex Wennberg - Brett Connolly
Frank Vatrano - Eetu Luostarinen - Owen Tippett
Mason Marchment - Juho Lammikko - Riley Stillman
Defensemen
MacKenzie Weegar - Aaron Ekblad
Keith Yandle - Markus Nutivaara
Gustav Forsling - Radko Gudas
Goaltenders
Chris Driedger
Sergei Bobrovsky
Scratches:Aleksander Barkov (lower body), Ryan Lomberg, Vinnie Hinostroza
Taxi squad: Anton Stralman, Kevin Connauton, Philippe Desrosiers
Injured reserve: Patric Hornqvist (undisclosed)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

• March 28: F Aleksi Heponiemi was reassigned to the Taxi Squad from the Syracuse Crunch (AHL).
  - March 27: F Patric Hornqvist was placed on IR; F Brett Connolly and D Riley Stillman were recalled from the Taxi Squad; D Anton Stralman was loaned to the Taxi Squad.
  - March 25: F Eetu Luostarinen was recalled from the Taxi Squad; F Brett Connolly was loaned to the Taxis Squad; D Noah Juulsen was assigned to Syracuse (AHL) on conditioning loan.
  - March 23: F Eetu Luostarinen was loaned to the Taxi Squad; F Brett Connolly was recalled from the Taxi Squad.

HOW TO WATCH / LISTEN

When: Sunday, March 27 at 6:00 p.m. ET
Where: American Airlines Center
TV: FOX Sports Florida
Stream: FOX Sports GO
Radio:560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 107.9 FM/1370 AM WZTA (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM Streaming Ch. 932
Offer: Check the tweet below to double your tickets for the next 50/50 Raffle!