In the first of four head-to-head matchups they'll have with their cross-state rivals this season, the Panthers will turn to rookie goaltender Spencer Knight against the Lightning on Tuesday.
"He's been waiting for his chance to get in a game," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said of Knight. "Bob [Sergei Bobrovsky] had two great games, had a great start. It's kind of the way we forecasted it over the course of the season, with Bob getting a little bit more [starts] than him and him getting a chance to get in there and do his thing. … It's a good test for him tonight."
PREVIEW: Knight Set for Season Debut as Panthers Visit Rival Lightning
After going 4-0-0 with a .919 save percentage during the 2020-21 regular season, Knight, the 13th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, went on to appear in two games against the Lightning in the playoffs, recording a 1-1-0 record with a .933 save percentage over two outstanding starts.
Making history, the 20-year-old also became the youngest goalie to ever win an elimination game when he turned aside 36 of 37 shots to backstop the Panthers to a 4-1 win in Game 5.
"He's comfortable on big stages and in big situations," Quenneville said.
With Knight in net, the Panthers will attempt to improve to 3-0-0 to start the season.
After opening up their campaign by coming from behind to defeat the Penguins by a score of 5-4 in overtime on Oct. 14, they then cruised to a dominant 5-1 win over the Islanders on Oct. 16.
Coming out flying against New York, Sam Bennett led the charge on offense with his second-career hat trick, while Bobrovsky made 29 saves for his second straight win. Anthony Duclair and Aleksander Barkov also lit the lamp, and Gustav Forsling dished out a pair of key assists.
Earning a promotion from the fourth to the first line for tonight's game, Duclair, who posted 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists) in 43 games in 2020-21, has gotten off to a hot start this season, using his elite set of wheels to drive to the net and score in each of his first two games thus far.
"No matter where you play on this team, you're surrounded by talent," Duclair said. "There's always plays to be made. It doesn't matter what line you're playing on. For me, moving around doesn't really matter. It's just a question of going out and working hard."
Getting contributions from up and down their lineup, the Panthers currently rank second in the league in goals per game (5.00). Eight players have recorded multiple points through the first two games of the season, with Aleksander Barkov (one goal, two assists), Carter Verhaeghe (two goals, one assist), Aaron Ekblad (two goals, one assists), Forsling (three assists) and Bennett (three goals) locked in a five-way tie for the team's scoring lead with three points each.
"Everyone's a great player," Verhaeghe said. "Everyone is really good offensively and can score. I don't even think we have a power play goal yet, which is kind of crazy. Everyone is a threat out here. All lines have some good chemistry. It's early, so we just want to keep it rolling."
At the other end of the ice, the Lightning will be without one of their top stars.
After suffering an undisclosed injury during a 2-1 overtime win against the Capitals on Saturday, Nikita Kucherov, a former Hart Trophy winner who paced Tampa Bay in scoring for fight straight seasons from 2015-20, will not only miss tonight's game, but is out indefinitely as of right now.
Helping the Lightning capture their second straight Stanley Cup last season, the 28-year-old forward recorded a team-leading 32 points (eight goals, 24 assists) throughout the playoffs.
"It's definitely not a day-to-day thing, so we'll wait until we get an official word, but he's definitely out," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "He's going to be out for a while here. We're not going to put a timetable on it until we get an official word. In the short term here he's definitely out."
Bouncing back from a season-opening loss to the Penguins with overtime wins over the Red Wings and Capitals, Steven Stamkos scored the game-winning goal in overtime at Washington, while Andrei Vasilevskiy made 32 saves to pick up his second victory and earn first-star honors.
Putting up multiple points in each of his first three games this season, Stamkos paces the team in goals (3) and points (7), while Victor Hedman has produced the most assists (5). In 56 career games against the Panthers, Stamkos has amassed 68 points, including a whopping 34 goals.
In net, Vasilevskiy is expected to make his fourth straight start for Tampa Bay.
"It's fun when you kind of build those rivalries," Panthers defenseman Kevin Connauton said. "I think that this one is kind of getting some momentum. People are talking about it. I'm sure the guys in their room as passionate about it, too. It's fun. These are the games you want to play."
With their once-dormant rivalry really beginning to take off last season, the Panthers took five of eight games against the Lightning during the 2020-21 regular season before being eliminated in six games during the first-ever playoff series between the two squads from the Sunshine State.
Learning from that experience, the Panthers seem poised to take a step forward this season.
In order to do so, however, they've got to take care of the Lightning first.
"There's obviously a rivalry there," Verhaeghe said. "It's going to be a fun one tonight."
PANTHERS NOTES
- Aleksander Barkov has won 63.8% of his faceoffs to start the season. In 34 career games against the Lightning, the Panthers captain has registered 28 points (five goals, 23 assists).
- Sam Bennett leads the Panthers in goals (3) and shots on goal (9). Dating back to last season, he's produced 18 points (nine goals, nine assists) in 12 regular-season games. Acquired at last year's trade deadline, that is the most points ever by a player in their first 12 games with Florida.
- Jonathan Huberdeau has tallied an assist in each of the first two games this season. With an assist on Saturday, he recorded the 500th point of his NHL career. The first player in franchise history to reach that lofty mark, he's paced Florida in scoring in each of the last two seasons.
- Joe Thornton has posted 44 points (16 goals, 28 assists) in 46 career games against Tampa Bay.
- Gustav Forsling leads the Panthers in assists (3) and plus/minus (+5).
- Aaron Ekblad leads Florida with an average of 25:28 of ice time per game.
PANTHERS LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe - Aleksander Barkov - Anthony Duclair
Jonathan Huberdeau - Sam Bennett - Owen Tippett
Frank Vatrano - Anton Lundell - Sam Reinhart
Mason Marchment - Joe Thornton - Patric Hornqvist
Defensemen
MacKenzie Weegar - Aaron Ekblad
Gustav Forsling - Radko Gudas
Kevin Connauton - Brandon Montour
Goaltenders
Spencer Knight
Sergei Bobrovsky
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Oct. 19: D Matt Kiersted was loaned to Charlotte (AHL).
- Oct. 15: D Chase Priskie and F Maxim Mamin were loaned to Charlotte (AHL).
- Oct. 14: D Olli Juolevi was placed on the injured reserve list.
- Oct. 14: D Chase Priskie and D Matt Kiersted were recalled from Charlotte (AHL).
- Oct. 13: D Markus Nutivaara was placed on the injured reserve list.
RECENT ARTICLES / PODCASTS
HOW TO WATCH / LISTEN
When: Tuesday, Oct. 19 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Amalie Arena - Tampa, 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 App & Streaming 932
Watch Party: Funky Buddha Brewery in Oakland Park