TAMPA, Fla. -While some of their regulars get a well-deserved rest, the Panthers will have two key players back in action when they visit the rival Lightning at Amalie Arena on Thursday night.
Making their respective preseason debuts, rookie Anton Lundell and veteran Joe Thornton are both expected to suit up for the Panthers. Lundell, who missed the start of training camp after suffering an injury during a rookie tournament, was centering the second line this morning, while Thornton, who sustained an injury early on in camp, was spotted on the left side of the third line.
Preview: Lundell, Thornton to Make Preseason Debuts in Tampa
Drafted 12th overall in 2020, Lundell, who turned 20 earlier this month, is preparing for his first professional season after competing in Finland's Liiga for the past three campaigns. Thornton, meanwhile, is getting ready for his 24th tour around the NHL, but only his first with the Panthers.
In recent practices, head coach Joel Quenneville said both players looked ready to go.
"They've looked good in practice," he said. "They just need to play. I thought Lundy looked fine in the rookie camp. Joe was skating alright the last few days, so he needs to play. With timing and everything, it'll help them to get some action. I'm sure they'll get better every shift out there."
In their first meeting since last season's playoffs, the cross-state rivals put on quite the show for fans at Amway Center in Orlando on Tuesday. Trading both goals and punches, the two teams combined for nearly 100 penalty minutes as the Panthers topped the Lighting by a score of 3-2.
Leading the charge on offense, Owen Tippett beat Andrei Vasilevskiy twice in the third period for his first two goals of the preseason. In Florida's crease, rookie Spencer Knight turned aside 28 of 30 shots against Tampa Bay's highly-touted offense to improve to 2-0-0 in the preseason.
With two more head-to-head matchups remaining until the regular season arrives and the points start to count, the Panthers sit at 5-0-0 in the preseason, while the Lightning have gone 1-4-0.
"It's great," forward Sam Reinhart of facing off against the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. "You like that challenge. We have another big test tonight. It's a good opportunity for us to execute our game plan and see how it works against one of the best in the league again."
After playing on Tuesday, Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Sam Bennett, Frank Vatrano, Aaron Ekblad, MacKenzie Weegar and Matt Kiersted are not expected play tonight. Filling in, Zac Dalpe, Serron Noel and Noah Juulsen were called up from the AHL, while Lundell, Thornton, Brandon Montour and Kevin Connauton will all play after having sat out last game.
Knight, who started Games 5 and 6 against the Lightning in the postseason, will get the nod in net once again, but will share the goaltending duties with veteran backup Christopher Gibson.
"We've got kind of a half-and-half tonight," Quenneville said of the lineup.
With the Panthers hoping to have close to their final roster suiting up on Saturday against the Lightning in the preseason finale, tonight's contest will provide a few players on the bubble yet another chance to impress the team's coaching staff and earn one of those coveted 23 spots.
Ever since camp opened, that competition has been pushing players to be their best.
"I think the competition has been pushing us a lot," forward Juho Lammikko said. "It's been good in practice and in the games. We've got some really good depth here now. It's nice to see." For players with spots already locked up, there's also still time to iron out a few kinks.
"It's important for me," said forward Sam Reinhart, who is expected to start the season on the top line after being acquired from the Sabres in an offseason trade. "I don't think I'm quite there yet. It's important for me to get in and just play hockey. I'm looking forward to tonight."
With Barkov getting the night off and Carter Verhaeghe not expected to return from an injury until Saturday, Reinhart, who scored a team-leading 25 goals in Buffalo last season, will play on a line tonight with Eetu Luostarinen and Anthony Duclair, who he has played with internationally.
"It's just a matter of finding my game within the system and learning to play this new way that maybe I wasn't as used to," Reinhart said. "I'm getting closer. I'm excited for another chance."
Rolling with a similar lineup to the one we saw on Tuesday, the Lightning are expected to deploy regulars like Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos and Alex Killorn. Additionally, Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman, who both missed last game, appear to be on track to play.
In net, it looks as if veteran Brian Elliott will draw in against the Panthers.
"I know in their minds they want to play for keeps," Quenneville said when asked about the preseason winding down. "I think these are tune-up games, so you can play it accordingly. But when you're playing a game you might as well play all-out to get our pace established and get some consistency with your linemates and a little bit of predictability in our team game. There's some things that we can get better at, and that'll be part of the process for these two games."
PANTHERS NOTES
- After sustaining an injury in Tuesday's game, Noel Acciari is expected to be out "a while."
Last season, the hard-nosed center notched four goals and seven assists, while also leading the team's forwards in hits (91), blocked shots (63) and shorthanded minutes per game (2:40).
"Freak, freak, freak thing," head coach Joel Quenneville said. "A very unusual injury."
- Quenneville announced that Carter Verhaeghe and Gustav Forsling, who both skated this morning, will be back in the lineup on Saturday. He also added that Maxim Mamin, who did not travel on this trip due to an injury of his own, could potentially return for the preseason finale.
- Prior to the trip, Quenneville said Sergei Bobrovsky will start on Saturday.
- Aleksander Barkov leads the Panthers in scoring during the preseason with six points (one goal, five assists), while Sam Bennett ranks second with five points (one goal, four assists).
- Frank Vatrano leads the Panthers with four goals during the preseason.
PANTHERS LINES (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Anthony Duclair - Eetu Luostarinen - Sam Reinhart
Mason Marchment - Anton Lundell - Patric Hornqvist
Joe Thornton - Juho Lammikko - Owen Tippett
Ryan Lomberg - Zac Dalpe - Serron Noel
Defensemen
Chase Priskie - Radko Gudas
Markus Nutivaara - Brandon Montour
Kevin Connauton - Noah Juulsen
Goaltenders
Spencer Knight
Christopher Gibson
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Oct. 6: D Noah Juulsen, F Zac Dalpe and F Serron Noel were recalled from Charlotte (AHL).
- Oct. 2: F Karch Bachman, F Henry Bowlby, F Grigori Denisenko, F Aleksi Heponiemi, F Logan Hutsko, F Justin Nachbaur, F Serron Noel, F Cole Schwindt, F Zac Dalpe, D Noah Juulsen, D Max Gildon and G Evan Fitzpatrick were assigned to Charlotte (AHL)
RECENT ARTICLES
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Panthers Announce Season-Long Promos & Theme Nights for 2021-22 Season
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Territory Talk: Rivalry Renewed; Preseason Thoughts
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5 Takeaways: Tempers Flare as Panthers Get Best of Lightning in Orlando
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Around the NHL: 2021-22 Season Preview with ESPN's Linda Cohn
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NOTEBOOK: Lundell 'Doesn't Miss a Beat' in Return to Practice
HOW TO WATCH / LISTEN
When:Thursday, Oct. 7 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Where:Amalie Arena - Tampa, FL
TV: N/A
Stream: FloridaPanthers.com
Radio:N/A
