SUNRISE, Fla. - It's been a little bit, hasn't it?
More than 10 months since they last played a regular-season game - and roughly four months since their short stint in the NHL's postseason bubble -- the Panthers will return to the ice when they kick off their 2020-21 campaign against the Blackhawks at BB&T Center on Sunday night.
Preview: New Faces Debut as Panthers Open Season vs. Blackhawks
Getting in a few extra days of practice after having their initial opener against the Stars pushed back due to COVID-19 reasons, the Panthers believe they're more than prepared to get things going at this point, with both players and coaches itching to get back to doing what they love.
"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."
Entering their 27th season, the Panthers boast a respectable 15-7-2-2 all-time record in home openers. Over the past five seasons, they've gone 4-1-0 in their first game played on home ice, including a 4-3 victory over cross-state rival Tampa Bay to open up their home slate in 2019-20.
After losing to the New York Islanders in four games during the Stanley Cup Qualifiers, Florida hired former Blue Jackets assistant general manager Bill Zito to take over as the organization's new general manager in September - a decision that has since ushered in a wave of changes.
Overhauling the roster throughout the offseason, Zito made numerous moves to improve the Panthers both on and off the ice, including trading for two-time Stanley Cup champion Patric Hornqvist and signing a couple key free agents such as 2020 NHL All-Star Anthony Duclair.
In total, eight players are expected to make their debut with the Panthers tonight.
"I think for the first few shifts you just want to keep everything simple," said Duclair, who will be lining up on Florida's top line after scoring a career-high 23 goals last season. "It's been a long time, a long couple months for everyone that hasn't played. The first few shifts, you want to put it in deep, play in the offensive zone as much as possible and just take it from there."
Also being centered by Aleksander Barkov on the top line will be newcomer Carter Verhaeghe.
Fresh off hoisting the Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay, Verhaeghe is entering his first season with the Panthers after joining the team on a two-year contract during free agency. Suiting up in 52 games as a rookie with the Lightning in 2019-20, he notched 13 points (nine goals, four assists).
After averaging less than 10 minutes of ice time per game with the Bolts, Verhaeghe, who paced the AHL in scoring in 2018-19, is excited to get a chance to shine with the Panthers.
"I'm playing with two really great players," Verhaeghe said. "Barky's been here forever. He's a great player, one of the best players in the league. I'm just looking forward to the opportunity."
In addition to leaning on some new veterans, the Panthers are also expected to ice two talented rookies tonight on their third line - Eetu Luostarinen and Owen Tippett. Luostarinen was picked up from Carolina at last year's trade deadline, while Tippett was drafted 10th overall in 2017.
During camp, the duo teamed up with Frank Vatrano to form a potent scoring line.
"It feels good," said Tippett, who led Florida's AHL affiliate with 19 goals in 2019-20. "Obviously being here a couple years ago but not playing in that first game, it gave me a taste of what I wanted to do. Obviously being down here all summer, it was my goal to play on opening night."
With starting goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky still working his way back from a stint on the "unfit to play" list (the team is currently targeting Tuesday's matchup against Chicago for his return), the Panthers will look to backup Chris Driedger to get the job done against the Blackhawks tonight.
After starting out last season in the AHL, Driedger ended playing in several pivotal games for the Panthers in 2019-20. Recording a shutout in the first start of his NHL career - the first Cats netminder ever to do so - he went on to finish with a 7-2-1 record and a .938 save percentage.
"He played big games at the end of the year last year," Quenneville said of Driedger. "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 it's excited about the opportunity."
Across the ice, the Blackhawks are looking to bounce-back after a slow start out of the gate.
Put in the unenviable position of having to visit the defending Stanley Cup champions right off the bat, Chicago opened its season with two straight losses in Tampa Bay. Overpowered by the high-flying Lightning offense, the Blackhawks were outscored 10-3 over both lopsided contests.
Depleted down the middle, Chicago is currently without two of its top forwards as both captain Jonathan Toews and rookie Kirby Dach are on the injured reserve list. Still, their offense packs a punch in the form of two 30-goal scorers from last season: Patrick Kane and Dominik Kubalik.
With two games already in the books, Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome and Adam Boqvist lead the Blackhawks in scoring with two points apiece, with DeBrincat and Strome each netting one goal.
"They've got some guys that can make plays," Quenneville said. "They're dangerous off the counter. Down low in their offensive zone, they've got some very high-level skill. They've got some creative playmaking and some defensemen that create some offense from the back end."
Between the pipes, Chicago is expected to turn to either Malcolm Subban or Collin Delia against the Panthers. With neither goaltender entering the season as an established starter in the NHL, both manned the crease for one game against the Lightning, each of them giving up five goals.
In three career games against Florida, Subban has gone 2-0-1 with a .864 save percentage.
"Tampa really is a tough team to measure your performance after a couple of games because they control the play and the puck so much," Quenneville said. "It's tough to really say how good they're going to be or what they're biggest options are going forward to defend against or make them defend. Certainly, there's respect there and let's know that they're going to be hungry."
With each game being looked at as a four-point contest this season (the Panthers will only play the seven other teams in the new-look Central Division throughout their 56-game campaign), Quenneville believes that all of Florida's new faces will need to come together quickly tonight.
"We want to make sure that everyone's bringing some energy off of the bat - good pace, good four-line rotation early," Quenneville said. "[We want] everybody to get a feel for the game in the first five minutes or so."
PANTHERS NOTES
-- Aleksander Barkov needs to score just two more goals to tie Scott Mellanby (157) for the second-most goals in Panthers history. In 14 career games against Chicago, the 25-year-old center has tallied nine points (one goal, eight assists).
-- A 2020 NHL All-Star, Jonathan Huberdeau led the Panthers in scoring last season with 78 points (23 goals, 55 assists) in 69 games. In 13 career games against the Blackhawks, the 27-year-old winger has notched nine points (one goal, eight assists).
-- Aaron Ekblad registered a career-high 41 points (five goals, 36 assists) last season. The 24-year-old defenseman also led the Panthers in plus/minus (+12) and average time on ice (22:59). In 11 career games against Chicago, he's picked up four points (two goals, two assists).
-- Radko Gudas enters his first season with the Panthers after leading all Washington's defensemen in hits (164) during the 2019-20 campaign. In 63 games last season, the 30-year-old also racked up 15 points (two goals, 13 assists) and 75 blocked shots.
-- Noel Acciari scored a career-high 20 goals - including consecutive hat tricks - last season. The 29-year-old center also led Florida with 121 hits, while his 103 blocked shots led all NHL forwards.
-- Frank Vatrano has scored five goals over six career games against Chicago.
-- The Panthers have scored at least four goals in each of their last three home openers.
PROJECTED LINEUP
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
Keith Yandle - Anton Stralman
Gustav Forsling - Radko Gudas
Goalies
Chris Driedger
Sam Montembeault
Scratches:Riley Stillman, Vinnie Hinostroza
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Jan. 13: D Kevin Connauton agreed to terms on a one-year contract.
- Jan 13: F Grigori Denisenko, D Chase Priskie, F Cole Schwindt and F Scott Wilson were loaned to Syracuse (AHL).
- Jan. 11: D Noah Juulsen was claimed off waivers from Montreal.
- Jan. 9: D Gustav Forsling was claimed off waivers from Carolina.
IN-ARENA ACTIVATIONS
-
50/50 Raffle
- A limited amount of fans will be admitted to BB&T Center for home games this season. Learn about health and safety precautions taken as a part of the Red Reminders program presented in conjunction with Baptist Health at
FloridaPanthers.com/RedReminders
.
HOW TO WATCH / LISTEN
When: Sunday, Jan. 17, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where:BB&T Center - Sunrise, FL
TV: FOX Sports Florida
Stream:
FOX Sports GO
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 107.9/1370 WZTA (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (Ch. 91) and Streaming 932
Tickets:
HERE
