SUNRISE, Fla. -- Squeezing in one home game in between a pair of road trips, the Florida Panthers will face off against the Vancouver Canucks at FLA Live Arena on Saturday.
"Let's take some energy from the home crowd," said Panthers forward Anton Lundell, who will be skating in his 100th NHL game. "It's fun to be home again. Just play as a team and keep going. The last couple games have been really good. It's felt better than before."
PREVIEW: Panthers excited to face Canucks in front of home crowd
Sitting at 19-20-4 in the standings, the Panthers have won three of their last five games, but closed out their road trip by letting a late lead slip away in a 4-2 loss at Vegas on Thursday.
Leading 2-1 after two periods on goals from Nick Cousins and Sam Reinhart, the Panthers surrendered two goals in the third period to fall behind 3-2 before William Karlsson locked in the win for the Knights by burying an empty-netter with 1:07 left on the clock.
In that period, Florida missed out on a chance to pad its lead with an extended 5-on-3 power play.
"After the first 10 minutes of that game we were real good right straight through," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. "We had a 5-on-3, we don't score, and that'll be the turning point."
Extending his point streak to five games with an assist at Vegas, Matthew Tkachuk, a 2023 NHL All-Star, leads the Panthers in goals (22), assists (30) and points (52). Second to Tkachuk and first among Florida's blueliners, Brandon Montour has tallied 34 points (seven goals, 27 assists).
With no lineup changes expected, Sergei Bobrovsky will man the crease once again for the Panthers. Making 29 saves against the Knights, Bobrovsky, who has started 13 of the last 17 games, has posted a 5-5-0 record with a .911 save percentage over his last 10 appearances.
As for Lundell, his 100th game in the NHL caught him a bit by surprise.
"I didn't know it was today," smiled Lundell, the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. "Time flies when you have fun. It's already been 100, so let's make it a good night."
Dropping six of their last seven games, the Canucks fell to 17-21-3 with a 5-4 loss at Tampa Bay on Thursday. Trailing 5-2 in the third period, Vancouver nearly closed the gap on the Lightning with goals from Quinn Huges and Elias Pettersson, but ended up falling just short.
In that matchup, defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson was a healthy scratch for Vancouver.
"I think he can be better, but I think there's a lot of guys that can be better now," Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters before the game. "It's something you don't want to do. He's arguably our best defenseman but sometimes you just have to do what you think is the best thing for the team right at that moment."
A team that loves to get involved in wide-open shootouts, Vancouver ranks seventh in the NHL on offense (3.41 goals scored per game), but 30th on defense (3.95 goals allowed per game).
Pettersson leads the Canucks in scoring with 50 points (18 goals, 32 assists), while Bo Horvat is second in points (46) and first in goals (29). Additionally, three other players have also crossed the 30-point mark: J.T. Miller (37 points), Andrei Kuzmenko (36 points) and Hughes (36 points).
With Thatcher Demko still recovering from a lower-body injury, Spencer Martin and Collin Delia have shared the net for Vancouver. Martin has gone 11-9-1 with a .880 save percentage, while Delia, who started at Tampa Bay, has posted a 3-2-0 record behind a .893 save percentage.
Facing off for the second and final time this season, the Panthers secured a 5-1 win at Rogers Arena in their first meeting back on Dec. 1. In that game, Matthew Tkachuk led the Panthers with three points (one goal, two assists), while Spencer Knight stopped 32 of 33 shots in net.
"Both teams can score goals," Maurice said when asked about the keys to tonight's matchup. "They have their game. These guys have started very, very quickly in games, built leads. They're very similar in some ways. The team that plays the best defensively tonight wins."
THEY SAID IT
"I think it raises the energy of the game. It keeps everybody on their toes on their end. He threw a couple of big hits and can change the game like that. He's earned his right to be in the lineup. I like that style of hockey. I've got time for it." -- Paul Maurice on Givani Smith's impact
"I've learned a lot. When I came into the league, I didn't know anything -- how things work, how the game works, how many games we have. It's a lot to learn, but there's such a great group of guys around all the time that you can ask." -- Anton Lundell on hitting 100 games in the NHL
WHO'S HOT?
Panthers:Matthew Tkachuk has 13 points (eight goals, five assists) over his last nine games. … Aleksander Barkov has 14 points (five goals, nine assists) over his last 11 games. … Brandon Montour has eight points (one goal, seven assists) over his last nine games.
Canucks:Bo Horvat has 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) over his last nine games. … Elias Pettersson has 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) over his last 10 games. … Quinn Hughes has eight points (three goals, five assists) over his last eight games.
FIVE CATS STATS
- Matthew Tkachuk has dished out 18 assists in 32 career games against Vancouver.
- The Panthers rank fourth in the NHL in average goals per game at home (3.74).
- Sam Reinhart has scored nine goals in 13 career games against the Canucks.
- Florida has scored at least one power-play goal in six of its last eight contests.
- Brandon Montour leads all Panthers defensemen with nine multi-point games.
PANTHERS PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Anton Lundell - Aleksander Barkov - Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe - Sam Bennett - Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen - Eric Staal - Nick Cousins
Ryan Lomberg - Colin White - Givani Smith
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling - Aaron Ekblad
Marc Staal - Brandon Montour
Josh Mahura - Radko Gudas
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Alex Lyon
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Jan. 11: D Casey Fitzgerald claimed off waivers from Buffalo
- Jan. 11:D Matt Kiersted loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Jan 5: F Chris Tierney recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Jan. 3:F Givani Smith recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH
When: Saturday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: FLA Live Arena - Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports+, ESPN+
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); SiriusXM App & Streaming Channel 932; NHL App
Tickets:
VAMOS GATOS NIGHT
Celebrating the rich culture of South Florida's Hispanic community, the Panthers will host ¡Vamos Gatos! Night powered by Ford during tonight's matchup against the Canucks.
Kicking off the celebration, the Panthers will host a festive ¡Vamos Gatos! pregame party at FLA Live Arena's Patron Patio and JetBlue Tarmac from 4-7 p.m. where fans can enjoy authentic bites from local eateries such as Carne en Vara Express and 1811 Miami Express.
Additionally, the pregame party will feature live mural installations by local artists, salsa dancers, a margarita bicycle, ¡Vamos Gatos! scarf giveaways courtesy of Ford and two dominoes tables complete with a professional instructor for fans who are new to the game.
A game ticket is required for entry to the Patron Patio.
From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., the JetBlue Tarmac will also feature live music by the Candy Band, stilt walkers, dancers, food trucks and fun fan activities such as a slapshot cage and video games.
During warmups, Panthers players will debut custom ¡Vamos Gatos! warmup jerseys exclusively designed by local artist Carlos Solano, which will be available for purchase immediately following warmups at FLA Live Arena's Inside the Boards.
Our #VamosGatos jerseys were worth the wait 🤩
🎨 by @itz\_Csolano pic.twitter.com/1sNn8eyqLh
- Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) January 12, 2023
"They're cool," Lundell said of the jerseys. "I'm excited to see them live."
Limited-edition Carlos Solano-designed ¡Vamos Gatos! t-shirts and pucks will also be available to purchase at FlaPanthers.givesmart.com, with all proceeds benefiting the Florida Panthers Foundation.
For more information or to purchase tickets, click HERE.
PREGAME LISTEN
Hear from captain Aleksander Barkov on the latest episode of the Territory Talk podcast.
