MONTREAL – The Florida Panthers will look to stay hot on defense when they close out their trip through Canada with a matchup against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre on Thursday.
Sitting at 13-7-2, the Panthers have allowed just one goal over their first two stops on their trip.
“We have a game right now that we’re playing that can not only win right now but in April, May and June,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said. “That’s what we’re building toward and that’s what we’ve been playing like in the last few [games]. That’s really exciting for us.”
After shutting out the Senators 5-0 in Ottawa on Monday, the Panthers picked up a point in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Maple Leafs in the second half of their back-to-back on Tuesday in Toronto.
Deserving of a second point against the Maple Leafs, the Panthers – despite some unusual calls – still nearly pulled out the win. Kevin Stenlund lit the lamp to match a career-high with his sixth goal of the season, while Anthony Stolarz stopped 31 of 32 shots between the pipes.
Tied 1-1 with just over three minutes left in regulation, Florida’s red-hot penalty kill came up in the clutch and made sure the game would get to overtime. Following a scoreless extra frame, Noah Gregor, who also lit the lamp in regulation, netted the game-winner for the Maple Leafs.
Prior to Gregor’s goal, Evan Rodrigues appeared to win it for the Panthers, but his goal on Joseph Woll was taken off the board after officials ruled that the puck was double-tapped.
At 5-on-5, the Panthers led 64-36 in shot attempts.
“Our goaltending was great, our penalty kill was great, and all the aspects of the defending part was really good,” Tkachuk said. “I think our offensive execution was there, but not there at some parts of the game, like being around the net and finishing our chances. But we had a lot of looks, so you can’t be mad about that.”
Over the past five games, the Panthers have gone 20-for-20 on the penalty kill.
“Everybody is reading off each other and having good sticks and that kind of stuff,” Florida defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson said of the penalty kill. “It’s simple, but it’s also hard work on the PK. I really like the PK, but at the same time we try to get better on that, too.”
Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers in goals (15) and points (27). Aleksander Barkov ranks second in scoring with 20 points (six goals, 15 assists), while Tkachuk is third with 18 points, including a team-leading 15 assists. Carter Verhaeghe sits second in goals (9) and fourth in points (16).
After backing up Stolarz in Toronto, Sergei Bobrovsky will return to the crease tonight.
Bobrovsky, who stopped all 20 shots he faced to record his second shutout of the season on Monday at Ottawa, has won seven of his past 10 starts and is tied for third in the NHL with 11 wins.
Sitting at 10-10-2, the Canadiens have won three of their last four games, including a 4-2 win at Columbus on Wednesday. Alex Newhook, Cole Caufield, Joel Armia and Gustav Lindstrom all lit the lamp against the Blue Jackets, while Sam Montembeault turned aside 26 of 28 shots in net.
Tied 2-2 in the third period, Armia netted the go-ahead goal with 2:57 left in regulation.
“I thought tonight (in the) second, third, we execute in the neutral zone, and it’s a big difference," Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis told reporters. "There are plenty of ways to get the puck to the other end, and you’re not always going to be able to possess it across the blue line. It’s nice to have different points of attack and different strategy of attack, and we’re working on it.”
Two key pieces of Montreal’s young core, Caulfield and Nick Suzuki are tied for first on the team in scoring with 18 points each. Former Panthers defenseman Mike Matheson ranks third with 17 points (five goals, 12 assists), while Newhook and Sean Monahan have each notched 13 points.
In terms of possession numbers, Montreal ranks 26th in the NHL with a 46.54 CF% at 5-on-5.
Cayden Primeau is expected to get the nod in net against the Panthers. Set to make just his fifth appearance this season, the 24-year-old has gone 2-2-0 with a .898 save percentage. In his last start, he stopped 31 of 33 shots to lead Montreal to a 3-2 shootout win at San Jose on Nov. 24.
Last season, the Panthers dominated the season series.
Coming out on top in all four games against the Canadiens, the Panthers led 27-11 in goals. Over the course of the lopsided series, Tkachuk amassed a team-leading 13 points (eight goals, five assists), while Barkov was right behind him with 10 points (three goals, seven assists).
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Florida owns a 7-1-0 record against Montreal.
“Obviously we know we have a good group of guys that can win in different ways,” Ekman-Larsson said. “We can play in tight games and we can outscore other teams. We’re comfortable with the way we’re playing right now and want to keep building and getting better.”
PREGAME QUOTES
“The penalty kill is no different than the power play. At the end of the day, it’s all based on confidence. Now we have some pairs that have been together, some D partners that have been together. Having [Aaron] Ekblad come back, he’s such a long, fast guy that can kill some plays. Then you feel good about it and believe you can get a kill.” – Paul Maurice on the penalty kill
“Our goalies have been good. I think our forwards, when they come back, our D can hold the gap and play tight and that’s when we’re successful. That’s when we’re really on our game. When we’re doing that, it’s easy to play back there.” – Oliver Ekman-Larsson on Florida’s defense
FIVE CATS STATS
- Aleksander Barkov has scored 22 goals in 31 career games against Montreal.
- Sergei Bobrovsky is tied for first in the NHL with two shutouts in November.
- Sam Reinhart is tied for second in the NHL with four game-winning goals.
- Niko Mikkola leads the Panthers in blocked shots (47) and is second in hits (34).
- Florida ranks fourth in the NHL in expected goals per 60 minutes on the power play (9.69).
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Nick Cousins
Jonah Gadjovich – Kevin Stenlund – Ryan Lomberg
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola - Brandon Montour
Oliver-Ekman Larsson – Dmitry Kulikov
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Anthony Stolarz
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Nov. 25: D Mike Reilly claimed off waivers by the New York Islanders
- Nov. 17: F Jonah Gadjovich recalled from AHL conditioning assignment
- Nov. 17: D Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour activated off injured reserve
HOW TO WATCH
When: Thursday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Bell Centre – Montreal, QC
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports+
Radio: 790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM App & Streaming 932; Panthers App
