SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers have home-ice in their sights.
With just two games to play in the regular season, they can lock it up by earning just one point when they face off against the Buffalo Sabres at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday.
In addition to owning a five-point cushion over the Toronto Maple Leafs (46-24-9) for second place in the Atlantic Division, the Panthers are also still very much in contention for the division crown as they trail the Boston Bruins (46-18-15) by just one point for first.
The Panthers can also clinch home-ice if the Maple Leafs lose tonight to the Detroit Red Wings in any fashion.
“We just want to play as fast as we can and not give too many opportunities for the other side,” Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola said. “Those things we need to keep an eye on.”
Earning their third shutout in the last four games, the Panthers enter tonight’s matchup on the heels of a 4-0 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. Evan Rodrigues, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart and Vladimir Tarasenko all touched the twine in the win.
Between the pipes, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped all 25 shots he faced for his sixth shutout of the season -- tied for the second most in a season in franchise history. Expected to get the nod in net tonight, the 35-year-old veteran has gone 35-17-4 with a .914 save percentage.
The top defense in the NHL, the Panthers are allowing an average of 2.43 goals per game.
“We’ve been talking about it, the defense with all five guys and cleaning up before the playoffs,” Mikkola said of that stinginess. “I think it’s been pretty solid, especially yesterday. We’ve got two more games to prepare ourselves. I think everybody’s excited about it.”
Lighting the lamp six times in his last 10 games, Reinhart paces the Panthers in goals (54) and points (91), while Tkachuk ranks second in points (85) and first in assists (59). Sitting third in scoring, captain Aleksander Barkov has registered 77 points (23 goals, 54 assists).
Captaining the Sabres before joining the Panthers at the trade deadline, forward Kyle Okposo is expected to suit up against his former club tonight. A great depth addition both on the ice and in the locker room, the 35-year-old veteran has appeared in five games with Florida since being acquired.
With no skate this morning, full lineup information will become available after Panthers head coach Paul Maurice addresses the media at roughly 2:45 p.m. ET, so stay tuned.
“He’s come in and handled it perfectly,” Maurice said of Okposo’s transition. “He’s getting stronger and faster. We play a completely different game than Buffalo does.”
Despite recently being eliminated from playoff contention and heading back to the NHL Draft Lottery, the Sabres (38-37-5) have still won three of their last five games and snapped out of a two-game skid with a 4-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Thursday.
Zach Benson, Alex Tuch, Jack Quinn and Dylan Cozens scored against the Capitals, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 22 shots to earn the win in Buffalo’s final home game of 2023-24. Tuch leads the team in points (59), while Tage Thompson has scored the most goals (29).
“I think Buffalo looks a little more defined defensively right now, just from earlier in the year,” Maurice said. “That’s what we’ll look to do. We’ll look to try and eliminate certain kinds of offense from other teams. That’s it.”
The first Sabres goaltender to appear in at least 50 games in a season since 2011-12, Luukkonen could get the nod in net against Florida. In 53 appearances, the 25-year-old goaltender has posted a 27-22-3 record with a .910 save percentage and five shutouts.
Facing off for the third and final time this season, the Panthers have gone 2-0-0 against the Sabres while leading 7-2 in goals.
“They’re going to be fast and making plays,” Mikkola said of Buffalo. “They have the skill to do it. There’s at least two lines that are very dangerous. We have to keep an eye on those.”
As a reminder, it’s Fan Appreciation Night at Amerant Bank Arena!
PREGAME QUOTES
“We what we want to do is not get into their game style-wise. They’re going to play a more offensive, puck-control game than we will. That’s fine. We just don’t want to play that game, don’t want to get lulled into it.” – Paul Maurice
“You approach it one game at a time, one moment at a time. We’re definitely excited about the upcoming challenge.” – Sergei Bobrovsky
FIVE CATS STATS
- Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers with 16 multi-assist games.
- Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers with 14 first-period goals.
- Aleksander Barkov has recorded at least one point in eight of his last nine games.
- Gustav Forsling ranks first in the NHL with a +51 plus/minus rating.
- Sergei Bobrovsky is expected to appear in his 700th NHL game tonight.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Vladimir Tarasenko – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Nick Cousins – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Evan Rodrigues
Steven Lorentz – Kevin Stenlund – Kyle Okposo
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Niko Mikkola – Brandon Montour
Dmitry Kulikov – Uvis Balinskis
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Anthony Stolarz
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- April 12: F Wilmer Skoog signed to a one-year, two-way contract commencing in 2024-25
- April 12: F Oliver Okuliar signed to a one-year ELC commencing in 2024-25
- April 10: D Mikulas Hovorka signed to a two-year ELC commencing in 2024-25
- April 3: D Uvis Balinskis recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Saturday, April 12 at 5 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Sun, Bally Sports+
Radio: 790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 92.1 WZZR (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM 220 / App & Streaming 932; Panthers App
Tickets: Click Here
