Improving to 30-26-6 and clawing back to within three points of a playoff spot, the Panthers put forth one of their best efforts of the season in a thrilling 4-1 win over the Lightning on Tuesday.
Even without Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett -- who will remain out of the lineup against the Predators -- the Panthers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period against their cross-state rivals as Eric Staal, Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen all lit the lamp.
From there, the Panthers rode team defense and strong goaltending the rest of the way as Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 28 of 29 shots to earn the 354th win of his career, which moved him past Evgeni Nabokov for the most wins ever by a Russian-born goaltender in NHL history.
In addition to going 4-for-5 on the penalty kill, the Panthers blocked 22 shots.
"I felt like we played really good as a team," said Lundell, who is centering Florida's top line in Barkov's absence. "Everybody brought something to the team. It took four lines and a goalie to win the game. Everybody brought something and we played really good as a team."
With no lineup changes expected against Nashville, Bobrovsky will man the crease for the 10th time in the last 11 games for the Panthers. Over his last 16 appearances, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner has looked sharp while registering a 10-4-1 record with a .919 save percentage.
In his career against Nashville, Bobrovsky owns a 10-8-1 record.
"He's been unbelievable," Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling said. "It's such a nice feeling to have him back there. You get very comfortable with him."
Sitting fifth in the Central Division with a record of 29-23-6, the Predators have won three of their last four games, but enter tonight's matchup following a 3-1 loss to the Penguins on Tuesday.
Following two scoreless periods against Pittsburgh, Mark Jankowski scored to put Nashville up 1-0 early in the third period. But after that, the Penguins scored three straight goals on Juuse Saros.
Leading the Predators in scoring from the blue line, Roman Josi has racked up 54 points (17 goals, 37 assists). Matt Duchene ranks second on the team in scoring with 49 points (18 goals, 31 assists), while Filip Forsberg ranks third in points (42), including a team-leading 19 goals.
Finding the back of the net twice against the Panthers last month, Tommy Novak has recorded 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in 27 games since being recalled from the AHL by Nashville on Dec. 19.
"An unbelievable release on that young man," Maurice said of Novak. "I think he was playing on the fourth line when we were in there, and he's moved up a line every game. He's got an incredible release, so you've got to get to the stick before he gets [his shot] off."
In net, Saros has started each of the last five games for Nashville. In 45 appearances this season, the All-Star goaltender owns a 23-17-5 record with a .916 save percentage. In his career against the Panthers, he's gone 3-7-0 despite posting a .925 save percentage.
Needing to go on a run, the Panthers want to start their homestand off on the right foot.
"It's so nice to be home for a little bit longer," Lundell said. "We just need to get our game to the level we want, try to find our game and get some wins."
