TAMPA – The first chapter of this season’s Battle of Florida will be written when the Florida Panthers clash with the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on Wednesday.
Last season, the Panthers snatched five out of a possible eight points against their cross-state rivals, posting a 2-1-1 record over five incredibly entertaining contests.
“Two really good teams,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. “They’ve had so much success here, and rightfully so, with the players they have. We feel we’re just kind of coming into our prime now. Both teams have that nice mixture of ingredients.”
For Maurice, tonight’s game will mark his 1,800th behind the bench in the NHL.
Just the third coach in NHL history to reach that lofty number, Maurice, who is in his 26th season, will soon catch Barry Trotz (1,812) for second place on the NHL’s all-time list.
“It’s been a great lifetime of association with some really fine people,” said Maurice, who is in his second season calling the shots in South Florida. “I’m mindful of that. It’s kind of a usual number. It’s just kind of sticking out there in the middle of nowhere. It’s not a milestone necessarily. It’s a path. I think the people around you are more aware of it.”
Sitting third in the Atlantic Division at 19-12-2, the Panthers cruised into the Christmas break on a very high note with an incredible effort during a 4-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights in a rematch from last year’s Stanley Cup Final on Saturday.
After leading 20-3 in shots on goal in the first period, the goals started to finally flow for the Panthers in the second as Sam Bennett and Gustav Forsling both lit the lamp. In the third, Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart added power-play goals to lock in the win.
Between the pipes, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 23 of 25 shots.
“[The break] definitely would’ve felt a lot longer if they beat us,” said Verhaeghe, who ranks second on the team with 16 goals. “We liked the way we played. We were all dialed in and wanted to play the same way. I think it was a building block, for sure.”
On a roll all season, Reinhart leads the Panthers in goals (19) and points (40). Vying for his second Selke Trophy, Aleksander Barkov, in addition to his all-world defense, ranks second on the team in points (32) and is tied with Reinhart for the most assists with 21.
Following this morning’s skate, Maurice said there would be no lineup changes.
Just one point behind the Panthers in the standings, the Lightning, who’ve played two more games, improved to 17-13-5 with a 2-1 shootout win at Washington on Saturday.
A fairly low-event matchup, Luke Glendening scored the lone goal for the Lightning in regulation, while Anthony Mantha struck for the Capitals. In the skills competition, Victor Hedman beat Charlie Lindgren in the fourth round to net the extra point for Tampa Bay.
Missing the first 20 games of the season after undergoing surgery in September, Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 33 of 34 shots against Washington to improve to 8-5-1 this season.
After getting off to a rocky start, Tampa Bay has won seven of its last 10 games.
“Tonight was a huge win for us, obviously,” Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli told reporters after the win over the Capitals. “We haven't been great on the road this year, so there was an emphasis to come out strong and play a full 60 minutes.”
Former Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov leads Tampa Bay in goals (23), assists (34) and points (57). Brayden Point sits second on the team in scoring with 38 points (16 goals, 22 assists), while Steven Stamkos is third with 35 points (15 goals, 20 assists).
Over his last five games, Kucherov has logged four multi-point performances.
“He slows the game down,” Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour said. “He’s obviously super skilled. He makes the right plays, the most-creative plays a player could make. He’s doing it again this year. You’ve got to stay on him as tight as you can.”
In the net opposite of Bobrovsky, Vasilevskiy, a fellow former winner of the Vezina Trophy, will get the nod for Tampa Bay. After losing three of his first four starts in his return from surgery, the 29-year-old has gone 7-2-0 with a .925 save percentage.
Despite the time off, the Panthers expect a lot of jump against their rival tonight.
“We’ve just got to stick to what our strengths are, especially this year with what we do well” Montour said. “The energy level has got to be up. It might be a little rusty to start with a couple days off, but guys are excited to be back.”
PREGAME QUOTES
“The first game after Christmas might the one game a year you’re not sure what you’re getting because it’s just so out of routine. Three days in a row off? That never happens. Travel the day of the game? That never happens. But I do think this game gets to what it’s going to be five minutes in. I think it’ll probably be heavy and a pretty physical game and contested.” – Paul Maurice on coming out of the Christmas break
“It was great. Any time you get a chance to spend some time with the family and get away a little [is good]. We liked how we ended after that last game, and that obviously added to how good the break was.” – Brandon Montour on the Christmas break
FIVE CATS STATS
- Aleksander Barkov has tallied 33 points (7G, 26A) in 31 career games vs. Tampa Bay.
- The Panthers have gone 10-for-10 on the penalty kill over their last four games.
- Sam Reinhart is tied for first in the NHL with nine power-play goals this season.
- Florida is leading 25-15 in goals when Gustav Forsling is on the ice at 5-on-5.
- Sergei Bobrovsky owned a .932 save percentage against the Lightning in 2022-23.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Nick Cousins
Ryan Lomberg – Kevin Stenlund – Will Lockwood
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Brandon Montour
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Dmitry Kulikov
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Anthony Stolarz
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Dec. 16: F Will Lockwood recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Dec. 15: D Uvis Balinskis loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH
When: Wednesday, Dec. 27 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Amalie Arena – Tampa, FL
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports+
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM App & Streaming 932; Panthers App
