DETROIT – Aleksander Barkov will add yet another feather to his ever-growing cap when the Florida Panthers face off against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday.
Set to skate in his 672nd NHL game, the former first-round pick and longtime captain will officially overtake Jonathan Huberdeau for the most games played in franchise history.
“That’s pretty awesome to see,” teammate Anton Lundell said. “That’s not a small milestone.”
Taken by the Panthers with the second-overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, Barkov has been the face of the franchise ever since he arrived to South Florida from Finland at just 17 years old.
In addition to his upcoming milestone, Barkov also owns Florida’s all-time franchise records for goals (245) and points (639), and sits just 22 assists away from the club’s all-time assists mark.
“He works hard every single day,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “He takes care of his body and trains hard to be the best he possibly can. He’s an incredibly consistent professional.”
Sitting at 4-3-1 and earning points in five of their last six games, the Panthers enter tonight’s contest looking to bounce back from a 3-2 overtime loss in Boston on Monday.
After taking a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals from Barkov and Sam Reinhart, the Bruins stormed back to get the game even on goals from Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy.
In the extra frame, Pavel Zacha netted the game-winner for Boston.
Losing Sam Bennett, who was making his season debut, to an injury in the game, Lundell slid up into his spot in the middle of the second line in between Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe.
With Bennett set to be sidelined for a bit, Lundell will remain in that spot against Detroit.
“I’m just trying to do my best and help them as well,” Lundell said of the opportunity. “I’m just trying to do everything I can to give them pucks and make our line a good line today."
After sitting out Wednesday’s practice due to a “minor issue,” Evan Rodrigues skated this morning and is expected to play tonight. With Bennett’s absence leaving an opening, Will Lockwood, who’s appeared in two games already this season, will slot back into the lineup.
Sitting at 3-3-1 with a .904 save percentage, Sergei Bobrovsky will get the nod in net for the Panthers. Dominating Detroit throughout his career, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner has gone 24-6-1 with a .937 save percentage in his career against the Red Wings.
After winning five of their first six games, the Red Wings dropped three straight before getting back into the win column with a 4-3 overtime win at the New York Islanders on Monday. Sitting at 6-3-1 in the standings, they’ve scored one or fewer goals in two of their previous four contests.
Leading the Islanders 3-2 in the third period on goals from Daniel Sprong, Jake Walman and J.T. Compher, the Red Wings couldn’t hold on in regulation as Bo Horvat scored on the power play at 15:49 to make it 3-3 and force overtime. In the extra frame, Lucas Raymond won it for Detroit.
Between the pipes, Ville Husso made 37 saves.
“It's a big win for us," Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde told reporters after the win. “You’ve got to keep playing and trying and pushing the right way. And for the most part throughout tonight, we did. I thought we got what we deserved."
With five multi-point games already this season, captain Dylan Larkin leads the Red Wings in scoring with 15 points (four goals, 11 assists). Alex DeBrincat is right behind him with 13 points, including scoring a team-high nine goals. On the blue line, Moritz Seider has tallied nine assists.
Dangerous with the extra attacker, Detroit’s power play ranks fourth in the NHL at 32.4%.
“It’s always a little pressure,” Kevin Stenlund, one of Florida’s top penalty killers, said when asked about trying to shut down the Red Wings when they're on the man advantage. “It’s good passes and good shots with a lot of pressure. We’ve got to stay on their top players.”
Husso has started seven of Detroit’s 10 games thus far, posting a 4-2-1 record with a .900 save percentage. Backing him up, James Reimer has gone 2-1-0 with a .939 save percentage. A key piece of Florida’s wild playoff push last season, Alex Lyon hasn’t started a game yet.
Reimer will get the nod tonight.
The Panthers swept their three-game series against the Red Wings last season, winning those games by a combined score of 13-5. Tkachuk led the way up front with six points (two goals, four assists) against Detroit, while three of his teammates also produced at least two goals.
“They’ve been playing really good,” Lundell said of the Red Wings. “We just need to be ready from the start, play together and try to defend as good as we can. We know they have some skillful players who can score if give them too much.”
PREGAME QUOTES
“He’s huge. He’s probably one of the most famous hockey players, for sure. Every kid growing up is looking up to Barky -- his shootout moves, highlight plays -- including me growing up. He’s just like a ‘Wow!’ player. He always come up with something you don’t see often. To be close to him and see him in every practice and game, you still see stuff you haven’t seen.” – Anton Lundell on Aleksander Barkov’s importance to young hockey players in Finland
“They can score goals. They’re at four a game. They’ve had big stretches. Their power play’s going. I think they’ve got 12 [goals] on their power play. A little more of a dynamic team than in the past. They worked hard to build in a talent base and then brought in some really skilled players to maximize some of the other really good players they have here.” – Paul Maurice on Detroit’s hot start to the season
FIVE CATS STATS
- Aleksander Barkov has 42 points (14 goals, 28 assists) in 38 career games against Detroit.
- Matthew Tkachuk has 14 points (five goas, nine assists) in 13 career games against Detroit.
- Sergei Bobrovsky owned a 3-0-0 record against the Red Wings in 2022-23.
- Sam Reinhart has recorded five multi-point games this season.
- Ryan Lomberg has amassed a team-leading 14 hits.
- Niko Mikkola has blocked a team-high 22 shots.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Anton Lundell – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Kevin Stenlund – Nick Cousins
Ryan Lomberg – Steven Lorentz - Will Lockwood
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov
Josh Mahura – Uvis Balinskis
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Anthony Stolarz
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Nov. 2: F Rasmus Asplund recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Oct. 27: F Mackie Samoskevich loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Oct. 24: F Mackie Samoskevich recalled on emergency basis from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH
When: Thursday, November 2 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena – Detroit, MI
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
