It's been exactly one week since Frank Vatrano lifted his arms up into the air victoriously.
Following their 5-4 overtime win over the Blackhawks on Jan. 19, the Panthers were forced to endure an extended hiatus from competitive action after COVID-19 safety protocols in Carolina kicked in and pushed their two-game series against the Hurricanes back to later in the season.
Now finally preparing to get back to work, Vatrano is confident the Panthers (2-0-0) can pick up right where they left off after that big win despite the week-long break as they prepare to kick off a four-game road swing against the Blue Jackets (2-2-2) at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday night.
Preview: Panthers Look to Regain Rhythm Against Blue Jackets
"Obviously coming off two big wins to start the year, I think you kind of carry that confidence no matter how long it goes until you play that next game," said Vatrano, who netted the overtime winner against Chicago. "We're excited for the challenge. Obviously, Columbus is a tough team. They play really good in their building. We've got to be ready tonight right from the puck drop."
Off to an undefeated start, the Panthers came out of the gate flying this season, outscoring the Blackhawks by a combined score of 10-6 during their season-opening series at BB&T Center earlier this month. Getting contributions from both longtime fan favorites as well as newcomers, 13 different players chipped in at least one point over the course of those wins against Chicago.
Patric Hornqvist, who's in his first season with Florida after being acquired from Pittsburgh in the offseason, leads the team in goals (3) and is tied with Jonathan Huberdeau for the most points (4). Behind them, Aleksander Barkov, Keith Yandle and Carter Verhaeghe all have three points.
Overall, Joel Quenneville said he sensed a "good energy" during this morning's skate.
"Our last game our start against Chicago was as good as any as we've seen," the Panthers head coach said. "Let's try to build off of that knowing that starting on time is very important to having success and winning some games on the road. It's a good test here tonight."
Tonight's matchup will also be somewhat of a homecoming for several Panthers.
In total, eight different players that made the trip to Columbus have played in at least one game with the Blue Jackets at one point or other, and a handful of those players -- Alex Wennberg, Anthony Duclair, Anton Stralman and Sergei Bobrovsky - are likely to be in the lineup tonight.
Additionally, before being hired by the Panthers during the offseason, general manager Bill Zito called Columbus home from 2013-20 when he served as the club's assistant general manager.
"It's going to be a little bit different," said Wennberg, who played in 417 games with the Blue Jackets after being taken with the 14th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft. "There's a lot of memories there in that arena. I'm excited. It's going to be fun to go back and play against them."
Bobrovsky, who won a pair of Vezina Trophies during his seven-season stint in Columbus, is expected to man the crease for the Panthers against his former club tonight. After missing most of training camp while on the unfit to play list, the 32-year-old netminder shook off the rust and picked up the win in his season debut, turning aside 32 of 36 shots against Chicago on Jan. 19.
In three career starts against the Blue Jackets, he's gone 1-1-1 with a .944 save percentage.
"We're going to get our rhythm," Bobrovsky said. "This week we're going to have four games. We're going to play lots of hockey. The season is short -- it's like a sprint. The hockey world gave us time a little bit before [the season started] to work on our stuff and get prepared.
"Especially in my circumstances, I took advantage from this extra ice time because before the Chicago game I was only practicing for five days. It's good for me to play a game, have a little rest and get prepared for [tonight's] game, and then get the rhythm and get going."
On Saturday, the Blue Jackets extended their point streak to three games with a 5-2 win over Tampa Bay. Before that, Columbus had dropped four its first five games to open the campaign.
In the first blockbuster trade of the 2020-21 season, the Blue Jackets made a splash just a few hours before their win over the Lightning, sending top-line center Pierre-Luc Dubois and a 2022 third-round pick over to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange forwards Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic.
Laine, whose 140 goals are the eighth-most in the NHL since 2016-17, will not make his debut against the Panthers as he continues to seek a work visa. The 22-year-old sniper is also listed on the injured reserve list. Roslovic, meanwhile, practiced Monday but will also not play tonight.
Even with their two new additions unavailable, Columbus still packs a punch. Up front, forwards Alexandre Texier and Oliver Bjorkstrand are tied for the team-scoring lead with five points each, while the defensive duo of Seth Jones and Zach Werenski remain two of the best in the league.
Werenski registered four goals in two games against Florida last year, including a hat trick.
"We know it's a team that works really hard," Huberdeau said. "They're really good defensively as well. They score on your mistakes, so that's what we've got to do. We've just got to keep things simple, play our game, and we should be fine. I think we can be a fast team as well. We've just got to do that, work in their zone, and I think we should get some breaks out of it."
Between the pipes, Joonas Korpisalo is expected to start against the Panthers. Last starting on Jan. 21, the 26-year-old goaltender has gone 1-1-1 with a 2.34 goals-against average and .935 save percentage this season. In four career games against Florida, he's posted a 3-1-0 record.
With a win tonight, Florida can secure its first-ever 3-0-0 start in franchise history.
"We want to have a good start on the road as well," Huberdeau said. "We haven't played in a while, so it's going to be important to keep things simple in the first period. We want to get off to a good start and get the first one [on the road]."
TEAM RECORDS
FLA: 2-0-0, 4 PTS
CBJ: 2-2-2, 6 PTS
FLA all-time vs. CBJ: 10-14-9
PANTHERS NOTES
-- Aleksander Barkov needs to score just two more goals to move into a tie with Scott Mellanby (157) for the second-most in Panthers history. In 16 career games against Columbus, the 25-year-old center has been quite productive while racking up 12 points (five goals, seven assists).
-- Jonathan Huberdeau led the Panthers in scoring last season with 78 points (23 goals, 55 assists) in 69 games. Picking up at least one point in each game so far this season, the 27-year-old winger is currently tied for Florida's scoring lead with four points (one goal, three assists).
-- Aaron Ekblad has recorded a point (one goal, one assist) in each of his first two games this season. In 2019-20, the 24-year-old defenseman notched a career-high 41 points (five goals, 36 assists) while also leading the Panthers in plus/minus (+12) and average time on ice (22:59).
-- Patric Hornqvist has scored in two straight games to start the season. Acquired during the offseason in a trade with Pittsburgh, the 34-year-old forward currently leads Florida in goals (3) and is tied for first in points (4). Over his previous seven NHL seasons, he's scored 154 goals.
-- Anthony Duclair has recorded two assists through two games this season. In nine career games against Columbus, the 25-year-old forward has tallied four goals and three assists.
-- Carter Verhaeghe has recorded three points (two goals, one assists) over his first two games with the Panthers, including scoring twice in a 5-4 overtime victory against Chicago on Jan. 19.
-- MacKenzie Weegar has skated a team-leading 43:29 at even-strength so far this season.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe - Aleksander Barkov - Anthony Duclair
Jonathan Huberdeau - Alex Wennberg - Patric Hornqvist
Frank Vatrano - Eetu Luostarinen - Owen Tippett
Vinnie Hinostroza - Noel Acciari - Brett Connolly
Defensemen
MacKenzie Weegar - Aaron Ekblad
Gustav Forsling - Anton Stralman
Keith Yandle - Radko Gudas
Goalies
Sergei Bobrovsky
Chris Driedger
Scratches: Ryan Lomberg, Juho Lammikko, Noah Juulsen
Taxi Squad: Aleksi Heponiemi, Mason Marchment, Kevin Connauton, Philippe Desrosiers
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Jan. 23: D Brady Keeper and D Riley Stillman were assigned from Florida's Taxi Squad to Syracuse (AHL).
- Jan. 22: F Juho Lammikko was added to the Panthers active roster.
- Jan. 20: D Riley Stillman was loaned to Florida's Taxi Squad.
- Jan. 20: G Sam Montembeault was assigned to Syracuse (AHL).
HOW TO WATCH / LISTEN
When: Tuesday, Jan. 26, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Nationwide Area - Columbus, OH
TV:FOX Sports Florida
Stream:
FOX Sports GO
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 107.9/1370 WZTA (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM Streaming 932
