DENVER – Hitting the halfway point of the regular season, the Florida Panthers will kick off a two-game trip with a matchup against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena on Monday.
Heading into Game 41 on their schedule, the Panthers sit at 24-14-2.
“Pretty good,” forward Evan Rodrigues said of the first half. “We’ve had our ups and downs, just like every team goes through. I think we’ve handled them pretty good. I think our game is in the right spot. There’s things you can work on and get better at, but for the most part I think we like where we’re at as a group and we’ll continue to build as the year goes on.”
Coming out on top in six of their last nine games, the Panthers closed out their homestand with a 3-2 shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.
Despite the Penguins taking seven trips to the power play, the Panthers managed to limit the damage thanks to a great performance from Spencer Knight, who made 29 saves.
Gustav Forsling and Matthew Tkachuk each scored for Florida in regulation, while Sam Reinhart and Anton Lundell lit the lamp in the shootout to lock in the win.
“Pittsburgh is playing for their playoff lives and they’ve probably got more Stanley Cups in their room then we do, so I was really happy with that game” head coach Paul Maurice said.
Bitten by the injury bug, the Panthers could be without two of their top defensemen tonight.
After missing each of the last four games, Niko Mikkola participated in morning skate but is unlikely to play, according to Maurice. Ekblad, who exited late in the third period against the Penguins, hopped on the ice after morning skate and his status is currently up in the air.
Filling the void, Tobias Bjornfot was recalled from the AHL.
A member of last year’s Stanley Cup squad, the 23-year-old blueliner and former first-round pick has logged 15 points (one goal, 14 assists) over 120 career games in the NHL.
“There won’t be the nerves,” Maurice said of Bjornfot. “He’s played a year in the NHL. This isn’t his first tour. He’s going in against a pretty good team for your call-up, but those are the games where you have a chance to impress the most.”
In net, Sergei Bobrovsky will get the start for Florida.
Sitting third in the Central Division at 24-15-1, the Avalanche saw its six-game winning streak come to an end with a 2-1 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.
Colorado’s only goal in the loss came in the first period on the power play off the stick of Mikko Rantanen. Named the third star of the game in a losing effort, Mackenize Blackwood looked sturdy once again for the Avalanche, stopping 22 of 23 shots between the pipes.
Prior to the loss, Colorado had scored at least four goals in six straight games.
One of the most-dynamic offensive players in the NHL, Nathan MacKinnon leads the Avalanche and ranks first in the NHL in scoring with 65 points (14 goals, 51 assists). Not far behind, Rantanen is second on the team with 57 points, including a team-high 23 goals.
A former Norris Trophy winner, Cale Makar has recorded 49 points (13 goals, 36 assists).
Traded from the San Jose Sharks to the Avalanche shortly after an outstanding 51-save performance against the Panthers on Dec. 7, Blackwood has been everything and more that Colorado was hoping he would be when they acquired the 28-year-old goaltender.
In eight starts since the trade, Blackwood has gone 6-1-1 with a .935 save percentage.
Facing off for the second and final time this season, the Panthers suffered a 7-4 loss to the Avalanche in Sunrise on Nov. 23. Leading 2-1 after the first period, things unraveled for the Panthers when they allowed four goals in the second, including three within the first 8:54.
This time around, the Panthers are hoping for some payback.
“Short shifts, getting used to the altitude, and then just playing them hard,” Rodrigues said when asked about the keys against Colorado. “Not letting Nate (MacKinnon) get speed and then go at our D at a million miles an hour, trying to get a bump on him. For the rest, it’s the same kind of thing. They want to make plays and want to play with the puck. It’s just about slowing them down.”
THEY SAID IT
“Just a good attitude. He’s always upbeat. He’s always in a good mood, always chatting and always keeps the room light. Just and overall good guy. He’s fit in seamlessly.” – Evan Rodrigues on Nate Schmidt
“It feels good. Hopefully I have a lot of left games. I feel like my legs still have them in ‘em. No better test than coming in here against a hot team. This is always a fun environment to play in.” – Nate Schmidt on skating in his 700th NHL game
FIVE CATS STATS
- Nate Schmidt is expected to skate in his 700th NHL game.
- The Panthers own a 3-0 record in shootouts this season.
- Matthew Tkachuk leads Florida with eight power-play goals.
- The Panthers are 7-0-0 when Evan Rodrigues scores a goal.
- Sam Reinhart has logged a team-high 11 multi-point games.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Eetu Luostarinen – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Carter Verhaeghe – Anton Lundell – Jesper Boqvist
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Mackie Samoskevich
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Dmitry Kulikov
Tobias Bjornfot – Uvis Balinskis
Nate Schmidt – Adam Boqvist
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- Jan. 6: D Tobias Bjornfot recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Dec. 23: F Rasmus Asplund loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Monday, Jan. 6 at 9 p.m. ET
Where: Ball Arena – Denver, CO
TV & Streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX, ESPN+ (out of market)
Radio: 790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT-AM & 92.1 WZZR-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); Panthers App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Cats on Tap: Click Here
