"When we're all playing well, we're a great team," Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau said after this morning's skate. "We know what kind of team we are. We have a lot of character in there. We've got to show up and get back to that. I think one win is going to get us going."
After winning 10 of their first 11 games out of the gate, the Panthers went 0-2-2 on their recent road trip, closing out the trek by getting points in losses at Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay. Looking to get back in the win column, tonight's game will feature some changes throughout the lineup.
Liking what he saw toward the end of Saturday's loss against the Lightning, Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette has moved Huberdeau up to the top line with Aleksander Barkov and Anthony Duclair. On the second, Sam Bennett is now in the middle of Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart, while Anton Lundell centers Owen Tippett and Frank Vatrano on the third.
Rounding things out on the fourth, Eetu Luostarinen is with Ryan Lomberg and Patric Hornqvist.
"There's positives, for sure," Reinhart said of the team's new-look lines. "Building off last game, [Brunette] obviously liked what he saw in certain matchups. Hopefully we can build off that little bit of chemistry we had together and get off to a good start tonight."
With the Panthers averaging the second-most goals per game in the league (3.73), Barkov leads the team in scoring with 16 points (nine goals, seven assists). Earning at least one point in each of his last nine games, the captain has notched seven goals and four assists in that span.
Coming out hot at home this season, the Cats lead 33-16 in goals in their own barn.
Making his third straight start, Sergei Bobrovsky has helped backstopped the Panthers to points in each of his nine appearances so far this season. Owning a 6-0-2 record, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner boasts a 1.88 goals-against average with an outstanding .940 save percentage.
"He's been great this year, but we've got to help him a little bit more," Huberdeau said.
On the second half of a back-to-back, the Islanders saw their losing streak reach three games with a 4-1 defeat at Tampa Bay on Monday. After Mathew Barzal opened the scoring just 2:53 into the first period against the Lightning, New York went on to surrender four straight goals.
During their current three-game slide, the Islanders have been outscored 13-3.
With their inaugural home game at the brand-new UBS Arena finally coming up on Saturday, tonight's tilt will mark the end of a stretch of 13 straight games on the road for the Islanders.
"We're working for those chances, they're not going in right now," New York forward Anders Lee said. "It's one of those stretches where that can lead to some frustration. I think right now we've just got to find a way to stick together, stick to it and eliminate the mistakes on the other end."
The 29th-ranked offense in the league, New York is currently averaging 2.33 goals per game and converting on just 12.9% of its power plays. Brock Nelson leads the team in goals (7) and points (9), while Barzal ranks second in scoring with eight points (four goals, four assists).
"They're one of the best at protecting the lead, there's no question about it," Reinhart said. "We've had some pretty good starts in this building, and that's the mindset going into tonight. We want to be assertive, urgent and be aggressive on pucks. We're excited for the challenge."
Facing off for the second time this season, the Panthers beat the Islanders by a score of 5-1 in Sunrise on Oct. 16. Leading the charge for the Cats, Bennett recorded his second-career hat trick, while five defensemen also chipped in at least one point from the blue line during the win.
"They pushed early and then we kind of slowly took over," Brunette said of that first meeting with New York. "We're probably expecting the same tonight, especially since for them it's the last game on the end of a long road trip. There should be a little desperation in their game."
With Semyon Varlamov getting the nod 24 hours ago across the state at Tampa Bay, it's likely that Ilya Sorokin will be between the pipes for the Islanders tonight. In 10 games this season, he's gone 5-3-2 with a 2.18 goals-against average, .933 save percentage and three shutouts.
Dating back to last season, the Panthers have won 11 straight regular-season games at home.
"We're going to be home for a while," Huberdeau said. "Let's start it the right way."