FORT LAUDERDALE – The Florida Panthers will kick off their final homestand of the regular season with a matchup against the Ottawa Senators at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday.
With the Panthers enjoying a 6-0 beatdown of the Senators at Canadian Tire Centre less than a week ago, the final game of the season series will likely have a little extra bite to it.
“We went in their building and put six on them, so they’re going to be angry and feisty,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said after this morning’s skate at the Baptist Health IcePlex. “The window’s closing, right? They’ve got another week of this and then it’s going to be over, so we’re going to get their best. It’s going to be hard. It’s going to be physical. I’d like us to figure a way to play a disciplined game in that structure because we’re an excitable team and we’re a mark-your-territory kind of team. But we have to be smart about that.”
At 48-24-6, the Panthers entering tonight’s matchup holding a three-point lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs for second place in the Atlantic Division with one more game played.
Whichever teams finishes second will have home-ice advantage in Round 1.
“It’s important games,” Panthers forward Sam Reinhart said of the homestand. “It’s for home-ice in Round 1, at the end of the day. We know what’s at stake. These are important ones for us. We’re excited for the opportunity.”
Sitting five points behind the Boston Bruins for the top spot in the division, the Panthers missed out on a chance to gain some ground in their last outing on Saturday at TD Garden.
Wrapping up their final road trip of the regular season in Boston, the Panthers played well enough to win (they led 3.14-1.98 in expected goals), but simply couldn’t find the key third goal they needed before the action eventually got to the coin flip that is 3-on-3 overtime.
Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov each scored against the Bruins, while Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 26 of 29 shots between the pipes. On the blue line, Gustav Forsling dished out two assists for Florida, earning his eighth multi-point game of the campaign.
“Trying to build off it,” Reinhart said. “Consistency is huge. Showing up to the rink and knowing how you’re going to play, that’s what you need at this time of the year.”
Bobrovsky, who’s 3-0-0 with two shutouts against Ottawa this season, will get the nod in net again tonight.
With veteran defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson sitting out against the Senators to get a little pre-playoff rest, Uvis Balinskis will take his place in the lineup. Suiting up in 22 games with Florida this season, the 27-year-old blueliner has notched one goal and two assists.
“He’s an NHL defenseman. I have faith in that,” Maurice said of Balinskis, who’s also posted 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) in 37 games in the AHL. “I also think he’s made great progress in the American League. In his last little tour, he’s been very good for us.”
Heading to the lottery for the seventh straight season, the Senators broke out of a three-game skid with a 3-2 overtime win against the playoff-hopeful Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Trailing 2-1 in the third period, Ridly Greig scored the game-tying goal to get Ottawa to overtime. Just 41 seconds into the extra frame, Jake Sanderson netted the game-winner. Between the pipes, Joonas Korpisalo turned aside 20 of 22 shots to pick up his 20th win.
Tim Stutzle leads the Senators in scoring with 70 points (18 goals, 52 assists). Brady Tkachuk, Matthew’s younger brother and Ottawa’s captain, is second in points (68) and first in goals (34). Drake Batherson and Claude Giroux are tied for third in points with 62 apiece.
Missing the last two games with an injury, Stutzle's status for tonight's game is unknown as of this morning.
With three games down and one to go in the season series, to say the Panthers have had Ottawa’s number would be an understatement. They’ve not only won all three games, but also outscored the Senators 14-2. On special teams, they’ve gone 14-for-14 on the penalty kill.
Reinhart, Tkachuk and Barkov have each logged five points against the Senators this season, while Sam Bennett has posted four. Overall, 14 different Panthers have tallied at least one point in the season series, with not a single one owning a negative plus/minus rating.
With clearly a good plan in place, the Panthers know they just have to stick to it.
“We’ve had success playing the right way,” Reinhart said. “They’re a very dangerous team that if you have an issue in your game, they’re going to take advantage of it. We’ve got to stick to our game plan. That’s what’s given us success against these guys.”
PREGAME QUOTES
“We want to keep putting points on the board to get home-ice. It might not matter too much other than that extra flight or road game, but at the end of the day you want to play for something and that’s what we’re fighting for.” – Sam Reinhart
"I think our team is built for playoff hockey. You don't like to look ahead to the playoffs. You want to take it game by game, and we're going to do that. At the same time, there's an excitement building in the room.” – Evan Rodrigues
FIVE CATS STATS
- The Panthers rank second in the NHL with a 55.52% share of shot attempts at 5-on-5.
- The Panthers own a 29-12-5 record against Eastern Conference opponents this season.
- Sam Reinhart has scored seven goals over his last 11 games.
- Aleksander Barkov enters tonight’s matchup on a seven-game point streak.
- Vladimir Tarasenko has dished out five assists over his last four games.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Vladimir Tarasenko – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Nick Cousins – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Evan Rodrigues
Jonah Gadjovich – Kevin Stenlund – Ryan Lomberg
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Brandon Montour
Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov
Josh Mahura – Uvis Balinskis
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Anthony Stolarz
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- April 3: D Uvis Balinskis recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- April 2: Signed G Cooper Black to two-year, entry-level contract commencing in the 2024-25 season.
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Tuesday, April 9 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Florida (DirectTV: 654-2, U-Verse: 692 and 1692, Hotwire: 44 and 444, Blue Stream: 100, Breezeline: 35, Xfinity: app only), Bally Sports+
Radio: 790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 92.1 WZZR (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM App & Streaming 932; Panthers App
Tickets: Click Here
