SUNRISE, Fla. -The Panthers know that in order to be the best, they've got to beat the best.
In a battle between the top-two teams in the Central Division, the Panthers (7-1-2) will open up a three-game series against the cross-state rival Lightning (9-1-1) at BB&T Center on Thursday.
Preview: Panthers Ready for 'Great Test' Against Rival Lightning
"It's a great test," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said of the matchup following Wednesday's practice. "Obviously, [the Lightning] are doing everything right, and we have to do more than everything right. It's a great challenge, a great test. It's one game at a time.
"I know that's a statement that you hear a lot, but I think against that team you've got to tighten it up a little bit… I think we played some strong games here, some consistent games, but we're going to need everything going in our direction as we go into tomorrow's game."
Improving to 3-0-0 after losses this season, the Panthers bounced back their last time out with a 2-1 win against the Red Wings on Tuesday in Sunrise. Alex Wennberg kicked off the scoring by finding the back of the net for the second straight game, while Patric Hornqvist also lit the lamp.
With two assists in the game, Jonathan Huberdeau increased his team-leading point total to 14 (four goals, 10 assists). Behind him, Aleksander Barkov is second on the team in scoring with 11 points (four goals, seven assists), while Hornqvist ranks third with 10 (six goals, four assists).
Tied with Hornqvist for the team-lead in goals with six, Carter Verhaeghe is especially looking forward to tonight's matchup as it'll be his first against many of his former teammates since the breakout forward opted to leave the Lightning and sign with the Panthers in the offseason.
"It's definitely a good challenge," said Verhaeghe, who suited up in 52 games with Tampa Bay as a rookie in 2019-20. "I'm excited. A lot of familiar faces on the other team, a lot of good friends. It's going to be kind of weird, but I'm looking forward to it. I think it's going to be fun."
On the heels of his best outing of the season, Sergei Bobrovsky is expected to make his second straight start and man the crease against the Lightning tonight. His last time out, the 34-year-old veteran was simply superb, stopping 31 of 32 shots during Tuesday's win over the Red Wings.
In five starts this season, Bobrovsky owns a 4-0-1 record.
"I felt good actually," said Bobrovsky, who had backed up Chris Driedger during the previous two games, said after his victorious return to the cage. "It's nice to be back, nice to play, to see some pucks… The guys did a good job to help me out. It was a good win for us, for sure."
No stranger to one another, the Panthers and Lightning faced off a whopping eight times last season -- four preseason games, four regular-season games and one postseason exhibition. During their four battles in the regular season, Tampa Bay took three games to Florida's one.
Off to a torrid start, the defending Stanley Cup champions enter tonight's matchup riding a six-game winning streak, including back-to-back victories in Nashville from Feb. 8-9 in which they outscored the Predators 10-1. During their streak, the Lighting own a goal differential of +18.
"This group knows what it takes to win," Lighting forward Steven Stamkos told reporters after Thursday's win in Nashville. "I thought we were very comfortable in whatever situation we were put in. They came out with a game plan to try to be really physical. We matched that and just went from there. Whether it's a physical game, a tight-checking game, a special-teams game, I think we're well-equipped to handle all those situations."
Stamkos and Brayden Point are tied for the team's scoring lead with 14 points apiece, including combining for eight points (three goals, five assists) over the last two games. After them, Victor Hedman ranks third among the league's defensemen with 12 points (three goals, nine assists).
Pitting two of the league's top offense groups against one another, the Lightning currently rank second in goals per game (3.82), while the Panthers rank 13th (3.10). Florida also owns the top-ranked power play (37 percent), while Tampa Bay's man advantage sits in ninth at 25 percent.
"Since I've been here this is the longest we've gone without playing Tampa," Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle said. "We're usually playing them a few times in the preseason and then to start the season. Obviously, they're the defending champs and the measuring stick of the league. For us, it's a good test. It's going to be a tough test, but we're up to the challenge."
While the Lightning have yet to announce their starter, it's likely that the Panthers will be facing Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has started eight of the last nine games for Tampa Bay. The 26-year-old has gone 8-1-1 this season with a 1.80 goals-against average and .936 save percentage.
In the end, the Panthers are excited for the challenge that awaits them tonight.
"We obviously know they're one of the best teams in the league, the defending champions," Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. "We know we have our hands full. There's a lot of preparation going on right now. Excited to get right back at it when I'm done speaking to you guys."
TEAM RECORDS
FLA: 7-1-2, 16 PTS
TBL: 9-1-1, 19 PTS
FLA all-time vs. TBL: 66-46-10-16
PANTHERS NOTES
-- Jonathan Huberdeau has more points against the Lightning than any other team in his career, registering 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists) over 31 career games. In four head-to-head contests during the 2019-20 season, the 27-year-old winger notched four points (one goal, three assists).
-- Aaron Ekblad has registered seven points (three goals, four assists) while also leading the Panthers and ranking 10th among NHL defensemen in average ice time per contest (24:57).
-- The Panthers are tied for first in the NHL on the power play (37%), including scoring seven goals on the man advantage over their last six games. Jonathan Huberdeau leads the team in power play points (8), while Keith Yandle and Patric Hornqvist are tied for second with six each.
-- Radko Gudas leads the Panthers with 53 hits, including 30 over his last four contests.
-- Gustav Forsling was on the ice this morning with the Panthers for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury on Jan. 28. Quenneville said he could potentially return to the lineup during the upcoming road trip. The 24-year-old defenseman has appeared in three games this season.
-- Earning 16 out of a possible 20 points over their first 10 games of a season, the Panthers are off to their best start since they went 6-2-1-1 to open up the 1999-00 campaign.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe - Aleksander Barkov - Anthony Duclair
Jonathan Huberdeau - Alex Wennberg - Patric Hornqvist
Frank Vatrano - Eetu Luostarinen - Owen Tippett
Ryan Lomberg - Noel Acciari - Brett Connolly
Defensemen
MacKenzie Weegar - Aaron Ekblad
Markus Nutivaara - Anton Stralman
Keith Yandle - Radko Gudas
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Chris Driedger
Scratches: Juho Lammikko, Vinnie Hinostroza, Noah Juulsen
Taxi squad:Mason Marchment, Kevin Connauton, Scott Wilson, Philippe Desrosiers
Injured reserve: Gustav Forsling
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Feb. 9: F Ryan Lomberg was added to Florida's active roster from the taxi squad.
- Feb. 8: F Mason Marchment was assigned to Florida's taxi squad.
- Feb. 7: F Scott Wilson reassigned to Florida's taxi squad from Syracuse (AHL) and F Mason Marchment recalled from the taxi squad.
- Feb. 5: F Aleksi Heponiemi was loaned to Syracuse (AHL) and F Owen Tippett was recalled from Florida's taxi squad.
IN-ARENA ACTIVATIONS
-
50/50 Raffle
-
$5 Beer Thursday
-
Student Rush Night
- A limited number of fans will be admitted to BB&T Center for home games this season. Learn about the health and safety precautions that have been taken as a part of the "Red Reminders" program presented in conjunction with Baptist Health South Florida at
FloridaPanthers.com/RedReminders
.
- Mobile Ordering is now available at BB&T Center for Panthers games. Visit
FloridaPanthers.com/MobileOrdering
for all the info.
HOW TO WATCH / LISTEN
When:Thursday, Feb. 11, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: BB&T Center
TV:FOX Sports Florida
Stream:
FOX Sports GO
Radio:560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 107.9 FM /1370 AM WZTA (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM 220 / Streaming 932
PRE-GAME LISTEN: Check out the latest episode of Territory Talk featuring Radko Gudas.
Territory Talk: Florida Panthers Podcast
·
