SUNRISE, Fla. – It’s always a fun time when these two teams get together.
Meeting for the first time since a penalty-filled slugfest earlier this season, the Florida Panthers will welcome the Ottawa Senators to Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday.
In their first matchup on Nov. 27, the Panthers blanked the Senators 5-0 in a chippy game that featured 167 combined penalty minutes and a whopping 12 misconduct penalties.
After a big scrum in the third period, every player on the ice was given the boot.
Something you don’t see every day, and certainly something you don’t expect to see again.
That being said, the Panthers don’t expect tonight’s rematch to be a normal game.
“We have competitors on our team,” Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe said. “That’s part of their game. They like to get into it. I’m sure you’re going to see some fireworks tonight. Any time that we play Ottawa, there’s usually a couple guys on the ice that are going at it.”
Regardless, the Panthers are focused on pocketing two points more than anything.
Sitting at 36-15-4 and trailing the Boston Bruins by just one point for the top spot in the Atlantic Division with a game in hand, the Panthers enter tonight’s tilt looking to build off a perfect 3-0-0 road trip in which they outscored the opposition by an absurd 18-4 margin.
Making mincemeat out of their cross-state rival, the Panthers simply went off during a 9-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in their last game on Saturday. Netting nine straight goals after falling behind 1-0, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Verhaeghe each scored twice.
With the win, the Panthers extended their franchise-record road win streak to 11 games.
Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers in goals (39), power-play goals (22) and points (66), while Tkachuk is second in scoring with 64 points (20 goals, 44 assists). Named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week on Monday, Tkachuk leads the NHL in scoring with 37 points since Jan. 1.
Also producing at better than a point-per-game pace, Verhaeghe, who has hit the 30-goal mark in each of his last two seasons, has logged 58 points (30 goals, 28 assists) in 55 games, while Aleksander Barkov has posted 54 points (12 goals, 42 assists) in 49 games.
After missing the last game due to an injury, top-pair defenseman Aaron Ekblad will return to the lineup tonight.
Set to man the crease against the Senators, Sergei Bobrovsky ranks third in the NHL in wins (27) and has gone 6-0-0 over his last six starts. In that stretch, he’s given up two or fewer goals in every game while turning aside 174 of 184 shots for a stellar .946 save percentage.
“He’s been unreal,” Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen said of the two-time Vezina Trophy winner. “Both our goalies have been really good this year. You can see him being really confident and making those saves.”
Over the past 10 games, the Panthers have built up a 9-1-0 record.
While everything has been clicking in that stretch, the power play has been extra hot.
Netting a goal with the man advantage in each of those 10 games, the power play, which ranks sixth in the NHL at 26.4%, has been operating at a lethal 45.5% clip in that span.
“I think we’re kind of dialing it in a little bit,” Verhaeghe said of the power play. “Guys know what they’re doing out there. We’ve been watching a lot of video. I think we’re starting to feel a little more comfortable with each other. When we’re getting the puck to the net, guys are there. We’re making quick decisions, moving the puck fast, and they’re going in.”
Way outside of the playoff picture, the Senators are in second-to-last place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 23-27-2. That being said, they’ve won five of their last seven games, including an impressive 4-2 win at Tampa Bay less than 24 hours ago on Monday.
Taking a 3-0 lead over the Lightning and never looking back, Tim Stutzle and Vladimir Tarasenko each scored a goal, while Mathieu Joseph touched the twine twice. Between the pipes, Anton Forsberg stopped 23 of 25 shots.
Stutzle leads the Senators in scoring with 51 points (13 goals, 38 assists), while Claude Giroux is second with 49 points (18 goals, 31 assists). Brady Tkachuk, Matthew’s younger brother, ranks third on Ottawa in scoring with 45 points, including scoring a team-high 25 goals.
With Forsberg likely gassed after playing on Monday, Joonas Korpisalo could get the nod against the Panthers. Sitting at 13-18-2 with a .887 save percentage, Korpisalo hasn’t had much success in his career against Florida, going 3-5-1 with a 3.83 goals-against average.
Despite both their place in the standings and the fact they’re playing on the second half of a back-to-back, the Panthers don't need to be reminded that the Senators are still a dangerous team.
“They’re a young, young team,” Panther head coach Paul Maurice said. “They’re going to have lots of legs here tonight. They’re built on speed. They play an aggressive, aggressive game. It’s in their DNA. They’re going to be fine tonight.”
PREGAME QUOTES
“Right now, it’s just building the game for playoffs. Not many times you’re going to be scoring nine goals in a playoff game, but the way we played [at Tampa Bay] to get those chances is a recipe to be successful. Might not score nine, but that’s the way to play.” – Matthew Tkachuk
“I think a big key for us is just winning those battles in the O-zone. I’ve been talking to [my linemates] just about focusing on holding onto pucks, dumping pucks and getting those retrievals back. It’s a lot nicer to skate five feet to win a puck battle than to chase a guy 200 feet back to your own end. Focus your energy on winning those retrievals is big for us and I think we’ve done a great job of that since being put together.” – Evan Rodrigues
FIVE CATS STATS
- Since Dec. 23, the Panthers lead the NHL in wins (18) and points (38).
- The Panthers rank second in the NHL in hits with 1,415.
- Carter Verhaeghe has produced four multi-goal games this season.
- Gustav Forsling has logged six points (1G, 5A) over his last five games.
- Florida is averaging a league-best 34 shots on goal per game.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – 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 – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Brandon Montour
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Dmitry Kulikov
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Anthony Stolarz
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports+
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM App & Streaming 932; Panthers App
Tickets: Click Here
