PREVIEW: Panthers want to keep the pressure up in Winnipeg
In search of their first win, Panthers aim to keep their foot on the gas
Despite not finding the back of the net in a 2-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild in their season opener on Thursday, the Panthers, rightfully so, had a lot to like about the way that the played in defeat.
In all situations, the Panthers finished the game with lopsided advantages in shot attempts (83-40), scoring chances (44-19) and high-danger shot attempts (18-6), per NaturalStatTrick.com.
In terms of expected goals, they led 3.84-1.75.
Keeping those goals as “expected,” Filip Gustavsson stopped all 41 shots he faced for the Wild.
“We were a real good defensive team last night,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said following Friday’s practice in Winnipeg. “We played hard. I think we generated enough, for sure. I think there’s more we can do with that, but I’d take that game replicated over and over.”
In terms of potential lineup changes against the Jets, the Panthers promoted rookie Mackie Samoskevich to the second line during yesterday’s practice after the 20-year-old looked very good in his NHL debut in Minnesota. Swapping spots, Nick Cousins shifted to the third line.
“It’s his offensive style,” Maurice said when asked about giving Samoskevich, who saw 14:36 of ice time in his debut, a look in the team’s vaunted top-six. “I think he’s got some really nifty plays that he can make. Eetu [Luostarinen] is so strong down the middle creating a forecheck for us, and Matthew [Tkachuk] clearly around the net can be pretty dynamic. It’s a different look. It’s where I originally had him prior to the injury to Sam Bennett, and then we put him back.”
After stopping 19 of 21 shots against the Wild, Sergei Bobrovsky will likely get the nod in net against the Jets, but we’ll have to wait until Maurice’s pre-game availability to get confirmation.
“I thought we played a solid game,” Bobrovsky said after his first start of the season. “We had lots of shots, lots of scoring chances. We played defensively really strong. It’s one of those nights where we didn’t get the points, but it’s a long season in front of us. We just reset, regroup, refocus and get ready for the next one.”
Looking to get back into the playoffs after securing the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference last season, the Jets, who will celebrate their Home Opener tonight, kicked off their 2023-24 campaign with a 5-3 loss on the road to the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.
Alex Iafallo, Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor all scored in the loss, while Connor Hellebuyck surrendered four goals on 21 shots. Tied 3-3 late in regulation, Elias Lindholm put the Flames on top 4-3 at 18:28. With seven second left, Andrew Mangiapane made it 5-3 with an empty-netter.
Finishing with 37-22 advantage in shots on goal, the Jets, much like the Panthers, felt they deserved a better result in their first game of the season.
“We certainly played well enough to get at least a point out of there,” Winnipeg head coach Rick Bowness told reporters after the loss. “It didn’t go our way tonight on a couple of things.”
In terms of recent history, the Panthers have posted a 2-1-1 record over their past four head-to-head matchups with the Jets. Going 0-1-1 in the series last season, five different Panthers tallied multiple points over those two contests, including a team-high four from Tkachuk.
Stay tune to @JamesonCoop on Twitter for more updates prior to puck drop.
PREGAME QUOTES
“I thought it took about 10 minutes for him to get into the game, which is shorter than I thought it would take. He’s a shooter. He gets into those holes, put one off the bar. He puts the puck where he wants to. A good debut for him.” – Maurice on Samoskevich’s first game in the NHL
“We wanted a win out of the first one, but I thought we came out pretty good. We knew it was going to be a tough one here tonight in their home rink, and I thought we came out pretty good. We had some good looks in the first and then I thought they came out a little better in the second and we were a little too pretty in the second. We got back to in the third and had some good looks on the power play. Their goalie stood on his head.” – Oliver Ekman-Larsson on Thursday’s loss to the Wild
FIVE CATS STATS
- Tkachuk has logged 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 23 career games against the Jets.
- Dmitry Kulikov played in 170 games with Winnipeg from 2017-18 through 2019-20.
- Ekman-Larsson led the Panthers with 26:32 of ice time in the season opener.
- The Panthers won 59.7% of their faceoffs in the season opener.
- Sam Reinhart is two goals away from his 200th NHL goal.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Evan Rodrigues
Mackie Samoskevich – Eetu Luostarinen – Matthew Tkachuk
Nick Cousins – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Ryan Lomberg – Kevin Stenlund – Steven Lorentz
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov
Josh Mahura – Uvis Balinskis
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Anthony Stolarz
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Oct. 10: F Justin Sourdif recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Oct. 9: F Zac Dalpe, Justin Sourdif and D Casey Fitzgerald assigned to Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH
When: Saturday, October 14 at 4 p.m. ET
Where: Canada Life Centre – Winnipeg, Manitoba
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports+
Radio: 790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM App & Streaming 932; Panthers App
