With Sergei Bobrovsky stopping 27 of 28 shots between the pipes, Eetu Luostarinen scored the lone goal for the Panthers in regulation, and fellow Finns Anton Lundell and Aleksander Barkov both beat Filip Gustavsson in the skills competition to lock in two huge points.
"We go back-to-back, but we get to feel good tonight," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. "We'll get a little more sleep in the morning, and everyone's excited for the game tomorrow."
Going a perfect 9-for-9 against high-danger shots in Minnesota -- including a game-saving robbery on Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon with roughly 12 seconds left on the clock in overtime -- Bobrovsky taken his game to another level since coming back from his injury.
After being knocked out of the lineup on Jan. 19, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner has posted a 3-1-0 record with a .951 save percentage since his return. In that same stretch, he's racked up an NHL-leading 51 high-danger saves while surrendering just seven goals over his four starts.
"I feel great," Bobrovsky said. "Everybody's pulling the rope in the same direction."
Heading into tonight's matchup against the Blues, the Panthers will have to decide whether to roll with Bobrovsky on short rest or turn to backup Spencer Knight. One of the top young talents in the NHL, Knight hasn't manned the crease since making a rehab start in the AHL on Jan. 22.
That said, the 21-year-old has played very well during his 19 appearances in 2022-23, posting a 9-7-3 record with a .906 save percentage and one shutout. With no morning skate, Maurice is expected to announce a starting goaltender during his pregame availability around 5:45 p.m. ET.
Up front, the Panthers are led by the outstanding All-Star forward duo of Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov. Tkachuk leads the team and ranks tied for fourth in the NHL in scoring with 73 points (27 goals, 46 assists), while Barkov is second with 48 points (15 goals, 33 assists).
Fighting to get back into the playoff picture out West, the Blues sit a 24-25-3 after snapping out of a five-game losing streak with a 6-5 overtime win against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday.
Leading 5-2 in the third period, the Blues surrendered three goals to the Coyotes in roughly 10 minutes to turn what initially looked like a blowout win into a nailbiter. Back in the lineup after missing 14 games with a broken foot, Ryan O'Reilly then scored 1:02 into overtime for St. Louis.
"We weren't playing very quick in the first period, a little methodical and slow," Blues head coach Craig Berube told reporters. "I liked a lot of things in the game, especially the second and the third. I thought we did some real good things offensively, and I liked our forecheck a lot tonight."
Looking at St. Louis' attack, Jordan Kyrou leads the team in goals (23) and points (49), while Robert Thomas is first in assists (31) and second in points (44). Also crossing the 40-point plateau, Pavel Buchnevich is third on the team in scoring with 41 points (15 goals, 26 assists).
Starting the vast majority of games for the Blues, Jordan Binnington, who is expected to get the nod against Florida, has posted a 19-18-3 record with a .890 save percentage and two shutouts.
In their previous meeting this season, Kyrou scored a pair of goals -- including the game-winner 1:08 into overtime -- to lift the Blues to a 5-4 win over the Panthers at FLA Live Arena on Nov. 26.
Overall, Florida owns a 2-0-2 record in its last four games against St. Louis.
