SUNRISE, Fla. --The red-hot Panthers will look to stretch their point streak to seven games when they kick off a six-game homestand against the Predators at BB&T Center on Thursday.
Sitting at 5-0-1, the Panthers are currently riding their second-longest point streak to start a season in franchise history, trailing only a 12-game streak from all the way back in 1996-97.
Preview: Red-Hot Panthers Kick Off 6-Game Homestand Against Predators
"I can't say I'm surprised," Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. "We worked really hard in training camp. We were excited to get it started, and we got a good start. We don't really think about what's been in the past. We won a couple games, and we just want to keep going. We have a good and confident group in the room. All we want to do is have fun and win games."
For the Panthers, the games certainly have been fun as of late.
Picking up seven out of a possible eight points during their recent four-game road trip through Columbus and Detroit, three of those four games went beyond regulation - including a pair of shootouts - while all four hard-fought matchups were inevitably decided by just a single goal.
On that fruitful trip, special teams played a key role for the Panthers, as their power play went 4-for-11 (36.4 percent), while their penalty kill clocked in at an incredible 15-for-16 (93.8 percent).
Taking a closer look at the power play, the top unit has been particularly effective, as all five skaters - Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Aaron Ekblad, Keith Yandle and Patric Hornqvist - have all lit the lamp at least once with the extra attacker on the ice through just six contests.
Entering tonight's matchup, the Panthers own the fourth-best power play in the league at 36.8 percent, while the Predators are in possession of the worst penalty kill at a paltry 64.9 percent. Of all the keys heading into tonight's tilt, this special teams battle could be the most important.
"We have good players on the power play," Barkov said. "Everyone can make something happen. Obviously, Yands is one of the best ever to do it on the blue line, and Hornqvist is really good in front of the net. Me, Huby, Ekkie, we just try to do our job and what we're good at."
Spreading out the offense early on, Hornqvist, Barkov, Huberdeau and Carter Verhaeghe are all tied for the scoring lead on the Panthers with seven points apiece. Not far behind them, Yandle and Anthony Duclair each have recorded six points, while Ekblad has chipped in five of his own.
Between the pipes, Sergei Bobrovsky is expected to make his fourth start of the season tonight against the Predators. Off to a 3-0-0 start, the 32-year-old veteran was exceptional during his last outing, stopping 25 of 27 shots in a 3-2 overtime win against the Red Wings on Saturday.
In his career against Nashville, Bobrovsky is 8-5-0 with a .919 save percentage.
"Some comeback wins in the third period being behind, that's been positive as well," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. "Finding a way to win close games, I think a different recipe each and every game, was the answer to that. We've also got a couple new guys on our team that have brought some enthusiasm and excitement that have gotten off to strong starts individually."
Still in search of their first win in the Sunshine State this season, the Predators enter tonight's matchup on the heels of back-to-back losses at Tampa Bay, including a 5-2 defeat on Monday. After kicking off their campaign with two straight wins, Nashville has gone just 2-5-0 since then.
"We've got to start by playing a little faster," Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm told Predators.com. "Our breakouts [against Tampa Bay] were fine, but it's just hard when you have to go back for the puck all the time and really don't get any sustained offense. That's a thing that we've been focusing on and a really big key for us coming into the series. That's our No. 1 focus.
"But other than that, we did some good things too that we can take with us, but we've got to learn from the mistakes that we made and the breakdowns. We can't let 2-on-0s happen and stuff like that, so there's some things to learn, there's some things to take, we went through some video today, we had practice and we worked on it. Hopefully, it's going to be great [tonight]."
Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson lead Nashville in scoring with six points apiece, while Mikael Granlund sits right behind them with five. Earning at least one point in four of his last five games - including three goals - it's safe to that Granlund might be the team's hottest skater right now.
In net, the Predators haven't announced a starter yet, so the Panthers will face down either Pekka Rinne or Juuse Saros. Rinne owns a 1-2-0 record with a .869 save percentage in four appearances this season, while Saros has gone 3-3-0 with a .908 save percentage in six starts.
"We all know what kind of team they are," Barkov said. "They're a quick, talented, skilled team. Obviously, they can play really well. We've got to be ready right from the start, just like we've been the whole season… Nothing changed for us. We've just got to play our own game."
TEAM RECORDS
FLA: 5-0-1, 1 PTS
NSH: 4-5-0, 8 PTS
FLA all-time vs. NSH: 15-9-3-5
PANTHERS NOTES
-- Aleksander Barkov is tied for the team-scoring lead with seven points (two goals, five assists) through six games. With one more goal, the 25-year-old will surpass Scott Mellanby (157) for the second-most in franchise history. In 12 career games against Nashville, he has five points.
-- Jonathan Huberdeau is tied for first on the Panthers in both assists (6) and points (7) through six games. In 13 career games against the Predators, the 26-year-old winger has racked up 10 points (five goals, five assists).
-- Aaron Ekblad has posted five points (two goals, three assists) and ranks fifth in the NHL in average ice time per game (25:49) through six contests. In 12 career games against Nashville, the 24-year-old defenseman has notched six points (two goals, four assists).
-- Patric Hornqvist is tied for first on the Panthers in goals (5) and points (7) through six games. A seventh-round pick (230th overall) by the Predators in the 2005 NHL Draft, the 34-year-old forward has five points (three goals, two assists) in 10 career games against his former team.
-- Carter Verhaeghe is tied for first on Florida in goals (5) and points (7) through six games. All five of his goals have been tallied at even-strength, which leads the team. Also pacing the team with a shooting percentage of 35.8, the 25-year-old winger's five goals have come on 13 shots.
-- Anthony Duclair is tied for first on Florida with six assists.
-- Radko Gudas leads the Panthers in hits (22); Noel Acciari has the most blocked shots (9).
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe - Aleksander Barkov - Anthony Duclair
Jonathan Huberdeau - Alex Wennberg - Patric Hornqvist
Frank Vatrano - Eetu Luostarinen - Brett Connolly
Aleksi Heponiemi - Juho Lammikko - Noel Acciari
Defensemen
MacKenzie Weegar - Aaron Ekblad
Markus Nutivaara - Anton Stralman
Keith Yandle - Radko Gudas
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Chris Driedger
Scratches: Vinnie Hinostroza, Noah Juulsen
Taxi Squad:Owen Tippett, Mason Marchment, Ryan Lomberg, Kevin Connauton, Philippe Desrosiers
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Feb. 3: F Owen Tippett was assigned to Florida's taxi squad.
- Jan. 30: F Aleksi Heponiemi and F Owen Tippett were added to Florida's active roster, while F Ryan Lomberg was assigned to the taxi squad.
- Jan. 30: D Gustav Forsling was placed on the injured reserve list.
IN-ARENA ACTIVATIONS
-
50/50 Raffle
- $5 Beer Thursday
- 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. 4, 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 Streaming 932
Pre-Game Listen: Check out the latest episode of the Territory Talk podcast featuring rookie Aleksi Heponiemi!
Territory Talk: Florida Panthers Podcast
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