SUNRISE, Fla. – Looking to get back in the win column after ending their road trip with a loss, the Florida Panthers will host the Columbus Blue Jackets at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday.
Finishing their three-game trek with three out of a possible six points, the Panthers, who sit at 5-4-1 in the standings, surrendered three goals in the first period of a 5-2 loss at Chicago on Saturday.
“Just get past Chicago and kind of put it behind us,” forward Evan Rodrigues said. “We’ve had a lot of good starts this year, and obviously that one was probably our worst. Just get back to doing what we do, just getting in on the forecheck, being ready to go, and I think we’ll be OK.”
Despite falling into an uncharacteristically early hole against the Blackhawks, the Panthers refused to pack it in and made a strong push in the second and third periods. By the time the final horn sounded in the third, they led 83-40 in shot attempts and 45-24 in scoring chances.
Briefly cutting the deficit to 4-2, Matthew Tkachuk and Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored for Florida.
“We played the last 40 minutes of that game like we were down a goal in the last two minutes,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “It’s wonderful that we put up 34 or 36 shots over the two periods, but we had put ourselves in a position where we were playing a game you really don’t want to play. I liked the energy, the compete, the fight, the ability to bounce back. I think it’s very difficult to have a period like we had and then have the ability to change your game.”
Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers in both goals (8) and points (11). Aleksander Barkov and Tkachuk are tied for second in points (9) and first in assists (7). Third in scoring, Rodrigues has tallied eight points (two goals, six assists) and is tied for first with a +5 plus/minus rating.
Sergei Bobrovsky is expected to man the crease after backing up Anthony Stolarz in Chicago. Settling into a nice groove, the 35-year-old veteran has gone 4-1-1 with a .925 save percentage over his last six starts, including shutting out the Red Wings in his last outing on Nov. 2.
Set to make his season debut with the Panthers, Mike Reilly will man the blue line against the Blue Jackets, taking the place of Uvis Balinskis next to Josh Mahura on the team’s bottom pair.
Joining the Panthers on a one-year contract this past summer, Reilly has appeared in 339 career NHL games while producing 98 points (12 goals, 86 assists). Last season, the 30-year-old spent 10 games with the Bruins and also logged 26 points (seven goals 19 assists) in 36 AHL games.
“He’s practiced really, really hard,” Maurice said. “We’ve had a couple games where some of our defense hasn’t been fantastic. It’s a perfect time to get a guy in. Everyone’s kind of got their feet wet. Even when you take a player out, he’ll come back in with some confidence and some edge.”
Losing five of their last six games, the Blue Jackets fell to 4-5-2 in the standings with a 2-1 loss at Washington on Saturday. After falling behind 2-0 in the first period, Dmitri Voronkov registered the lone goal against the Capitals as Charlie Lindgren stopped 34 of 35 shots.
In a bit of a stunner, Columbus sat star forward Johnny Gaudreau for the final 16:07 of the game.
“I’m coaching a team,” head coach Pascal Vincent said afterward. “The guys who are going are going to play. Everything is earned. When the game starts, it’s not about your name. It’s about what’s on the front of your jersey and who we believe is going to give us a chance to win.
“We know Johnny can make a difference when he’s skating and when he’s involved, and tonight I felt he wasn’t there. We’re going to play the guys who are playing. It doesn’t matter who you are. It’s about the Blue Jackets, and I didn’t like his game.”
A threat to bounce back against the Panthers, Gaudreau, who scored 40 goals in 2021-22 with Calgary, has notched just five points (one goal, four assists) this season. Boone Jenner leads the Blue Jackets in goals (5), while Ivan Provorov ranks first in both assists (8) and points (8).
Elvis Merzlikins, who’s started six of the last seven games for Columbus, has gone 3-3-2 with a .905 save percentage. Backing him up, Spencer Martin sits at 1-2-0 with a .922 save percentage. In his career against the Panthers, Merzlikins has gone 3-6-1 with 3.58 goals-against average.
The Panthers have shut out the Blue Jackets in each of their last two meetings.
PREGAME QUOTES
"Their rehab and recovery has been very, very good. ... There's a chance that near the end of the trip and then when we come back for the homestand off the West Coast we could see one or two of them." – Paul Maurice on the status of injured defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour
“It’s almost better when it gets to that point – game day, practice day, game day, practice day. You get into a routine. Sometimes when you have those long breaks it tends to kind of bring you down a little bit. I think most guys would say they like it when the schedule starts to pick up like this.” – Evan Rodrigues on the Panthers starting to hit a tighter schedule
“I think our forwards are doing a good job of reloading, not giving up much off the rush. With Bob (Sergei Bobrovsky) playing the way he is, if he sees the puck he’s going to stop it. Credit to our defense, who have done a good job boxing out and making it hard on the other teams’ top players.” – Nick Cousins on Florida’s commitment to defense early this season
FIVE CATS STATS
- Matthew Tkachuk has scored nine goals in 12 career games against Columbus.
- The Panthers have killed off nine of the last 10 power plays that they’ve faced.
- Dmitry Kulikov has racked up a team-leading 17 hits.
- The Panthers rank eighth in the NHL with a 55.11 CF% at 5-on-5.
- Florida has outscored opponents 12-9 at home this season.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Anton Lundell – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Kevin Stenlund – Nick Cousins
Ryan Lomberg – Steven Lorentz – Will Lockwood
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov
Josh Mahura – Mike Reilly
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Anthony Stolarz
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Nov. 2: F Rasmus Asplund recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Oct. 27: F Mackie Samoskevich loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Oct. 24: F Mackie Samoskevich recalled on emergency basis from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH
When: Monday, November 6 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports+
Radio: 96.5 WPOW-FM HD-2 (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM Ch. 219; App & Streaming 932; Panthers App
Tickets: Click Here
Giveaway: The first 10,000 fans will receive a miniature Aleksander Barkov bobblehead.
