SUNRISE, Fla. – Winners in three of their last four games, the Florida Panthers will look to keep pocketing some important early-season points when they wrap up their homestand against the Seattle Kraken at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday.
PREVIEW: Reinhart on fire as Panthers wrap up homestand against Kraken
Reinhart carries five-game goal streak into showdown with Seattle
“It’s an important game for us,” forward Eetu Luostarinen said. “We have to play hard and fast and end this homestand in a good way. … [The Kraken] are doing a pretty good job playing fast and hard. That’s going to be a good challenge for us to do the same thing.”
After returning to practice on Thursday, Sam Bennett, who’s been sidelined to start the season due to a lower-body injury sustained in the preseason, will remain out of the lineup tonight but is getting closer to a return.
“We’ll leave him at day to day, but he’s not far off,” head coach Paul Maurice said of the grizzled center.
Aleksander Barkov, who missed Thursday’s 3-1 win against San Jose, and Dmitry Kulikov are both expected to suit up for the Panthers after dealing with an illness over the past few days.
Still a ways away from suiting up but making good strides, Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour were both on the ice for this morning’s optional skate. Maurice said the two defensemen, who were initially targeting a mid-December return, will join Sunday’s practice in non-contact jerseys.
Ekblad and Montour will also join the Panthers on their upcoming three-game road trip.
“Tomorrow will be good,” Maurice said of the two blueliners, who had been skating in a separate group to start the season. “Because tomorrow will be the first practice. We’ll have nine D on the ice, but we’re going to get quite a bit faster and a little bit bigger with those two guys out there.”
Improving to 3-3-0, the Panthers enter tonight’s tilt riding high after their win over the Sharks. On fire, Sam Reinhart found the back of the net for the fifth straight game, while Carter Verhaeghe and Kevin Stenlund also touched twine. In his season debut, Anthony Stolarz made 27 saves.
The NHL’s reigning Third Star of the Week, Reinhart’s current goal-scoring streak is tied for the longest such streak of his career. Leading the Panthers with nine points (seven goals, two assists), the versatile forward has recorded four multi-point games during his torrid stretch.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had [a streak like this] at this time of the year,” said Reinhart, who historically heats up as the season progresses. “It’s nice. When it doesn’t go at the start of the year, it’s a lot worse than when it’s in the middle of the year because you’ve got nothing to fall back on. It just adds to that pressure. To be able to start like this is obviously nice.”
Sitting at 2-4-2, the Kraken’s sticks were silent to start the season as they scored just three goals while losing each of their first four games. Since then, they’ve started to re-discover their scoring touch as they’ve gone 2-1-1 while netting at least five goals in two of those contests.
In their latest outing, they suffered a 3-2 overtime loss at Carlina on Thursday.
After Oliver Bjorkstrand and Devin Shore scored within a span of less than four minutes to give Seattle a 2-0 lead in the first period, Martin Necas cut Carolina’s deficit to 2-1 shortly before the first intermission. After a scoreless second period, Jesperi Kotkaniemi tied it 2-2 in the third.
With 9.7 seconds left in the extra frame, Necas scored again to win it for the Hurricanes.
“Just disappointing I couldn’t make the save,” Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord, who made 42 saves, said of Kotkaniemi’s game-tying goal. “It’s a frustrating loss being up late in the game.”
Bjorkstrand is tied with Vince Dunn for first on the Kraken in scoring with seven points each. Jaden Scwartz ranks second with five points, including scoring a team-high four goals.
In net for the Kraken, Daccord and Philipp Grubauer have each started four games. Thus far, Daccord has the clear edge in terms of statistics, going 2-0-2 with a .910 save percentage. Grubauer, meanwhile, is still searching for his first win at 0-4-0 with a .896 save percentage.
Last season, the Panthers won one of their two meetings with Seattle.
“They’re very, very quick,” Maurice said of the Kraken. “Not necessarily heavy, but very, very quick on the forecheck. They’ve got good sticks and they knock stuff down. Then they play a fast game with the puck. They won’t hang onto it long. Your skating legs have to be there.”
PREGAME QUOTES
“Obviously it’s good to get those guys back. We’re obviously missing them. They’re a big part of the team and in the locker room, too. It’s a good thing.” – Eetu Luostarinen on Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour’s imminent return to practice
“It sounds so cliché, but it’s so truly time and space. Anybody with the hands and vision of those guys, if you give them a little bit more room they’re going to make that play. They’ll delay, they’ll hold onto it, or beat you. A very slick, smart player.” – Paul Maurice on Kraken forward Matty Beniers
“Everything’s going to according to the plan. Just starting to ramp it up and I’m definitely feeling good and feeling a lot better. Hopefully I can get in here soon.” – Sam Bennett on getting closer to returning to the lineup
FIVE CATS STATS
- Matthew Tkachuk has scored six goals in six career games against Seattle.
- Sam Reinhart’s five-game goal streak is the third longest in franchise history.
- Aleksander Barkov has tallied an assist in each of the last four games.
- Evan Rodrigues leads the Panthers with six even-strength points.
- Dmitry Kulikov has amassed a team-leading 10 hits.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Eetu Luostarinen – Matthew Tkachuk
Ryan Lomberg – Anton Lundell – Nick Cousins
Will Lockwood – 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. 27: F Mackie Samoskevich loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Oct. 24: F Mackie Samoskevich recalled on emergency basis from Charlotte (AHL)
- Oct. 21: F Justin Sourdif loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Oct. 17: F Will Lockwood recalled from Charlotte (AHL); F Mackie Samoskevich loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH
When: Saturday, October 28 at 6 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
