Sitting at 7-5-1, the Panthers closed out their four-game road trip with a 5-3 win in Anaheim. In the win, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett and Montour all lit the lamp, while Spencer Knight turned aside 32 of 35 shots to improve his personal record to 4-1-0.
Per Panthers head coach Paul Maurice, Knight will man the crease against the Hurricanes.
Stepping up in the absence of No. 1 defenseman Aaron Ekblad - who could return to the lineup as early as Saturday's game against Edmonton - Montour also dished out three assists against the Ducks to match the Panthers record for most points in a game by a defenseman with four.
Tied for fifth in scoring among NHL blueliners, Montour has notched 12 points (four goals, eight assists).
"Just enjoying the moment," said Montour, who has seen a team-high 244:17 of ice time since Ekblad suffered a lower-body injury on Oct. 17 in Boston. "I take it game by game. Whether I score or make a big play or whatever, it's just taking it shift by shift. That's been my mindset."
With one game remaining on his two-game suspension, Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers in assists (12) and points (17), while Verhaeghe has scored the most goals (8). On a scoring tear, Verhaeghe has found the back of the net at least once in each of his last three contests.
Set to reach a nice personal milestone, Eric Staal is expected to skate in his 1,300th career NHL game. By taking the ice against the Hurricanes, he'll become just the 64th player in NHL history to hit that lofty mark. A six-time NHL All-Star, Staal, who inked a one-year contract with Florida on Oct. 21, ranks sixth among active NHL players with 1,034 points (441 goals, 593 assists).
"It just seems like everything goes fast," said Staal, who helped the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup in 2006. "In the blink of an eye is what I heard when I started in the league. But it really feels that way when you're at that number. You treat it as another one that we want to get in the win column and try to prepare the best you can to ensure contribution and helping the team."
Owning an 8-3-1 record, the Hurricanes saw their four-game winning streak snapped with a 3-1 loss to the Maple Leafs on Sunday. Stefan Noesen's power-play tally in the first period was the lone goal for Carolina, while Frederik Andersen stopped 18 of 21 shots that Toronto fired his way.
"We had our chances and at the end of the day we have to play a full 60," Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin told reporters after the game.
Getting off to the best start of his career, Martin Necas leads the Hurricanes in scoring with 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists). Not far behind, Sebastian Aho is second with 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) and Andrew Svechnikov is third with 14 points (eight goals, six assists).
Between the pipes, Andersen has started eight of 12 games, posting a 5-3-0 record with a .891 save percentage. Backing him up, Antti Raan has gone 3-0-1 on top of a .905 save percentage.
Winning three of their first four games at home this season, the Panthers have made FLA Live Arena one of the toughest buildings for opposing teams to visit in recent years. Dating back to March 3, 2022, they've posted a 14-1-1 record while outscoring their opponents 72-44 at home.
"We've got to be ready to go tonight here and give ourselves a chance to get off on the right foot at home," Maurice said.
