CHICAGO – The Florida Panthers will look to push their point streak to five games when they wrap up their trip with a battle against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Saturday.
“We want to just try to play the same way we ended last game,” Panthers forward Anthon Lundell said. “We played a good game. We were in the game the whole 60 minutes. Obviously they had some chances, but so did we. I felt that overall we played a really good game.”
Earning points in six of their last seven games, the Panthers, despite missing a few key players, have gotten off to a strong start and improved to 5-3-1 with a 2-0 win at Detroit on Thursday.
In the Motor City, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped all 22 shots he faced to earn his first shutout of the season, while Steven Lorentz’s goal with less than a minute left in the second period ended up standing as the game-winner. Sealing the win in the third, Lundell added an empty-net goal.
Since Oct. 16, Florida ranks third in the NHL with just 2.14 goals allowed per game.
“I think we’re playing a good game,” Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis said. “We’re aggressive, not giving anything to the opponents. That’s why we’ve been successful.”
On the heels of shutting out the Red Wings, the Panthers don’t plan to make any changes to their lineup other than Bobrovsky getting a breather and Anthony Stolarz taking his place between the pipes.
In his lone start of the season, Stolarz, a veteran backup in his first tour of duty with the team, earned first-star honors after stopping 27 of 28 shots in a 3-1 win over the Sharks in Sunrise.
With two back-to-backs this month, Stolarz is expected to see his workload increase.
“We’ve got a month that says he’s going to play games,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. “We want to make sure that he’s in a good rhythm. He’s a good, veteran backup goaltender. He understands the job. The guys love playing in front of him. He’s very communicative back there.”
Still in the midst of a rebuild, the Blackhawks sit at 3-6-0 in the standings.
After snapping out of a three-game skid with an impressive 4-3 overtime win at Vegas on Oct. 27, the Blackhawks took a step back with an 8-1 loss at Arizona in their last outing on Monday.
Despite taking a 1-0 lead on a goal from rookie phenom Connor Bedard just 28 second after the puck dropped against the Coyotes, things quickly unraveled for the Blackhawks as they went on to give up three goals the first period, four in the second period and one more in the third period.
Petr Mrazek relieved Arvid Soderblom in Chicago’s net late in the middle frame after Liam O'Brien extended Arizona’s lead to 7-1. In relief, Mrazek surrendered one goal on 11 shots.
Mrazek is expected to get the start tonight.
“Disappointing,” Blackhawks forward Nick Foligno told reporters after the lopsided loss in the desert. “It's going to be really weird to say this, but maybe it is a good thing it happens. We have five days to chew on it. I hope our team understands how you have to respect this league.”
Taking the Windy City by storm, Bedard, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, leads Chicago in goals (4) and is tied for first in points (6). Entering the league with a sky-high expectations, the 18-year-old forward racked up 243 points in 119 games over his final two seasons in juniors.
“It’s going to be fun,” Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling said when asked about getting his first look at the Blackhawks’ budding star. “You see a lot of highlights of him, and he looks great out there. It’s going to be a big challenge. He’s fast. He’s got that good shot and everything.”
The Panthers and Blackhawks split their two-game series in 2022-23.
Overall, Florida has earned the win in five of its past six matchups against Chicago.
Always bringing their “A” game in this matchup, Aleksander Barkov (8 goals, 18 assists in 24 games), Matthew Tkachuk (6 goals, 11 assists in 16 games) and Carter Verhaeghe (4 goals, 7 assists in 11 games) have all averaged more than a point per game against the Blackhawks.
“I think they defend hard,” Maurice said of Chicago. “They’re above the puck, they skate and they transition. They’ve got some skill off that. How you manage the puck is really important against these kinds of teams on that transition. You’ve got to be prepared to skate.”
PREGAME QUOTES
“Both games have been against good teams. It’s not easy to win. You need to play the right way the whole 60 minutes to get the good result. Today’s a good challenge to do that again.” – Anton Lundell on building off the first two games of the road trip
“He’s got a calm about him. He’s not trying to get somewhere else. He’s going to come in. If he gets on a run, he’s going to play more games, and he knows that. A few days ago he prepped real hard in practice and pushed his body.” – Paul Maurice on Anthony Stolarz staying ready as the team’s backup
"Everywhere we go, it's my first time. It's nice to see all the cities. It's fun." – Uvis Balinskis on enjoying his first two NHL road trips
FIVE CATS STATS
- The Panthers have not surrendered a power-play goal in their past three games.
- Matthew Tkachuk is one point shy of his 500th NHL point.
- Kevin Stenlund is winning 56.7% of his faceoffs.
- Dmitry Kulikov leads Florida’s defensemen with six assists.
- Niko Mikkola has recorded an assist in each of his last three games.
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 – Uvis Balinskis
Goaltenders
Anthony Stolarz
Sergei Bobrovsky
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: Saturday, November 4 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: United Center – Chicago, IL
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports+
Radio: 790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM App & Streaming 932; Panthers App
Watch Party: Bru's Room in Coconut Creek
