SUNRISE, Fla. – Anthony Stolarz will get the nod in net when the Florida Panthers kick off a three-game homestand against the New York Islanders at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday.
Sitting at 3-1-1 with a .929 save percentage, Stolarz, who inked a one-year deal with Florida last summer, stopped 31 of 32 shots in a 2-1 shootout loss at Toronto in his last outing on Tuesday.
A giant in the net at 6-foot-6, he leads the NHL in high-danger save percentage (.931) at 5-on-5.
“We’ve got two goaltenders that feel really good about themselves, and this is a four-game week,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “When he plays tonight, it’ll balance the numbers pretty close to what we have in our head in terms of what the overall numbers should be. … I don’t even count the shootout as a loss.
“Here’s a guy that went in and gave up one goal in Toronto against a very explosive team on back-to-back nights. He was good. He’s earned the confidence and the right to go into the game here. It gives Sergei [Bobrovsky] an opportunity to come out of the net having played two really, really good games.”
In second place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 14-7-2, the Panthers earned five out of a possible six points on their three-game trek through Canada. In the last game of their trip, they rode a four-goal outburst in the third period to a 5-1 win over the Canadiens on Thursday.
After captain Aleksander Barkov got the scoring started in the second period with a nice swipe-and-score sequence, Sam Bennett made it 2-0 just eight seconds into the third. From there, Evan Rodrigues, Carter Verhaeghe and Oliver Ekman-Larsson would also go on to touch the twine.
Between the pipes, Bobrovsky stopped 21 of 22 shots.
Ending the month with an exclamation point, the Panthers finished November with a 10-4-1 record. Strong on both sides of the puck, they led the NHL in wins (10) and points (21), while posting the third-fewest goals against per game (2.27) throughout the very successful month.
After going 6-for-6 in Montreal, the Panthers are also on a 26-for-26 run on the penalty kill.
“We just played hard,” said Rodriges, who’s tallied 11 assists this season. “I think we played the right way. We didn’t cheat for offense. We were just focused on being on top of pucks, reloading. I think we were very stingy defensively, and I think we’ll have to do that again tonight.”
Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers in goals (15) and points (28). Barkov is second in scoring with 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists). Tied for third, Matthew Tkachuk and Verhaeghe each have 18 points. Tkachuk is also tied for first in assists (15), while Verhaeghe is second in goals (10).
After suffering a minor upper-body injury against the Canadiens, Jonah Gadjovich, who has been packing quite a punch on the fourth line, will sit out in favor of Steven Lorentz tonight.
“It’s good for him,” Maurice said of Lorentz. “He’s earned it.”
Fourth in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 9-7-6, the Islanders have won four of their last six games. Snapping a two-game skid, they secured a 5-4 overtime win at Carolina in their last outing on Thursday. Mathew Barzal recorded three assists and scored the game-winner.
Leading the charge on offense, Barzal ranks first on New York with 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists). On the blue line, Noah Dobson is off to a hot start, racking up 21 points on five goals and 16 assists. Tied for third in scoring, Brock Nelson and Bo Horvat each have 16 points.
After backing up against the Hurricanes, Ilya Sorokin was the first goaltender off the ice this morning in Sunrise and could get the start for the Islanders. Finishing second in voting for the Vezina Trophy last season, Sorokin owns a 5-4-5 record with a .913 save percentage in 2023-24.
“One of the best goalies in the league,” Rodrigues said. “I think the key is going to be taking his eyes away and just not getting frustrated. The opportunities will come, the chances will come. It’s just sticking to our game.”
Facing off for the first time this season, Florida went 2-1-0 against New York last season.
Back on home ice, the Panthers want to keep building off their strong road trip.
“My job is to make sure this game isn’t the forgotten game,” Maurice said. “You’re playing in your division, a lot of emotional games [on the road]. Then you get on a plane yesterday, you come back and we’ve got to finish this. We’ve got to find a way to wire ‘em up. Lots of coffee and away we go.”
PREGAME QUOTES
"He’s interesting in that if he was 21 we might’ve said he could’ve gone a week ago or two weeks ago because he needs pro games. He doesn't really need pro games, he just needs a rhythm. I've got a lot of faith in this guy. For me, he's a full-time NHL player, as is Josh [Mahura]. Right now, we have the luxury, and sometimes the challenge, of managing these guys." – Paul Maurice on Uvis Balinskis going to the AHL
“It’s definitely nice to be home. We’ve had some success here this year. We’ve got a good team coming in and hopefully we’ll be ready to go for puck drop and get another W.” – Evan Rodriges on defending home ice against the Islanders
FIVE CATS STATS
- The Panthers have surrendered just three power-play goals in their last 12 games.
- Aleksander Barkov has logged five points (1G, 4A) over his last three games.
- Carter Verhaeghe leads the Panthers with six third-period goals.
- Sam Reinhart leads Florida and is tied for second in the NHL with seven power-play goals.
- The Panthers rank fourth in the NHL with 310 high-danger shot attempts this season.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Nick Cousins
Steven Lorentz – Kevin Stenlund – Ryan Lomberg
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola - Brandon Montour
Oliver-Ekman Larsson – Dmitry Kulikov
Goaltenders
Anthony Stolarz
Sergei Bobrovsky
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Dec. 1: D Uvis Balinskis loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Nov. 25: D Mike Reilly claimed off waivers by the New York Islanders
- Nov. 17: F Jonah Gadjovich recalled from AHL conditioning assignment
- Nov. 17: D Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour activated off injured reserve
HOW TO WATCH
When: Saturday, Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
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 Channel 219 / App & Streaming 932; Panthers App
Tickets: Here
Theme Night: Cats 'N Cowboys
