previewweb3-5-22

SUNRISE, Fla. -The battle for the Calder Trophy will likely heat up a few degrees when the Panthers close out their homestand against the Red Wings at FLA Live Arena on Saturday.
In a matchup featuring three of the top rookies in the NHL, Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider have already established themselves as key pieces in Detroit's rebuild, while Anton Lundell has cemented himself as the third-line center on a Panthers team pushing towards the postseason.

"Seider, I have been extremely impressed with his game,'' Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said following Friday's practice. "It's so fun to watch all the young players in the league. Lucas Raymond, his hands and his ability to make plays and score goals. He does all the little things. We know we have our hands full. But I love seeing young guys come in and make a difference."
Raymond paces all rookies in scoring with 43 points (16 goals, 27 assists), while Seider leads all rookie defensemen in goals (tied-5), assists (36) and points (41). Not too far behind despite seeing much less time on the power play, Lundell has notched 36 points (12 goals, 24 assists).
Already one of Florida's most-reliable defensive forwards, Lundell, who only just turned 20 in October, ranks first among rookies in plus/minus (+29), takeaways (50) and faceoff wins (284).
"He's been a huge boost and is really ahead of schedule," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said of Lundell, the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. "We knew that we were getting a really good player and a really smart player, but to come in here and play at this level of competition, we didn't know he was this advanced at this level of development. It has been fortunate for this group that we were able to plug him in and he took the ball and ran with it."
Sitting at 36-13-5 and trailing the cross-state rival Lightning by just one point for first place in the Atlantic Division, the Panthers enter tonight's matchup fresh off a 3-0 win over the Senators on Friday in which Sergei Bobrovsky made 18 saves to register his second shutout of the season.
Up front, Patric Hornqvist and Mason Marchment, who finished the tilt with two points apiece, each lit the lamp on the power play, while Ryan Lomberg came up an assist short of a Gordie Howe hat trick after scoring a goal and dropping the gloves for a fight during the third period.
Riding his breakout season to a spot on the first line alongside Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe for the last two games, Marchment has recorded 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) over is last 12 games to increase his career-high point total to 30 on 12 goals and 18 assists.
Holding onto the puck for what seemed like the entire game, the Panthers finished with huge advantages over the Senators in shot attempts (90-38), shots on goal (48-18), scoring chances (54-19) and high-danger shot attempts (20-8) during the win, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
Snapping out of a three-game losing streak, Florida owns a 24-6-0 record at home.
"We dropped three in a row and came back against a team that's hungry," Ekblad said. "They play hard every night, Ottawa does. We knew that, and they handed it to us, 8-2, last time. It was great to get that win and now try and bring some momentum into [Saturday]."
Fighting to stay in the playoff race in the jampacked Eastern Conference at 24-25-6, the Red Wings have dropped four of their last six games, including a 3-1 loss at Tampa Bay on Friday.
In defeat, Detroit surrendered three power play goals to the Lightning.
"It's frustrating right now," Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said, "A tough feeling but we have to bounce back. They get power-plays goals tonight, we got none. That's the story of the game."
An all-star this season, Larkin leads Detroit in goals (27) and points (56). Also surpassing the 40-point mark are Tyler Bertuzzi (46), Raymond (43) and Seider (41). Over his last 11 games, Larkin has been carrying a very hot stick while racking up 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists).
With Alex Nedeljkovic manning the crease across the Sunshine State less than 24 hours ago, it's likely that Thomas Greiss will start for the Red Wings in Sunrise. A thorn in Florida's side in previous seasons, Greiss has posted an 8-8-1 record with a .895 save percentage in 2021-22.
Looking to build off his blank sheet, Bobrovsky will be back in net for the Panthers. Leading the NHL in wins at home (17), the two-time Vezina Trophy winner has gone 27-6-3 with a .916 save percentage this season, including making 28 saves in a 3-2 overtime win at Detroit on Oct. 29.
"We've got to be ready to go," Brunette said. "They're a fast team."

PANTHERS PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe - Aleksander Barkov - Mason Marchment
Jonathan Huberdeau - Sam Bennett - Anthony Duclair
Frank Vatrano - Anton Lundell - Sam Reinhart
Ryan Lomberg - Eetu Luostarinen - Patric Hornqvist
Defensemen
MacKenzie Weegar - Aaron Ekblad
Gustav Forsling - Radko Gudas
Lucas Carlsson - Brandon Montour
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Jonas Johansson

WHO'S HOT

Panthers:Aleksander Barkov has 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) over his last 11 games. … Jonathan Huberdeau has 20 points (three goals, 17 assists) over his last 13 games. … Sam Reinhart has 15 points (six goals, nine assists) over his last 12 games. … Aaron Ekblad has 10 points (four goals, six assists) over his last nine games.
Red Wings:Dylan Larkin has 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) over his last 11 games. … Lucas Raymond has eight points (five goals, three assists) over his last eight games. … Moritz Seider has 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) over his last eight games.

THEY SAID IT

"He's a true pro. He takes care of himself. He's in the gym a lot. You can see him following in Barky's footsteps." -- Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad on rookie Anton Lundell.
"I thought we came out and we were the better team in the first [period]. I thought they were the better team in the second. I thought the third was kind of back and forth. They scored twice on the power play when it mattered and we didn't. That was the difference in the game."-- Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill after Friday's loss at Tampa Bay.

FIVE CATS STATS

  • Radko Gudas leads the NHL with 233 hits.
    - Florida is averaging 46.3 shots on goal over its last four games.
    - The Panthers boast 10 players with at least 30 points this season.
    - Florida has scored six power play goals over its last six contests.
    - Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Panthers with 18 multi-point games.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

  • March 1: D Petteri Lindbohm signed to a one-year contract
    - Feb. 22: F Maxim Mamin activated off IR; F Owen Tippett loaned to Charlotte (AHL)

PANTHERS NEWS

HOW TO WATCH / LISTEN

When:Saturday, March 5 at 6 p.m. ET
Where: FLA Live Arena - Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming:Hulu, ESPN+
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); SiriusXM Channel 220 / App & Streaming 932
Tickets:
HERE

IN-ARENA ACTIVATIONS

-
Support the Florida Panthers Foundation and try to win big with the 50/50 Raffle. 
- The Panthers will host their annual Pride Night presented by Stoli Vodka tonight at FLA Live Arena. Among the various activations, Panthers players will wear special pride warmup jerseys that will be available for purchase at Inside the Boards at FLA Live Arena following warmups.
To learn more about Pride Night, click HERE.
- Fans that spend $20 before puck drop tonight on a food or beverage mobile order through the FLA Live! App will receive $5 in Panther Perks on a future food or beverage order.