SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers will look to continue filling up the back of the net when they return home to host the St. Louis Blues at Amerant Bank Arena on Friday.
Tied for the most points in the Atlantic Division at 20-11-2, the Panthers closed out their five-game road trip with big wins over the Edmonton Oilers (6-5) and Minnesota Wild (6-1).
Prior to those two wins, the Panthers had been shut out in back-to-back games.
“I think the power play has been good and we’re getting to the net at 5-on-5,” forward Carter Verhaeghe said. “We’re getting a lot of looks. I think we’re playing good D, and it kind of starts from that. We’re getting our looks, and they’re going in now.”
Spreading out the offense, nine different skaters have scored for the Panthers over their past two wins, including a team-high three goals from Matthew Tkachuk. Additionally, 13 different skaters have tallied at least one point, with nine having logged multiple points.
Despite being known as a defense-first defenseman, Niko Mikkola has been carrying a hot stick, touching twine each of the last two games to set a new career-high total of four goals this season.
“It’s fun to see him get on the scoresheet,” forward Eetu Luostarinen said. “I think he’s doing a real good job joining those rushes and getting shots through. It’s been fun.”
Fresh off a 26-save performance against the Wild, Sergei Bobrovsky will return to the crease for the Panthers. Over his last seven appearances, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner has gone 6-1-0 while turning aside 162 of 178 shots for a .910 save percentage.
After being on the wrong end of an awkward hit in Minnesota, Jesper Boqvist will not suit up for the Panthers tonight and is currently considered day-to-day. Missing the last game due to an illness, second-line center Sam Bennett is a game-time decision to face the Blues.
"We'll make a decision on his energy level when he gets to the rink,” head coach Paul Maurice said of Bennett, who ranks tied for second on the team in goals (13) and tied for fourth in points (27). “He's feeling better over the last two days than the two days prior."
Sitting at 15-16-3, the Blues have lost three of their last four games. In each of those three losses they managed to score just one goal, including a 3-1 loss at Tampa Bay on Thursday.
Overall, those offensive struggles are nothing new.
With more than a third of the season in the books, the Blues currently rank 30th in the NHL in goals per game (2.50) and 27th on the power play (16%). They also boast the sixth-worst goal differential at 5-on-5, being outscored 71-58, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
Jordan Kyrou leads the Blues in goals (14) and points (28), while Robert Thomas is second in points (24) and first in assists (18). Pavel Buchnevich has also topped the 20-point mark, registering nine goals and 13 assists.
Off to a great start after being plucked from the Oilers by way of an offer sheet in the offseason, Dylan Holloway has recorded 19 points (10 goals, nine assists).
In net, it’ll either be Joel Hofer or Jordan Binnington for St. Louis. Binnington has gone 8-13-3 with a .896 save percentage, while Hofer sits at 10-7-3 with a .907 save percentage. Hofer has also had success in his career against Florida, going 1-1-0 with a .926 save percentage.
Last season, the Panthers and Blues each won one game in their season series.
“They’ve got good size, they’ve got good speed, and they’ve got possibly the most dynamic style,” Maurice said of St. Louis. “They are making plays off the rush with speed. They’ve got players that can do it. I don’t think that you’ll own the whole game against these guys.”
THEY SAID IT
“I think we love coming home and playing in front of our own building in front of our fans. We all missed home a little bit. We just want to get on them early and stick to what we’ve been doing.” – Carter Verhaeghe
“I think we didn’t give them too much [in Minnesota], and Bobby handled the rest. Just like our 5-on-5 effort, everybody chipped in and played hard.” – Eetu Luostarinen
FIVE CATS STATS
- The Panthers are tied for second in the NHL in goals by defensemen (19).
- Sam Reinhart leads the NHL with four shorthanded goals.
- Aaron Ekblad has notched 12 points (2G, 10A) over his last 16 games.
- Mackie Samoskevich leads the Panthers with four game-winning goals.
- The Panthers are 7-1-0 when Carter Verhaeghe scores this season.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Evan Rodrigues – Sam Bennett – Mackie Samoskevich
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Jonah Gadjovich
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov
Uvis Balinskis – Nate Schmidt
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- Dec. 6: G Chris Driedger loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Dec. 6: F Mackie Samoskevich recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Friday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX, ESPN+ (out of market)
Radio: 790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT-AM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); Panthers App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Tickets: Click Here
