SUNRISE, Fla. – The time has finally arrived.
A key acquisition at the trade deadline, Brad Marchand is expected to make his debut with the Florida Panthers when they host the Utah Hockey Club at Amerant Bank Arena on Friday.
At the time he was acquired, the veteran forward was dealing with an upper-body injury.
“He got through the (morning) skate, so we expect him to be a player for us,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “We could say we’ll get him through warmups and see, but he’s healed past that. We expect him to play tonight.”
In the midst of his 16th NHL season, Marchand had spent his entire career with the Boston Bruins prior being traded, racking up 976 points (422 goals, 554 assists) in 1,090 games.
Preparing to wear a new jersey for the first time in the NHL, the 36-year-old is expected to play on Florida’s second line alongside Sam Bennett and rookie Mackie Samoskevich.
“What I’m hoping for is just a simplicity to it,” Maurice said when asked about his expectations for Marchand. “He’s had an incredible career – Stanley Cup champion, 1,000 games, 1,000 penalty minutes, lots of points. I don’t want to see all of it in one game.”
In a heated race for first place in the Atlantic Division, the Panthers currently sit at 43-25-3 and trail the Toronto Maple Leafs by one point for the top spot with a game in hand.
Owning a 6-4-0 record over their last 10 games, the defending Stanley Cup champions enter tonight’s tilt looking to build off a 4-3 shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.
Leading the Panthers in both goals (35) and points (75), Sam Reinhart scored a pair of goals against the Penguins, while a strike from Anton Lundell late in the third period forced overtime.
With the action eventually getting to a shootout, Aleksander Barkov netted the only goal the Panthers needed as Sergei Bobrovsky stood tall and stopped all three shooters he faced.
Sitting at 30-15-2, Bobrovsky will get the nod in net again tonight.
In eight appearances in March, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner has posted a 6-2-0 record with a .935 save percentage.
“You definitely pay attention to it, but it doesn’t change much for us,” Samoskevich said when asked about watching the standings. “I think it’s good for us. A lot of these teams are fighting to get into the playoffs, so they’re playing playoff hockey already. We’re going to focus on doing the same.”
Falling out of the playoff race in the Western Conference, Utah owns a 4-4-2 record in its last 10 games, including being the victim of an 8-0 beatdown at Tampa Bay on Thursday.
With the loss, they fell to 32-29-11 and 10 points out of a wild-card spot.
Over the last two games, Utah has been outscored 13-1.
The centerpiece of Utah’s attack, Clayton Keller leads the team in scoring with 78 points (24 goals, 54 assists). Under him on the leaderboard, three other players have reached the 50-point mark this season: Nick Schmaltz (57), Logan Cooley (54) and Dylan Guenther (50).
Since March 1, Schmaltz leads the team in goals (5) and points (10).
Leaving South Florida during free agency, tonight’s game will mark Kevin Stenlund’s first game back in Sunrise since helping the Panthers capture the Stanley Cup in June.
“He was a big piece of our group last year and a big reason why we won – PK, faceoffs,” defenseman Gustav Forsling said. “He’s just a nice guy, so it’s awesome.”
Following 15 straight starts for Karel Vejmelka -- the longest streak by any goaltender in the NHL this season -- Utah could hand over the crease to Jaxson Stauber for tonight’s game.
In six appearances this season, the 25-year-old is 2-1-1 with a .892 save percentage.
That being said, Vejmelka, who only played 29:14 before being pulled against the Lightning, could be rested enough to give it another go and stretch his exhausting streak to 16 games.
Inked to a five-year extension on March 6, Vejmelka is 21-20-6 with a .902 save percentage.
Meeting for the second and final time this season, the Panthers came out on top in their previous tilt, with Bobrovsky make 25 saves in a 4-1 win at Delta Center on Jan. 8.
“I expect them to be very good,” Maurice said of Utah. “They are structured, they do skate well. They’re dynamic. Their leading scorer has more points than our leading scorer, so they’re capable. They’re a capable team. What they’ll be able to do is hit that reset button.”
THEY SAID IT
“It’s been a lot of fun. He’s such a good player, so silky. I feel like when he has the puck, he sees you. He’s got eyes in the back of his head.” – Mackie Samoskevich on playing with Brad Marchand
“He’s been solid all around. He’s been on the PP, PK, and playing 5-on-5 at a high level. He’s been great to see. He’s been a good fit for us.” – Niko Mikkola on Seth Jones
FIVE CATS STATS
- The Panthers have won six straight home games.
- Seth Jones is averaging 25:25 of ice time per game as a Panther.
- The Panthers are 5-0 in shootouts this season.
- Mackie Samoskevich has scored six goals in his last 15 games.
- The Panthers are 15-3-0 when Aleksander Barkov scores.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Jesper Boqvist
A.J. Greer – Nico Sturm – Evan Rodrigues
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Seth Jones
Niko Mikkola – Nate Schmidt
Uvis Balinskis – Tobias Bjornfot
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Vitek Vanecek
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- March 18: D Tobias Bjornfot recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Friday, March 28 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX, NHL Network (out of market)
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT-AM & 92.1 WZZR-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); Panthers App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Theme: SoFlorida Night
Tickets: Click Here
