SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers will try to stretch their winning streak at home to eight games when they host the Montreal Canadiens at Amerant Bank Arena on Sunday.
Dominant defensively, they've allowed just eight goals during the streak.
“I think it’s very, very huge,” forward Anton Lundell said of the team’s home-ice advantage. “That’s something we want to try to achieve. It helps in the long run. I think we saw last year that it was important [in the playoffs] with starting at home and ending at home.”
In the race for first place in the Atlantic Division, the Panthers are also still trying to ensure they’ll be starting the playoffs in their own barn.
Sitting in second place in the division, Florida’s 91 points are tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning and just one fewer than the Toronto Maple Leafs. In control of their own destiny at the moment, the Panthers also have one fewer game played than both of those division rivals.
Getting some reinforcements as the playoffs approach, the Panthers earned a 2-1 win in overtime over the Utah Hockey Club in their last outing on Friday, with trade-deadline acquisition Brad Marchand assisting on the game-winning goal in his debut with the team.
“Being cheered by Panthers fans was a lot different, but it’s a great feeling,” said Marchand, who’d spent 16 seasons with the Boston Bruins before being acquired by Florida. “It’s not often you get to be part of a group like this. I’ve been on a lot of teams throughout the years, and you know when you have something special. You know when you walk into a special room, and that’s what they have here.”
Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers in goals (35) and points (75), while Aleksander Barkov is second in points (65) and first in assists (46). Finding the back of the net twice against Utah, Sam Bennett ranks second in goals with 25, which are just three fewer than his career high.
On a heater at home, Sergei Bobrovsky will get the start for the Panthers.
Winning each of his last six starts in Sunrise, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner boasts a 1.30 goals-against average, .941 save percentage and two shutouts during that streak.
“I don’t think too much ahead,” said Bobrovsky, who owns a 31-15-2 record this season. “I don’t think three weeks or two weeks [ahead]. I think about the one moment in front of me. That’s pretty much. I feel good. I’m excited for the challenge. We have a great group of guys.”
In the playoff hunt, the Canadiens sit at 33-30-9, with their 75 points placing them in a tie with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Getting cold at the wrong time, Montreal has lost each of its last five games.
In their last outing, they suffered a 4-1 defeat at Carolina
During their skid, the Canadiens have allowed at least four goals in each of the five games.
Leading the charge up front, Nick Suzuki paces Montreal in both assists (52) and points (74), while Cole Caufield is first in goals (34) and second in points (63). A favorite for the Calder Trophy, Lane Hutson leads the team’s D-men with 56 points (five goals, 51 assists).
Hutson is just the fifth rookie defenseman in NHL history to record 50 assists.
Between the pipes, former Panthers draft pick Sam Montembeault has handled the bulk of the workload for the Canadiens so far this season, appearing in 54 of the team’s 72 games.
In that time, the 28-year-old has posted a 25-23-6 record with a .899 save percentage.
The first game of a home-and-home, the Panthers will visit Montreal on Tuesday.
“We know exactly the energy they have, and it’s free for them,” head coach Paul Maurice said of the Canadiens. “The energy is on their bus coming to the game. It’s wired before the game. They’re going to be fired up."
THEY SAID IT
“It’s trending in the right direction. There’s still some things we can improve on a little bit, but I think we’re trending in the right direction to peak at the right time. All we’re doing right now is just trying to play the right way and prepare for the playoffs. That’s our goal every game.” – Sam Bennett on preparing for the playoffs
“You can definitely feel it in the mindset. As soon as I got here, the mindset has been that we’re playing toward something bigger than the regular season. I think that’s a great thing to look forward to. I’m just trying to get acclimated with the guys here and understand the bigger picture.” – Seth Jones on preparing for the playoffs
FIVE CATS STATS
- Aleksander Barkov is expected to skate in his 800th career NHL game.
- Sam Bennett has scored nine goals in his last 18 games.
- The Panthers are 5-0 in shootouts this season.
- Sam Reinhart has scored a team-leading 12 goals in the first period.
- Anton Lundell has recorded eight multi-point games this season.
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
Tobias Bjornfot - Uvis Balinskis
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Vitek Vanecek
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- March 18: D Tobias Bjornfot recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Sunday, March 30 at 1 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 & 1 WZZR-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); Panthers App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Theme: SoFlorida Night
Tickets: Click Here
