OTTAWA – The Florida Panthers will try to punch their return ticket to the playoffs when they face-off against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.
Sitting third in the Atlantic Division at 44-27-4, the Panthers have several ways they can clinch by the end of the day, with the simplest being a win over Ottawa in any fashion.
The Panthers can also clinch if they get at least a point against the Senators and either the Rangers lose to the Devils in any fashion, or the Canadiens lose to the Flyers in any fashion.
The third and final path to clinching today for Florida would require the Blue Jackets losing to the Maple Leafs in any fashion and the Rangers also losing to the Devils in regulation.
No matter how they get there, the defending Stanley Cup champions can feel the playoffs coming.
“You definitely feel the buzz building a little bit right now,” rookie forward Mackie Samoskevich wrote in his recent postcard. “With just a few games left in the season, this is when you want to start gearing up and playing in playoff-like games so that you’re ready.”
Despite missing several of their top players – including Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad – the Panthers played well enough to win but came up short in a 3-2 loss to the Atlantic Division-leading Maple Leafs in their last outing on Wednesday.
Gustav Forsling and Sam Reinhart each lit the lamp in Toronto, while Sergei Bobrovsky, who appeared in the 750th game of his NHL career, stopped 23 of 26 shots between the pipes.
Looking dominant for long stretches, Florida led 34-22 in scoring chances.
“I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t like our game,” forward Evan Rodrigues said. “We did a lot of good things. We controlled a lot of the play. We just would’ve liked to get the win.”
With Barkov (upper body) and Nico Sturm (undisclosed) both suffering injuries in the first game of the road trip on Tuesday at Montreal, the Panthers will mix up their lines in Ottawa.
Sam Bennett will center Jesper Boqvist and Reinhart, Anton Lundell will center Eetu Luostarinen and Brad Marchand, Rodrigues will center Carter Verhaeghe and Samoskevich, and Tomas Nosek will center A.J. Greer and Jonah Gadjovich.
“We’ve got an opportunity to experiment, which is forced on us,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “When Barkov goes out of your lineup, it changes your center ice men. We’re just looking at different guys.”
Owning a 31-17-2 record, Bobrovsky will get the start against the Senators.
Fresh off becoming just the 24th goaltender in NHL history to suit up in 750 games, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner has been in a groove during the second half of the season, owning a .917 save percentage with a 2.09 goals-against average dating back to Jan. 1.
“He’s almost a perfect individual,” Rodrigues said of his gifted netminder. “He’s committed to the game 24/7 in his life. The way he treats his body, the things he does off the ice, on the ice, just how good of a person he is, it’s been fun to be around and fun to watch.”
Also likely bound for the playoffs, the resurgent Senators sit at 40-29-6 and are in possession of the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Shaking off a pair of losses to Pittsburgh and Buffalo, the Senators returned to form with a 2-1 win over the Lightning on Thursday.
Shane Pinto and Jake Sanderson each touched twine in the win, while Linus Ullmark made 31 saves and was named the first star of the game.
Like the Panthers, the Senators will be without their own Tkachuk in this matchup.
Currently listed as day to day, Matthew’s brother Brady was injured on a hit during Ottawa's 1-0 overtime loss to the Penguins on March 30.
"I was hoping he was going to skate today, but he’s not going to," Ottawa head coach Travis Green told reporters on Friday. "So, it's about all I can say about it."
Tim Stutzle leads the Senators in scoring with 72 points (21 goals, 51 assists), while Drake Batherson is second with 59 points (21 goals, 38 assists). Tkachuk sits third in scoring with 55 points, including lighting the lamp a team-best 29 times.
In the midst of his first season in Ottawa, Ullmark has gone 22-14-3 with a .909 save percentage.
Splitting the first two games of their season series, the Panthers came out on top in their last meeting with the Senators, cruising to a 5-1 win at Amerant Bank Arena on Feb. 8.
“They skate well,” Maurice said of facing Ottawa. “They’ve got lots of skill up front. Their back end is pretty darn dynamic. They’re coming of age, this team. They drafted high for a bunch of years. They paid the price of that development time, and now you’ve got players on the back end just starting to come into their prime, and some young guys up top as well.”
THEY SAID IT
“There’s a whole bunch of things we did right that are kind of systemic of what we’re trying to do.” – Paul Maurice on Wednesday’s loss at Toronto
“It’s been unreal to be able to come to the same team as him. I’d obviously been following him a lot since an early age. … It doesn’t matter if it’s a practice or game or he’s at the gym, he’s always doing everything perfect.” – Anton Lundell on Sergei Bobrovsky
FIVE CATS STATS
- Gustav Forsling has scored at least 10 goals in each of the last four seasons.
- Sam Bennett has already set a new career high with 50 points this season.
- Sam Reinhart has scored a team-leading 21 goals on the road.
- Over his last 19 appearances, Sergei Bobrovsky owns a .925 save percentage.
- Seth Jones is one goal away from his 100th NHL goal.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Jesper Boqvist – Sam Bennett – Sam Reinhart
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand
Carter Verhaeghe – Evan Rodrigues – Mackie Samoskevich
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Jonah Gadjovich
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Seth Jones
Niko Mikkola – Nate Schmidt
Jaycob Megna – Uvis Balinskis
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Vitek Vanecek
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- April 2: D Jaycob Megna recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- April 2: D Tobias Bjornfot assigned to Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Saturday, April 5 at 2 p.m. ET
Where: Canadian Tire Centre – Ottawa, ON
TV & Streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX, ESPN+ (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
Cats on Tap: Click Here
