SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers will look to keep on rolling when they host the Calgary Flames for a matinee matchup at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.
Second in the Atlantic Division at 36-21-3, the Panthers have gone 2-1-0 since returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off, including a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.
“It’s working again,” defenseman Uvis Balinskis said of players getting back into a groove.
Meeting in Sunrise for the first time since Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers rode a strong third period to a win over the Oilers. Tied 2-2 after two periods, Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe each lit the lamp for the Panthers in the third to lock down a 4-3 win.
Balinskis and Anton Lundell also scored in the win, while Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 saves.
In three games since returning from the break, Florida has allowed just five goals.
“Playing against these guys, it’s always a big game, especially after what happened last year,” Verhaeghe said after beating the Oilers. “I think getting the best of them tonight kind of sent a message. We like the way we played. We kind of grinded it. We got the win.”
With Matthew Tkachuk’s injury still be diagnosed, the Panthers are expected to roll out their same lineup against the Flames, with Bobrovsky sliding back in between the pipes.
Standing tall over his last eight starts, Bobrovsky is 6-2-0 with a .928 save percentage.
Sam Reinhart leads Florida in goals (31) and points (64), while Aleksander Barkov has dished out the most assists (40). Tallying a team-high three points (one goal, two assists) against the Oilers, Anton Lundell is fifth on the team in points with 40, including 14 goals.
Across the ice, the Panthers will see a familiar face.
A member of last season’s Stanley Cup-winning squad, Ryan Lomberg will play his first game in Sunrise since joining the Flames on a two-year contract this past summer.
Becoming a fan favorite for physicality and personality, Lomberg tallied 49 points (28 goals, 21 assists) and 327 penalty minutes in 246 games over parts of four seasons with Florida.
As it has been for other returning champions this season, a warm welcome is expected.
“It’s great to share that with Ryan and the fans because he had a connection there and a connection certainly to our team,” head coach Paul Maurice said of Lomberg’s return. “You get to enjoy that. These guys are all playing on different teams now, but you still feel like they’re yours. They’re part of that collective memory that’ll never change.”
Just one point out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, the Flames sit at 28-22-8. On Tuesday, they saw their two-game winning streak snapped with a 3-0 loss at Tampa Bay during the second stop on their six-game road trip.
A low-event affair, the Flames limited the Lightning to just 22 shots on goal, but simply couldn’t find the goals they needed themselves as Andrei Vasilevskiy posted a 28-save shutout.
In the hunt for the Calder Trophy, Dustin Wolf stopped 19 of 21 shots in the loss.
Just 23 years old, Wolf owns a 20-12-3 record with a .913 save percentage.
At the time of this writing, the Flames have yet to announce a starter.
Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri are tied for the most points on Calgary with 43 apiece, while Huberdeau also paces the team in goals with 22. Fellow former Panther MacKenzie Weegar leads the team’s defensemen with 32 points (six goals, 26 assists).
In their first meeting this season on Dec. 14, Wolf turned aside all 32 shots he faced in a 3-0 win over the Panthers at Scotiabank Saddledome.
“We get through this game, and then we’ll have only one more Western Conference opponent,” Maurice said. “The game’s different in the West. The defensive schemes are different. … In our games against the Western Conference, there’s less familiarity.”
THEY SAID IT
“You go in wanting to make sure the things that are important to your team’s success are there. You have opportunities to kind of focus on things that are different in the middle of the game. We’ve liked our game and where we’re at.” – Paul Maurice
“For Lundy (Anton Lundell), I think he’s so strong on the puck going through the middle. For Luosty (Eetu Luostarinen), he’s so good around the walls and finding those inside plays. Those are a couple things I don’t think they get enough credit for.” – Jesper Boqvist
FIVE CATS STATS
- The Panthers have gone 6-1-0 in their last seven games at home.
- The Panthers lead the NHL with 12 shorthanded goals.
- Gustav Forsling boasts a team-leading +29 plus/minus rating.
- Aleksander Barkov has recorded eight multi-assist games this season.
- The Panthers rank second in the NHL with a 55.29 CF% at 5-on-5.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Evan Rodrigues
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Jesper Boqvist
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:
- Feb. 26: F Justin Sourdif loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Feb. 24: F Justin Sourdif recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Saturday, Feb. 29 at 3 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX, ESPN+ (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
Giveaway: Kids Pillowcase (Kids Day)
Tickets: Click Here
