SUNRISE, Fla. – Meeting in Sunrise for the first time since Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Florida Panthers will host the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday.
Their second meeting this season, the defending champion Panthers denied the Oilers their first shot at revenge on Dec. 16, filling up the scoresheet in a 6-5 win at Rogers Place.
This time around, the Panthers expect the intensity to still be just as high.
“Obviously it brings back some good memories,” said forward Evan Rodrigues, who led the Panthers with seven points in the Stanley Cup Final. “Whenever there’s a rematch against these guys, you always want to try and come away with a win. I think you’ll get a playoff-type game tonight. We’re looking forward to it.”
After missing last game to welcome a new addition to his family, Eetu Luostarinen will be back in the lineup for the Panthers.
"It's been a crazy two days,” Luostarinen said of becoming a first-time dad. “Just really blessed and really excited. Everybody is doing great. Both baby and mom are doing great, healthy and happy."
As for Matthew Tkachuk’s injury, the Panthers are still playing the waiting game.
“Nothing new,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “He’s out near term, so we know that. We’re just making sure that we get as many ideas [as we can] on a treatment plan.”
Sitting second in the Atlantic Division at 35-21-3, the Panthers are looking to build off a 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators in the Music City on Tuesday.
Called up from the AHL to fill in for Luostarinen, rookie Justin Sourdif scored the first NHL goal of his career in the win, while Sam Bennett, Gustav Forsling and Mackie Samoskevich also lit the lamp.
Between the pipes, Spence Knight stopped 17 of 18 shots to earn his third straight win.
Defensively, the Panthers held the Predators to just 12 scoring chances at 5-on-5.
Although Edmonton is a different beast offensively, they hope to replicate that stalwart effort tonight.
“We’ve been pretty darn consistent in the new year defensively,” Maurice said. “It’s just going to look different because they’re so dynamic. They can create something even if everybody is in the right spots. A lot of competing against a team with that high of a skill level is what you allow them to do with the puck.”
After backing up Knight in Nashville, Sergei Bobrovsky will start tonight.
Over his last seven appearances, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner has gone 5-2-0 with a .933 save percentage.
Second in the Pacific Division at 34-20-4, the Oilers have hit a bit of a rough patch.
Losing six of their last eight games, they enter tonight’s tilt trying to snap out of a four-game losing streak in which their defense has been abused to the tune of 22 goals against.
In their most-recent outing, the Oilers suffered a 4-1 loss at Tampa Bay on Tuesday.
After taking a 1-0 lead on Leon Draisaitl’s league-leading 43rd goal of the season, Edmonton surrendered four straight goals to the Lightning. In defeat, the Oilers mustered only 23 shots on goal.
In addition to leading the NHL in goals, Draisaitl also sits second in points with 87. Ranking second on the team in scoring, Connor McDavid has accumulated 73 points (22 goals, 51 assists). In third, defenseman Evan Bouchard has posted 45 points (nine goals, 36 assists).
A three-time winner of the Hart Trophy, McDavid is always the top player to keep an eye on, as he’s notched 26 points (eight goals, 18 assists) in 14 career games against the Panthers.
In net, Stuart Skinner is expected to start for Edmonton.
Despite a .898 save percentage, Skinner boasts a 20-14-4 record.
“I’m sure this will be a big one for them,” Rodrigues said. “Coming off four losses and coming into here, I’m sure there will be a little extra motivation for them. We’ll have to be ready from puck drop, and the first 10 minutes will be key.”
THEY SAID IT
“A lot of new dads [on the team]. It’s easier for me. I can ask a little help for what to do in the first couple days and weeks. It’s an exciting time.” – Eetu Luostarinen
“We’ve got to be above them. They have elite players that like to pick up speed through the neutral zone. They’re hard to stop. It’s just getting in their way and making sure we always have someone trying to slow them down. It’ll definitely be a team effort.” – Evan Rodrigues
“We won’t do a lot of reminiscing before the game.” – Paul Maurice
FIVE CATS STATS
- The Panthers have won three straight regular-season games against the Oilers.
- The Panthers own a 5-1-0 record over their last five home games.
- The Panthers own a 14-3-1 record when Sam Bennett scores a goal.
- Sam Reinhart is tied for first on the Panthers with 15 multi-point games.
- Sergei Bobrovsky has gone 12-6-0 in his career against Edmonton.
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: Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7 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: Upper Deck Cards
Tickets: Click Here
