ANAHEIM, Cali. – The Florida Panthers will kick off their four-game road trip over to the West Coast with a rematch against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Tuesday.
Leaving home in a good spot, Florida sits second in the Atlantic Division at 27-17-3.
“I think this one gets tighter,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “For us as well, we’re on the road and that’s the game we’ve got to play to be successful. Both teams know each other a little bit better. The video is only on your team and your opponent. The defensive adjustments come first, and I think you’ll see that tonight.”
In the first half of their home-and-home with the Ducks, the Panthers rode a 34-save shutout showing from Spencer Knight to a 3-0 win at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday.
Giving their young goaltender more than enough goal support, Jesper Boqvist and Anton Lundell each lit the lamp at 5-on-5, while Gustav Forsling added an empty-netter to seal the victory late in the third period.
Setting a new career high with 11 goals, Boqvist has scored four times in his last six games.
“I really liked our third period,” defenseman Nate Schmidt said of the win. “I liked that we came out and kind of enforced our level of play and our style of play on them. I think that’s really important come the back half of the year. You have to be able to do that in third periods. I also liked the way our goaltender played early in the game. Knighter was great.”
Overall, the Panthers have packed their A-game with them for trips this season.
Owning a 14-8-1 record, their .630 road points percentage this season is currently the fifth best mark in the NHL, while their 3.39 goals per game on the road ranks fourth. They’ve also converted on 31% of their power plays on the road, which is the best mark in the league.
“We’ve been a good road team, for sure, this year,” Maurice said.
Seventh in the Pacific Division at 18-22-6, the Ducks are back home after a 1-4-1 road trip.
With the goals drying up, they were outscored 23-8 during their six-game trek.
Troy Terry leads Anaheim in scoring with 34 points (15 goals, 19 assists). Cracking the scoresheet in six of the last nine games, he’s scored six goals in that stretch. Sitting second on the team in scoring, Ryan Strome has registered 25 points (seven goals, 18 assists).
Getting back a key player from injury, Trevor Zegras will return to action for the Ducks and suit up for the first time since Dec. 4. A first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, the 23-year-old forward has tallied 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 24 games this season.
Overall, the Panthers have really had the Ducks’ number over the past few seasons.
Dating back to the 2019-20 campaign, they own an 8-0-1 record against Anaheim.
In their lone trip to Honda Center last season, the Panthers squeaked out a 2-1 win.
“Big trip coming up,” forward Eetu Luostarinen said. “Just defend hard, stay out of the box.”
Owning an 18-11-2 record, Sergei Bobrovsky will start for Florida, while Lukas Dostal, who sits at 11-12-4, will get the nod in net for Anaheim.
The first of a back-to-back, the Panthers will visit the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday.
THEY SAID IT
“A little bit of a different schedule this year. A lot of back-to-backs. I think some of it carries over and it’s good. It’s tight games and a lot of emotions.” – Eetu Luostarinen
“I don’t remember traveling so much in the first half, but it is what it is. Maybe it’s better for us to be fresh in the second half. I mean, every team has a tough schedule. You can’t say it’s just tough for you. Just play and be ready for every game.” – Tomas Nosek
FIVE CATS STATS
- Sam Reinhart has scored a team-high 17 goals on the road.
- The Panthers have won each of their last four games at Honda Center.
- Gustav Forsling leads Florida’s defensemen with seven goals.
- Sam Bennett ranks second on the Panthers with six third-period goals.
- Aleksander Barkov is winning 61.4% of his faceoffs.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Matthew Tkachuk – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Eetu Luostarinen – Sam Bennett – Mackie Samoskevich
Carter Verhaeghe – Anton Lundell – Jesper Boqvist
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Evan Rodrigues
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Dmitry Kulikov
Niko Mikkola – Nate Schmidt
Tobias Bjornfot – Uvis Balinskis
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- Jan. 6: D Tobias Bjornfot recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Dec. 23: F Rasmus Asplund loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 10 p.m. ET
Where: Honda Center – Anaheim, CA
TV & Streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX, ESPN+ (out of market)
Radio: 790 WAXY (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
