NASHVILLE – Flip flops meet cowboy boots.
Heading out of town for just one game, the Florida Panthers (34-21-3) will pay a visit to Broadway to take on the Nashville Predators (20-29-7) at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
“We just need to focus on our end,” said forward Tomas Nosek ahead of Tuesday’s game. “We know we can score goals and if we take care of our defensive side of the puck, we should be fine.”
Pushing for the season sweep of the Predators, the Panthers took their first meeting on Nov. 7 by a score of 6-2 at Amerant Bank Arena.
In the win, both Aleksander Barkov (three assists) and Carter Verhaeghe (two goals, one assist) recorded three points.
Looking to bounce back from Saturday’s loss at home, the Panthers fell 2-1 to the Seattle Kraken in their first game back from the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
Sitting in second place in the Atlantic Division -- just a point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs -- the Panthers will head to Tennessee without forwards Matthew Tkachuk (injury) and Eetu Luostarinen (addition to the family).
Per head coach Paul Maurice, the Panthers are still waiting for further updates on Tkachuk’s injury, but he does not expect it to be season-ending.
“He’ll play (this season),” said Maurice.
On the ice, it’s a next-man-up mentality.
“Everyone gets a little bit more of an opportunity and we got to make the most of it,” said forward Jesper Boqvist. “We have guys that are prepared for it.”
With Tkachuk and Luostarinen unavailable, rookie forward Justin Sourdif was called up from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL on Monday and will make his Panthers season debut in Nashville.
In Charlotte, Sourdif has posted 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 29 games.
Heating up as of late and no stranger to coming up clutch when called upon, Carter Verhaeghe has been producing at nearly a point-per-game over the last 10 games with nine points (four goals, five assists), including two power-play goals.
Playing up alongside Sam Bennett and Mackie Samoskevich, Evan Rodrigues could see a bigger role with the absence of Tkachuk.
Tied for sixth on the team in goals this season, the Panthers’ 2024 Stanley Cup Final points leader has posted 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists) in 58 games.
Between the pipes, Spencer Knight is expected to get the start.
Over his last five starts, Knight has gone 3-2-0 with a .930 save percentage and one shutout.
Hosting the Panthers, the Predators enter Tuesday’s tilt in the seventh position of the Central Division.
Most recently playing Sunday, Nashville was blanked in a 5-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils.
Record and recent loss aside, the Predators have more than enough star power to make the game difficult.
“They’re good players, they’ll get their chances,” said Boqvist on the Predators lineup. “For us, it’s just try to take away their time and space and be alert when they’re on the ice.”
Leading the way for Nashville, Filip Forsberg has notched 53 points (21 goals, 32 assists) in 56 games and ranks first on the team in goals, assists and points.
Always a threat on the man advantage, a familiar foe in a different jersey now, Steven Stamkos leads the team with nine power-play goals.
On the backend, one of the league’s best blueliners, Roman Josi is averaging 25:13 of ice time per game and leads all Predators defensemen in goals (9), assists (29) and points (38).
His 25:13 average time on ice also ranks seventh in the NHL.
Juuse Saros is expected to man the crease for the Predators.
Despite a 3-8-0 career record against the Panthers, Saros has posted a .926 save percentage and 2.74 goals against average.
THEY SAID IT
“I just want to be able to help the team win. Playing physical, just playing my game, not trying to do anything extra.” – Justin Sourdif on what he wants to bring to the Panthers
“We don't want to be giving out reports every second day that aren't confirmed, so we'll wait on that for a few more days.” – Paul Maurice on Matthew Tkachuk’s injury status
FIVE CATS STATS
- 12 Panthers recorded a point against Predators on Nov. 7
- The Panthers outshot the Predators 34-18 in their first matchup
- The Panthers are 3-1-0 in their last four games in Nashville
- Sam Reinhart has 31 goals and 31 assists
- Carter Verhaeghe has 28 assists this season
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Evan Rodrigues
Justin Sourdif – 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
Spencer Knight
Sergei Bobrovsky
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- Feb. 24: F Justin Sourdif recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Jan. 31: D Adam Boqvist claimed on waivers by New York Islanders
- Jan. 26: D Tobias Bjornfot loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
TV & Streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX, ESPN+ (out of market)
Radio: 790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 92.1 WZZR-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Watch Party: Geronimo's Grill
