SUNRISE, Fla. – The final push starts now.
With the completion of the 4 Nations Face-Off, which resulted in Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart helping Canada to an exhilarating 3-2 overtime win over the United States on Thursday, the Florida Panthers will return to the ice on Saturday to kick off their final 25-game stretch into the playoffs.
Two weeks since their last game -- a 5-1 home win over the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 8 -- the Panthers (34-20-3) will host the Seattle Kraken (24-29-4) at Amerant Bank Arena at 6 p.m. ET.
“I'm ready, I'm happy, I'm excited,” captain Aleksander Barkov said following Friday’s practice at Baptist Health IcePlex. “Good to be back and good to see the guys again and being on the ice with them, so I can't wait to get going.”
Holding the top spot in the Atlantic Division, the Panthers (71) return from the break sitting just above the Toronto Maple Leafs (68) and Tampa Bay Lightning (66) in the standings.
“You’re going to see a lot of playoff-style hockey,” said Evan Rodrigues. “That’s the type of style we like to play and that’s what you need going into playoffs so you’re ready and prepared for it.”
Looking for the season sweep of Seattle, the Panthers defeated the Kraken in their last meeting Dec. 10, squeaking out a 2-1 shootout victory at Climate Pledge Arena.
Owning a 7-3-0 record in their last 10 games, the Panthers will look to pick up where they left off, likely without Matthew Tkachuk to begin with.
After missing USA’s game against Sweden and portions of both games against Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off with an injury, head coach Paul Maurice does not expect the star forward to play.
“Give him day to day, and then I’ll give you a pretty good update in the next couple of days,” said Maurice on Friday.
Fully recovered and ready to go after missing four of the last five games, Mackie Samoskevich is projected to line up with Sam Bennett and Evan Rodrigues on Florida’s second line against Seattle.
Generating plenty of scoring chances prior to dealing with a mixture of illness and injury, the rookie forward has logged 18 shots in his last five games, including scoring a goal against the St. Louis Blues in his last game on Feb. 6.
Tied with Carter Verhaeghe for team lead in game-winning goals (4), Samoskevich has notched 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 48 games.
In net, Sergei Bobrovsky is expected to get the start.
Owning a 4-1-0 record in his last five appearances, the Russian netminder boasts a .938 save percentage and 1.61 goals against average in that span.
Coming from out west, the Kraken currently sit in seventh place in the Pacific Division.
In their last outing on Feb. 8, Seattle took a 3-2 overtime win over the Calgary Flames, after scoring three unanswered goals that was topped off with a Matty Beniers power-play goal in extra time.
Taking the ice with the Kraken crest, Panthers fans will see plenty of familiar faces.
Up front, former Panthers forward Jared McCann (14 goals, 28 assists) leads the team in points (42) and is tied for first in plus/minus rating (+7).
On the blue line, 2024 Stanley Cup champions Brandon Montour and Josh Mahura will skate in Amerant Bank Arena for the first time since hoisting the Cup last June.
Leading the backend, Montour ranks first among Seattle D-men in assists (17), points (27), shots (163), penalty minutes (37), power-play goals (4), average time on ice (23:13), and is tied for lead in goals (10).
In 45 games, Mahura has registered six assists, 37 blocked shots, 58 hits, and ranks second amongst Kraken defensemen in plus/minus with a +6 rating.
Joey Daccord is expected to get the nod in net for Seattle.
With a 19-14-3 record, Daccord has posted a .916 save percentage and 2.49 goals against average.
THEY SAID IT
“It’s not going to be perfect right off the bat, but we’re going to continue to build and hopefully hit our stride heading into playoffs.” – Evan Rodrigues on the return from 4 Nations break
“It’s going to be a lot of fun this next couple of weeks.” – Carter Verhaeghe on the playoff push
FIVE CATS STATS
- Gustav Forsling recorded a career-high nine shots against Seattle on Dec. 10
- Eight Panthers have scored double-digit goals
- Tomas Nosek has won 51.1% of faceoffs
- Sam Bennett leads the team with 178 shots on goal
- The Panthers are 12-2-0 when scoring first at home
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:
- 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: Saturday, Feb. 22 at 6 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); 92.1 WZZR-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); Panthers App; SiriusXM Channel 221 / App & Streaming 931
Tickets: **Click Here**
