The Florida Panthers are 8-2-0 over their past 10 games and looking to stay hot Saturday night against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning.
It’s a rivalry matchup pitting two teams that have combined to win four of the past six Stanley Cups. In addition, either the Lightning or the Panthers have won the Eastern Conference title in each of the past six seasons.
The Panthers returned to Sunrise, Fla., after a 5-2 win at Carolina on Tuesday. In that contest, Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky earned career win No. 445 to tie Terry Sawchuk for eighth place in NHL history.
Bobrovsky, nine wins away from tying Curtis Joseph for seventh place, is 16-8-1 this season with a 2.78 goals-against average. He also entered the Christmas break in a five-way tie for the NHL lead with his 16 wins.
Offensively, the Panthers are powered by winger Brad Marchand, who tops the squad in goals (20) and assists (21). Marchand also has a six-game point streak (four goals, six assists in that span).
But perhaps the most underrated Panthers player so far this season is defenseman Seth Jones, 31. Jones ranks sixth on the Panthers with 21 points, and that total is tops among Florida’s blueliners.
“I don’t think people appreciate how well Seth is playing for us,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “He’s dominant right now.”
Jones leads Panthers’ skaters in average ice time per game (23:59), and it’s possible he could get selected to play for Team USA in the Winter Olympics in February in Italy.
“I’m focusing on my game right here,” Jones said of the Panthers. “But I want to play in the Olympics. It would be a dream come true.”
The Panthers (42 points) trail the Lightning by just one point for third place in the Atlantic Division.
Tampa Bay is just 4-5-1 over its past 10 games, but the Lightning have won two straight games.
The Lightning have also been strong on the road this season (10-4-3). Tampa Bay and Florida have split two matchups this season with each team winning on the road.
Center Jake Guentzel has been Tampa Bay’s hottest player of late, posting three goals and seven assists over his past seven games. For the season, Guentzel is second on the team in goals (17) and points (38).
Nikita Kucherov leads Tampa Bay with 45 points. Brandon Hagel tops the squad in goals (18), but he’s on injured reserve due to an upper-body issue.
Defensively, the Lightning have three of their top-six defensemen injured: Victor Hedman, Erik Cernak and Emil Lilleberg. Darren Raddysh leads the team’s defensemen in goals (eight) and points (27).
Raddysh, 29, was often a healthy scratch at the start of last season, but he has quickly emerged as a leader playing in front of five-time All-Star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.
“Playing time helps out,” Raddysh said, “but I think I’m maybe getting a bit lucky.”
Fellow blueliner J.J. Moser disagrees with the “luck” angle, saying Raddysh is “dynamic.”
Added Moser: “He’s gifted. He sees the game well, and he has an unreal shot.”
–Field Level Media
