Panthers Face Stiff Test in Minnesota as Road Trip Heats Up
The Florida Panthers are gearing up for a challenging back-to-back stretch, starting tonight in St. Paul against a Minnesota Wild team that’s been heating up lately. Winners of three of their last four, the Wild are finding their rhythm - and they’ll be looking to keep it rolling against a Panthers squad that just eked out a gritty 2-1 shootout win over the Winnipeg Jets.
That win in Winnipeg snapped a brief skid for Florida, but there’s no time to rest. With a quick turnaround and another game Sunday in Chicago, this weekend is a gut check for a Panthers team still dealing with key injuries and lineup questions.
Marchand Watch Continues
Brad Marchand was back on the ice for Florida during the morning skate, a welcome sight for a team missing some serious firepower. The veteran forward has been sidelined with a lower-body injury and remains a game-time decision.
While he's officially been activated off injured reserve, head coach Paul Maurice kept his cards close, offering no confirmation on whether Marchand will suit up tonight. If he doesn’t, it’ll mark his eighth consecutive game missed.
Bobrovsky Returns to the Crease
Sergei Bobrovsky is back between the pipes for the Panthers, making his first start since that wild tilt against the San Jose Sharks - a game that saw him drop the gloves in a rare goalie scrap. Florida will be leaning on his experience tonight against a Minnesota team that can strike quickly, especially with Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello leading the charge.
On the other side, Filip Gustavsson gets the nod in net for the Wild. He’s been steady, and Minnesota’s defense has tightened up in recent weeks, making life easier for their goaltending tandem.
Puck Drop Details
Tonight’s game marks the 50th of the season for the Panthers, and it comes in one of the NHL’s tougher buildings. The Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul has been a fortress for the Wild, and Florida will need to bring a full 60-minute effort to leave with points.
The game is set for an 8 p.m. ET puck drop and will be televised locally on Scripps Sports and nationally on NHL Network.
Streaming options include Panthers+ for local markets and ESPN+ for out-of-market fans. Radio coverage is available across the Panthers Radio Network and SiriusXM.
Betting Lines
The Wild come into this one as slight favorites on the money line at -130, while the Panthers sit at +110. The puck line has Minnesota at -1.5 (+175), and the over/under is set at 6.5 goals (Over +105, Under -130). It’s a tight spread - oddsmakers are clearly expecting a close one.
Season Series Snapshot
This is the first of two meetings between these teams this season. They'll square off again in Florida on March 26. Last year, the series was split 1-1, and historically, the Wild have had the upper hand, leading the all-time regular season series 21-11-2 with one tie.
Projected Lineups
Florida Panthers (26-20-3):
- Top Line: Eetu Luostarinen - Anton Lundell - Sam Reinhart
- Second Line: Carter Verhaeghe - Sam Bennett - A.J.
Greer
- Third Line: Mackie Samoskevich - Evan Rodrigues - Matthew Tkachuk
- Fourth Line: Sandis Vilmanis - Cole Schwindt - Luke Kunin
- Defense Pairings: Gus Forsling - Aaron Ekblad Niko Mikkola - Uvis Balinskis Toby Bjornfot - Jeff Petry
- Goaltenders: Starter: Sergei Bobrovsky Backup: Daniil Tarasov
Scratches: Donovan Sebrango, Jesper Boqvist
Injuries: Brad Marchand (lower body), Seth Jones (upper body), Sasha Barkov (knee), Tomas Nosek (knee), Dmitry Kulikov (shoulder), Jonah Gadjovich (upper body)
Minnesota Wild (29-14-9):
- Top Line: Kirill Kaprizov - Ryan Hartman - Mats Zuccarello
- Second Line: Marcus Johansson - Joel Eriksson Ek - Matt Boldy
- Third Line: Marcus Foligno - Danila Yurov - Vladimir Tarasenko
- Fourth Line: Yakov Trenin - Nico Sturm - Vinnie Hinostroza
- Defense Pairings: Quinn Hughes - Brock Faber Jake Middleton - Jared Spurgeon Daemon Hunt - David Jiricek
- Goaltenders: Starter: Filip Gustavsson Backup: Jesper Wallstedt
What’s Next
After tonight’s tilt in Minnesota, the Panthers head to the Windy City for a Sunday night matchup with the Chicago Blackhawks. It’s a quick turnaround, and with the team battling injuries to key veterans like Barkov and Marchand, depth will be tested.
This weekend isn’t just about collecting points - it’s about proving resilience. If the Panthers can grind out a win (or two) on this back-to-back, it could be a tone-setter for the second half of the season.