The Florida Panthers are making one tweak to the lineup as they try to shake off Monday’s loss and finish their three-game homestand on a better note Wednesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Uvis Balinskis is back on the blue line, replacing veteran Radko Gudas. Balinskis has appeared in seven games this season, putting up one assist and a plus-1 rating while recording three shots on goal, eight hits, seven giveaways, one takeaway and nine penalty minutes. He’ll skate on the third defensive pair with Dmitry Kulikov.
Paul Maurice also said Jacob Markstrom will get the start in goal. Markstrom returned Monday after missing five games with an injury and stopped 24 shots in Florida’s 5-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
Florida enters the night wearing its new Hometown Remix uniforms after Monday’s defeat snapped a three-game winning streak and dropped the club to 8-5-2. The Panthers sit in the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference and trail the Boston Bruins by five points in the Atlantic Division. Florida and Boston meet Sunday afternoon.
The Panthers held a lightly attended optional morning skate in Fort Lauderdale before facing Chicago.
Florida’s projected lineup features Brady Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk on the top line, with Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart and Sandis Vilmanis next. Eetu Luostarinen centers Anton Lundell and Lars Eller, while Boko Imama, Cole Schwindt and Garnet Hathaway round out the forward groups.
On defense, Gus Forsling and Aaron Ekblad are paired together, Niko Mikkola skates with Seth Jones, and Balinskis joins Kulikov on the third unit.
In Other News...
Panthers Fans Are Caught In The NHLs Weirdest Remix Backlash
The NHLs Hometown Remix jersey rollout was supposed to be a fresh look for the league, but it also exposed one of those odd in-season wrinkles that only hockey can produce. Around the league, teams have been introducing the new uniforms while juggling the realities of changing ice surfaces, and for some clubs the solution has been a digital center-ice logo rather than a fresh paint job.
For Panthers fans, the result was a split-screen kind of experience, with the in-arena view not matching what television viewers were seeing. Other teams wearing the new collection managed to avoid that setup, which only added to the sense that this was a patchwork rollout rather than a seamless league-wide update. It is a small detail on paper, but for a fan base that notices every visual cue, it made the debut feel a little stranger than intended. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Have An Early Atlantic Problem They Can't Ignore
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The Panthers get a chance to reset against the Blackhawks next, but the bigger issue is what comes after that, because the Atlantic is packed with teams that have looked capable of making life difficult. Between the pace at the top and the depth throughout the division, Florida cannot afford to let these early slips pile up if it wants to stay in position for the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Matthew Tkachuk Just Stirred Up Bradys Ottawa Return Again
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Brady Tkachuk had already dealt with the emotional side of the night, hearing boos from Senators fans while trying to stay locked in on the game. He said he was focused on playing and not the chants, and the night still included an opening goal for him before Ottawa pulled away for a 5-1 win. [Read more 🡒]