The Florida Panthers have a quiet night on Thursday, but the attention is already on Friday’s rematch with the Winnipeg Jets at Amerant Bank Arena.
Florida rolled past Winnipeg 5-1 on Tuesday, pushing its record to 7-4-2. The Jets, meanwhile, are set to face the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight before taking on the Panthers, which means they’ll be on the second night of a back-to-back when the teams finish the season series.
There was also action on the farm, where the Charlotte Checkers ran into a hot goalie in Colorado. Trent Miner turned aside all 27 shots he faced and the Colorado Eagles beat Charlotte 3-0 in Loveland, CO, in the second game of a back-to-back.
Kirill Gerasimyuk stopped 26 shots for the Checkers, while Riese Gaber led Charlotte with five shots on goal. The loss dropped Charlotte to 6-4 and into second place in the Atlantic Division behind the Hershey Bears.
The road swing continues this weekend with two games against the Iowa Wild.
Several Panthers prospects were in action overseas and in junior hockey. Vilho Vanhatalo picked up the primary assist on the opening goal and played 13:57 in Tappara’s 6-4 win over JYP in Finland’s Liiga. He now has a goal and an assist in six Liiga games this season.
In the KHL, Stepan Gorbunov went five-of-nine at the faceoff dot and blocked a shot in Traktor Chelyabinsk’s 5-1 loss to CSKA Moscow. Gorbunov has one goal in 18 games with Traktor this season.
Arvid Drott had one shot on goal and finished minus-two in the Medicine Hat Tigers’ 7-2 loss to the Wenatchee Wild in Western Hockey League play. Drott has a goal and two assists in nine games so far this season.
Defenseman Jonas Kemps posted a minus-one rating in the Seattle Thunderbirds’ 3-0 loss to the Swift Current Broncos. Kemps has four assists and 12 PIM in 11 WHL games this season.
Around the NHL schedule, Winnipeg visits Tampa Bay at 7 p.m. Chicago is in Detroit at 7 p.m.
Boston travels to St. Louis at 8 p.m.
Montreal plays in Dallas at 8 p.m. Buffalo heads to Anaheim at 10 p.m., and Ottawa is in Los Angeles at 10 p.m.
In Other News...
Panthers Crease Picture Just Got More Complicated Than It Looked
The crease keeps getting a little more interesting for Florida as it prepares to face Winnipeg, with Akira Schmid getting the start while Jacob Markstrom remains on the mend from an upper-body injury. Markstrom has been on injured reserve since Oct. 20, though he is back skating with the team and his return could line up with the Panthers next stretch of games, leaving the staff to juggle short-term stability with the bigger picture in goal.
Winnipegs side adds another wrinkle, with the Jets expected to turn to Nico Daws, a recent trade pickup who could be making his debut. For Florida, it is another reminder that the goaltending picture is still unsettled even as the team tries to keep rolling, and the matchup carries a little extra intrigue with both clubs potentially leaning on a goalie situation that looks different from what anyone projected a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Are About To Unveil A Look Fans Will Definitely Debate
The Panthers are adding a little more flash to their home wardrobe this season, rolling out a pink-themed jersey as part of their Hometown Remix collection for 10 home games. It will be the first time Florida wears a pink sweater in a regular-season game, and the design goes well beyond a simple color swap, with a bright pink body and a modernized version of the clubs stick-and-palm look.
The jersey is set to be unveiled Monday morning, and it is already the kind of alternate fans are likely to have strong opinions about. Florida is also expected to pair the new look with matching goalie pads, giving the whole presentation a fully coordinated feel as the Panthers introduce a style that is bound to stand out at home. [Read more 🡒]