Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020 | Scotiabank Arena | 12 PM (ET)
Television: Fox Sports Florida | FOX Sports GO | NBCSN
Radio: 560 WQAM | 640 WMEN | 100.3 WCTH | 1370 WAXE | SIRIUSXM 91/STREAMING 932
PANTHERS vs. ISLANDERS
Qualifiers vs. NYI: 0-2
All-Time vs. NYI (Playoffs): 2-6
All-Time Home vs. NYI (Playoffs):1-2
All-Time vs. NYI (Regular Season): 51-32-8-11
All-Time Home vs. NYI (Regular Season): 26-13-6-5
2019-20 vs. NYI: 0-2-1
FLORIDA ALL-TIME ACTIVE LEADERS VS. NY ISLANDERS (REG. SEASON)
Games Played: Boyle (42), Stralman (37), Yandle (25), Connolly (22), Huberdeau (20)
Goals: Boyle (7), Barkov/Dadonov/Hoffman (6), Yandle/Huberdeau/Haula (4)
Assists: Yandle (18), Stralman (12), Huberdeau/Barkov (9) Boyle (5)
Points: Yandle (22), Barkov (15), Stralman/Huberdeau (13), Boyle (12)
Wins: Bobrovsky (16)
Shutouts: Bobrovsky (3)
TEAM STATS (REG. SEASON)
FLORIDA (35-26-8) NY ISLANDERS (35-23-10)
GOALS FOR 228 (6th) 189 (24th)
GOALS AGAINST 224 (T-5th) 190 (T-25th)
POWER PLAY % 21.3 (T-10th) 17.3 (T-24th)
PENALTY KILL % 78.5 (20th) 80.7 (15th)
SHOTS FOR PER-GAME 32.7 (7th) 29.6 (T-28th)
SHOTS AGAINST PER-GAME 32.3 (10th) 31.2 (17th)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % 49.8 (16th) 46.5 (29th)
UPCOMING QUALIFIERS SCHEDULE
DATE/TIME OPP TV RADIO
Aug. 5 – 12
PM
vs. NY
Islanders
FS-Florida, NBCSN, Sportsnet,
TVAS
560 WQAM, FS-640 AM, WCTH-FM
100.3, SiriusXM 932
Games 4 & 5 scheduled for Aug. 7 and Aug. 9 if necessary. Times and broadcast information TBD.
All FOX Sports Florida games are available on FOX Sports GO.
SERIES RESULTS
GAME DATE FINAL SCORE GWG
1 Aug. 1 2-1 L NYI – Beauvillier (PPG)
2 Aug. 4 4-2 L NYI – Eberle
CATS STATS
• The Panthers finished with a 8-4-2 record on the second half of back-to-back games during 2019-20.
• The Panthers will play their first home game since defeating MTL 4-1 on March 7, 2020. In 2019-20, FLA owned the sixth-highest goals per game at home (3.43), and tied for sixth-most shots per game at home (33.7).
JONNY B. GOOD
Jonathan Huberdeau notched an assist on Mike Hoffman’s goal in Game 2, extending his playoff point streak to two games (1-1-2). Huberdeau now has five points (2-3-5) over eight career playoff games against NYI, including three points (2-1-3) in each of his last three playoff games played. He also scored FLA’s first goal of the series 0:23 into the third period of Game
1, matching Stephen Weiss’ franchise playoff record for fastest goal to start a period (0:23 – 1st period, April 15, 2012 vs. NJD). The Saint-Jerome, Quebec, native led FLA with 78 points (23-55-78) in 69 games in 2019-20 which propelled him to the top of the Panthers’ all-time franchise assists
(289) and points (437) lists.
THE CAPTAIN
Panthers Captain Aleksander Barkov tallied FLA’s first power-play goal of the postseason in Game 2, extending his playoff point streak to two games (1-1-2). In that game, Barkov once again led all FLA forwards with 23:33 TOI, and went 16-9 at the face off dot (64%). In 2019-20, Barkov finished second on FLA in points (20-42-62), while owning a team-best 54.3 faceoff win
percentage. The native of Tampere, Finland, stands third in franchise history for goals (155) and points (407), while ranking second in assists (252).
HOFF AND RUNNING
Mike Hoffman recorded multiple points in an NHL postseason game for the fourth time in his career in Game 2 against NYI (1-1-2). In 2019-20, the Kitchener, Ontario, native led FLA in goals (29) for the second consecutive season, led the team in shots on goal (214), and tied for club lead in power-play goals (11).
TOO HOT TO YANDLE
Keith Yandle recorded two assists (0-2-2) in Game 2 against NYI, marking his seventh career multi-assist playoff game and his ninth career multi-point playoff game, both his firsts as a Panther. Yandle led Florida’s defensemen in points (45) and power-play points (21) in 2019-20, while his 40 assists were tied for fifth-most by an NHL D-man. The Boston, Mass., native has
appeared in 53 career playoff games including trips to the Western Conference Final (2012 – PHX) and Eastern Conference Final (2015- NYR). Yandle’s 866 consecutive regular season games played marks the longest active ‘iron man’ streak in the NHL and the fourth-longest in NHL
history.
EK’S GON’ GIVE IT TO YA
Aaron Ekblad led the Panthers with five shots on goal in Game 2, and leads FLA with nine total shots over the past two games. He led FLA in time on ice for the second consecutive game in Game 2 (25:39). Between Game 1 and Game 2 Ekblad has been on the ice for 51:13 total TOI. In 2019-20, Ekblad set career-bests in assists (36), and points (41), while leading FLA in time on ice
per game (22:59) and plus-minus (+12).
BACK ON THE CASE
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 27 of NYI’s 29 shots against at even strength in Game 2. He denied 24 of 25 shots against at even strength in Game 1. In 2019-20, Bobrovsky led FLA with 23 wins and 50 games played, including an eight-game point streak (5-0-3) over eight starts from Oct. 11 to Nov.
2.
BIG HITTERS
The Panthers registered 43 hits in Game 2, the most by the club in a playoff game since they recorded 60 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal vs. NJD on April 26, 2012. Mark Pysyk led the Cats with eight hits in Game 2, which ties the Panthers regular season record from
2019-20 and is the most by a Panther in a playoff game since Mike Weaver had 10 in Game 6 of the 2012 ECQF against NJD. Four Panthers logged at least four hits in Game 2 (Pysyk, Aleksi Saarela, MacKenzie Weegar, and Noel Acciari).
THE ROOKS
Rookies Aleksi Saarela and Brady Keeper made their Panthers playoff debuts in Game 2. It was the first NHL playoff game for Keeper, and he recorded two hits, two blocked shots, and one takeaway over 13:13 TOI. Saarela appeared in one playoff game with CAR in 2018-19. In Game 2
with FLA, Saarela registered four hits and won three of his four faceoffs.
RETURN OF THE MACK
MacKenzie Weegar had four hits, four shots on goal, and two blocked shots over 22:22 TOI in Game 2 against NYI. He played in his first career postseason game on Aug. 1, notching his first career postseason point with an assist. The native of Ottawa, Ontario, set career-bests in goals (7), points (18), and plus-minus (+6) in 2019-20, while tying his career-high in assists (11).
NOEL’S GOALS
Noel Acciari went 12-9 in the faceoff circle in Game 2, also logging five hits. He leads FLA with five blocked shots over the past two postseason games. In 2019-20, Acciari set career-bests in goals (20), points (27), shots (108), and shooting percentage (18.5) in his first regular season with FLA. The Johnston, RI, native also led the team in game-winning goals (5), even-strength goals (19), and hits (121), and led all NHL forwards in blocked shots (103), the third-most by an NHL forward in a season since the stat began being recorded in 2005-06.
AGAINST THE ISLES
Aleksander Barkov is FLA’s active points leader vs. NYI, with 15 (6-9-15) over 17 regular season games. Jonathan Huberdeau owns 13 points (4-9-13) in 20 contests vs. NYI. Barkov and Huberdeau have each recorded four points (2-2-4 each) over their past seven postseason games against NYI. Evgenii Dadonov has produced nine points (6-3-9) over nine career games
vs. NYI including two points (1-1-2) in three games in 2019-20. Since joining FLA in 2016-17, Keith Yandle has produced 14 points (3-11-14) over 12 games in a Panthers uniform vs. NYI. In his career vs. NYI, Yandle has produced 22 points (4-18-22) over 25 games.
FINAL FRONTIER
Brian Boyle (116) and Anton Stralman (106) each have played over 100 Stanley Cup Playoff games and have each reached the Stanley Final twice together (2014 – NYR, 2015 – TBL). The two veterans have notched 30 points (15-15-30) and 26 points (6-20-26) respectively in the playoffs.
Additionally, three Panthers players have reached the Stanley Cup Final over the last two seasons, Noel Acciari (2019 – BOS), Erik Haula (2018 – VGK) and Brett Connolly who won the Stanley Cup in 2018 with WSH. Connolly and the Capitals were coached by now-Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz. Over the 24 games he played during that playoff run, the native of Campbell
River, BC, produced nine points (6-3-9).
2019-20 RECAP
In Florida’s first season with Head Coach Joel Quenneville behind the bench, the Panthers earned a 35-26-8 record (78 pts). 30 of Florida’s wins were achieved in regulation. The Panthers recorded a season-high six-game winning streak from Jan. 9 to Jan. 21, in which the club earned victories over VAN, TOR, LAK, DET, MIN and CHI. Through the season, the Cats averaged 3.30 goals per game,the sixth-most in the NHL.
COACH Q
Head Coach Joel Quenneville enters the postseason standing second all-time in playoff games coached (217) and third all-time in playoff game wins (118), leading all active head coaches. ‘Coach Q’ has won the Stanley Cup three times as a head coach (2010, 2013, 2015) and once as an
assistant coach (1996). Quenneville is five playoff wins shy of passing former NYI Head Coach and Hockey Hall of Famer Al Arbour (123) for second in NHL history. The native of Windsor, Ontario, ranks second all-time in regular season games coached (1,705) and wins (925).
POSTSEASON REMATCH
The Panthers return to the postseason for the first time since 2016, when they faced the Islanders in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Cats fell to NYI in six games (2-4) in that series, with three losses occurring in OT and the final two in 2-OT. Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, Jonathan Huberdeau and Mike Matheson all played for the Panthers during the 2016
playoffs.
PANTHERS POSTSEASON LEADERS
Games Played: 2 (17 Players)
Goals: Huberdeau/Hoffman/Barkov (1)
Assists: Yandle (2)
Points: Barkov/Huberdeau/Hoffman/Yandle (2)
Power-Play Goals: Barkov (1)
Power-Play Points: Barkov/Yandle/Hoffman (1)
Shorthanded Goals:
Shorthanded Points:
Shots: Ekblad (9)
PIM: Boyle (12)
+/-: Huberdeau/Barkov/Dadonov/Ekblad (+2)
Blocked Shots: Acciari (5)
Hits: Pysyk (9)
Wins:
Shutouts:
PANTHERS REGULAR SEASON LEADERS
Games Played: 8 players (68)
Goals: Hoffman (28)
Assists: Huberdeau (55)
Points: Huberdeau (78)
Power-Play Goals: Dadonov (11)
Power-Play Points: Huberdeau (29)
Shorthanded Goals: Vatrano (2)
Shorthanded Points: Vatrano (2)
Shots: Hoffman (212)
PIM: Brown (39)
+/-: Ekblad (+11)
