Florida Panthers Pregame Notes – 11.27.21

NOV. 27, 2021 VS. SEATTLE


FLA LIVE ARENA | 6:00 P.M. ET
Television: 
Bally Sports Florida
Radio: 560 WQAM (DADE/BROWARD); 850 WFTL (PALM BEACH); 100.3 WCTH (FLORIDA KEYS), SIRIUSXM 219/APP & STREAMING 932

TONIGHT AT FLA LIVE ARENA 

  • Tonight, the Florida Panthers and Seattle Kraken will face off in their first-ever matchup at FLA Live Arena. The Panthers own an 11-0-0 record on home ice this season and can set a league record for longest home win streak to start a season with a victory against Seattle.
  • The Cats have won 15 consecutive home games on home ice dating back to April 24, 2021 vs. CAR, the franchise’s longest home winning streak spanning multiple seasons.
  • Tonight from 2-5 p.m. the Florida Panthers in partnership with Funky Buddha Brewery will host their annual ‘Pucks & Pints’ Beerfest at FLA Live Arena. Fans can enjoy beer samples, live music from local band Uniform Crew and Panthers hockey following the event. All ticket packages include unlimited sampling from participating breweries including: 26 Degree Brewing, Biscayne Bay Brewing Company, Funky Buddha Brewery, Saltwater Brewery, 3 Mavins, Yuengling and Yeasty Brews.
  • Immediately following tonight’s game, fans can make monetary donations with both cash or credit card to the Salvation Army Broward County Red Kettle Bell Kickoff. All proceeds will go towards The Salvation Army of Broward County’s Annual Red Kettle Campaign.
  • Contactless, Mobile Food Ordering is now available for all games at FLA Live Arena. The Florida Panthers are offering fans safe and convenient purchasing experiences while at FLA Live Arena, enabling mobile ordering through the FLA Live! mobile app, and contactless purchases and payments via self-service kiosks and user-friendly Clover devices at concession stands throughout the arena. Learn more at FloridaPanthers.com/MobileOrdering.

TONIGHT’S CITY FURNITURE MILITARY HERO: Gilbert Waganheim 

Tonight’s Hero Among Us is 100-year-old WWII veteran, Gilbert Waganheim. Gilbert served in the United States Army from 1942-46 which included assignment to General George Patton’s 3rd Army. He was deployed to several locations across Europe during WWII which included Belgium, Germany, Austria, and France. Gilbert assisted in liberating the Mauthausen Concentration Camp near Linz, Austria from control of the Nazis.


50/50 RAFFLE 
All season long fans can give back to the Florida Panthers Foundation through the 50/50 raffle while trying to win big! Fans at FLA Live Arena can purchase 50/50 raffle tickets at kiosks throughout the arena or online for fans who are within a 75-mile radius of the game at FlaPanthers5050.com and in the FLA Live! mobile application. Ticket prices are: 5 for $10, 20 for $20, 80 for $40, and 300 for $100. Fans can purchase tickets and receive double the amount of raffle tickets prior to puck drop on each home game night.

LAST GAME
Panthers 3, Capitals 4 – Nov. 26 – Capital One Arena
FLA Goals: Huberdeau (7), Reinhart (4), Verhaeghe (7)
WSH Goals: Wilson (8-SHG), Ovechkin (16-PPG), Ovechkin (17, 18)
FLA Goalie: Bobrovsky (L) – 19 Saves, Knight – 6 Saves
WSH Goalie: Samsonov (W) – 19 Saves
FLA Shots: 22
WSH Shots: 29
Notes: Jonathan Huberdeau (1-0-1) tallied a goal, extending his point streak to six games (4-3-7)…MacKenzie Weegar (0-1-1) notched an assist and
logged five blocked shots…Gustav Forsling (0-1-1) posted 12th assist of the season…FLA PP: 0-3, FLA PK: 2-3
BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT

  • F Noel Acciari | Games Missed: 20
  • D Markus Nutivaara | Games Missed: 11
  • F Mason Marchment | Games Missed: 8
  • D Olli Juolevi | Games Missed: 5
  • F Aleksander Barkov | Games Missed: 4
  • F Anthony Duclair | Games Missed: 1
    Total Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 89
    RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
  • Nov. 26: F Ryan Lomberg re-signed to a two-year contract extension
    CATS STATS
  • The Panthers have logged 153 blocked shots over 11 home games, tied for the fourth-most among NHL teams.
    HOME SWEET HOME
    With their win Nov. 24 vs. PHI, the Panthers extended their franchise-record season-opening home win streak to 11-0-0, matching the 1963-64 Chicago Blackhawks for the longest home winning streak to start a season in NHL history. Florida’s 11-game streak marks the longest home winning streak in franchise history. The Cats have won 15 consecutive home games on home ice dating back to April 24, 2021 vs. CAR, the franchise’s longest home
    winning streak spanning multiple seasons. The Panthers have scored a league-leading 50 goals on home ice, allowing just 23 goals against, while logging 36.2 shots per game, the second-most among NHL teams. Florida remains the only NHL teams without a regulation loss on home ice in 2021-22. They have scored at least four goals in 10 of their 11 games at FLA Live Arena this season. Anthony Duclair (7-6-13) and Aaron Ekblad (6-7-13) each lead the Cats in scoring at home.
    PROTECTING OUR HOUSE
    Sergei Bobrovsky owns a 7-0-0 record, .948 save percentage and 1.76 goals against average on home ice in 2021-22. He owns the second-best save percentage and third-best goals against average among goalies with at least seven games played on home ice. Spencer Knight owns a 4-0-0 record and .922 save percentage at FLA Live Arena in 2021-22, and has won all six of his regular season starts at home in his career. Florida has conceded just nine goals over their past five home contests.
    20 GAMES IN
    The Panthers completed their first 20 games with a record of 14-3-3, their best 20-game start in franchise history, besting their previous 20-game record of 13-4-3 in 2020-21. They own the NHL’s best offense, with a league-leading 76 goals for while surrendering the fifth-fewest goals against (50). Their +24 goal differential (including shootout-deciding goals) ranks tied for among NHL teams. The Panthers have also registered the most shots (577) of
    any team so far this season.

    CLOCKING OVERTIME
    Florida’s OT victory Nov. 24 vs. PHI marked the club’s fourth overtime win of the season, the most of any NHL team. Four different Panthers (Aaron
    Ekblad, Carter Verhaeghe, Aaron Ekblad, Eetu Luostarinen) have scored in OT in 2021-22.
    THAT’S MINE
    The Panthers lead all NHL teams with 221 takeaways in 2021-22. MacKenzie Weegar leads FLA with 26 takeaways, while nine different Panthers have registered at least 14 takeaways this season.
    FIRST KRAK
    Tonight, the Panthers and Kraken will face off for the first time ever. Former Panthers Chris Driedger and Alex Wennberg make their first return to FLA Live Arena. Driedger appeared in 25 regular season games with Florida from 2019-20 to 2020-21, owning a 21-8-4 record, .931 save percentage and 2.07 goals against average. Wennberg skated in 56 games with the Panthers in 2020-21, recording 29 points (17-12-29).
    JONNY B. GOOD
    Jonathan Huberdeau has notched a point in each of his past six games (4-3-7). His goal Nov. 26 at WSH marked his 20th point of the season, the third straight season that he has reached the mark in 20 or fewer games (also 14 GP in 2020-21 &16 GP in 2019-20), per NHL stats. He leads FLA with 13 assists and 20 points (7-13-20) in 2021-22. He has recorded at least one point in 16 of FLA’s 20 games this season. His current six-game point streak is one shy of his longest this season (3-7-10 in 7 GP, Oct. 21 – Nov. 4). He is tied for the team lead with five power-play points (1-4-5). The 28-year-old is FLA’s franchise leader for assists (343) and points (518), and his 611 games played are the third-most by a Panther in club history. He ranks second among FLA forwards with 43:05 shorthanded time on ice.
    EK’S GON’ GIVE IT TO YA
    Aaron Ekblad scored his sixth career overtime goal, his 20th career game-winning goal, and added an assist Nov. 24 vs. PHI. His six career OT-GWG’s are the third-most in FLA history. His 17 points (6-11-17) this season are tied for sixth-most among NHL defensemen, and his six goals are the third most among league blueliners. 12 of his points (5-7-12) have come at even strength, tied for the second-most among league blueliners. He has produced a point in five of his past six games (2-5-7). Ekblad’s six goals scored this season have all been tallied at FLA Live Arena. His +17 rating is the second-highest among NHL defensemen and is the third-highest among NHL skaters. He leads the team with 25:22 time on ice per game and 59 shots on goal.
    YOU’RE ON THE CASE, BOBROVSKY
    Sergei Bobrovsky suffered his first loss of the season Nov. 26 at WSH, but his 9-0-2 start to begin the season represented the best start of his career. He was the only goaltender in club history with points in each of his first 10 or more decisions in a season. With his 35-save win Nov. 20 vs. MIN, he became the second goaltender in club history to earn at least one point in 10 consecutive decisions (Roberto Luongo, 9-0-1 in 2015-16). Bobrovsy’s .936 save percentage is tied for the third-best and his 2.03 goals against average is tied for fourth-best among goaltenders with at least 10 games played. He has won eight straight games at FLA Live Arena dating back to May 8 vs. TBL.
    THE DUKE
    Anthony Duclair notched an assist on the game-tying goal Nov. 24 vs. PHI. His plus-14 rating is tied for the second-best on FLA and is the fifth-best among all NHL forwards. Duclair’s nine goals are tied for most on FLA and his 17 points (9-8-17) are tied for the second-most on the club. He has tallied 98 goals over his NHL career. Eight of his goals have been scored at even strength, the most even-strength tallies on the team.
    RETURN OF THE MACK
    MacKenzie Weegar produced an assist and logged five blocked shots Nov. 26 at WSH. He has notched an assist in four of his past five games (0-4- 4). The 27-year-old native of Ottawa, Ontario ranks second on FLA with 55 hits this season and he leads the team with 43 blocked shots. His 10 helpers are the third-most among Florida defensemen. He leads Florida with 26 takeaways, the second-most takeaways among NHL skaters.
    AGENT CARTER
    Carter Verhaeghe scored his seventh goal of the season Nov. 26 at WSH. He has tallied a goal in four of his past five games (4-0-4), and he has logged seven points (4-3-7) over his past eight games, and 11 (4-7-11) over his past 12 games. He has produced 16 points (7-9-16) over 20 games and leads FLA forwards in total even-strength time on ice (301:48). His 15 even-strength points (7-8-15) are tied for the club lead.
    USE THE FORS
    Gustav Forsling notched his 12th assist of the season Nov. 26 at WSH, matching his career high for assists in a season. All 12 of his assists have come at even strength, tied for the most even-strength points among FLA blueliners and tied for the second-most among NHL defensemen. The 25-year-old ranks third on FLA with 24 blocked shots.
    BENNY AND THE CATS
    Sam Bennett scored a goal for the second consecutive game and added an assist on the OT-GWG (1-1-2) Nov. 24 vs. PHI. His goal marked his second PPG of the season, tied with Aleksander Barkov for most on FLA. Bennett leads FLA forwards with 56 shots on goal and 34 hits this season. He has amassed 27 points (13-14-27) over 26 total regular season games as a Panther. His three game-winning goals are tied with Eetu Luostarinen for the most on the Panthers this season.
    FRANK THE TANK
    Frank Vatrano recorded three points (2-1-3) Nov. 20 vs. MIN, including two second-period goals. Vatrano is the second Panther to record two goals in a period this season (Aaron Ekblad, Oct. 14 vs. PIT, 3rd period). The East Longmeadow, Mass. native has amassed five points (4-1-5) over his past seven games.
    WELCOME TO THE GUD LIFE
    Radko Gudas produced an assist and logged a season-high nine hits Nov. 20 vs. MIN, tied for the third-most hits in a game by any skater in 2021- He leads FLA with 89 hits this season. He is 37 hits shy of surpassing Roman Polak (2,024) for the most hits by a Czech Republic-born player in NHL history. Gudas ranks second on FLA with 33 blocked shots.
    MONTOUR OF DUTY
    Brandon Montour notched an assist Nov. 26 at WSH. He has produced 10 points (2-8-10) over 20 games in 2021-22, ranking third among FLA defensemen with 41 shots on goal.
    KNIGHT TIME
    Spencer Knight made made a career high 45 saves Nov. 18 vs. NJD, improving his record at FLA Live Arena this season to 4-0-0. Knight’s performance marked the most saves in a game by a Panthers rookie goaltender in club history.