DEC. 29, 2021 VS. NEW YORK RANGERS
FLA LIVE ARENA | 7:00 P.M. ET
Television: Bally Sports Florida
Radio: 99.9 WKIS-FM HD-2 (DADE/BROWARD); 640 WMEN (PALM BEACH); 100.3 WCTH (FLORIDA KEYS), SIRIUSXM CHANNEL 219/APP & STREAMING 932
TONIGHT AT FLA LIVE ARENA
- Tonight is Heritage Night presented by Baptist Health at FLA Live Arena.
- Fans can pick up a Heritage Night ‘Then & Now’ poster giveaway upon egress which features Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad and Jonathan Huberdeau.
- Tonight fans can stop by the Coors Light Cold Zone to enjoy a holiday pop-up bar featuring specialty holiday themed cocktails, a live band and Coors Light giveaways.
- 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: Helen Brauer
Tonight’s Hero Among Us is 99-year-old WWII Veteran Helen Brauer. Helen’s military service began when she joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps in 1943. She then went on to serve in the US Army from 1943-45 which included a two-year deployment overseas during the China Burma India Theater (CBI Theater). Helen was selected in 1943 to be 1 of 6 women to be sent over overseas to aid in setting up military headquarters during the CBI Theater.
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 1, Kings 4 – Dec. 16 – FLA Live Arena
FLA Goals: Kiersted (1)
LAK Goals: Maatta (1), Kopitar (9), Brown (4), Kaliyev (6)
FLA Goalie: Bobrovsky (L) – 27 Saves
LAK Goalie: Quick (W) – 41 Saves
FLA Shots: 42
LAK Shots: 31
Notes: Matt Kiersted scored his first NHL goal and skated a career-high 21:11 time on ice….Cole Schwindt skated in his first NHL game…Grigori Denisenko made his season debut…Jonathan Huberdeau notched an assist, extending his point streak to 2 games (1-1-2)…Sam Reinhart posted an
assist, extending his point streak to 2 games (1-2-3)…MacKenzie Weegar logged a career-high 31:32 time on ice…Patric Hornqvist led Florida with,seven hits…FLA PP: 0-4, FLA PK: 2-2
BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT
- F Noel Acciari | Games Missed: 29
- D Markus Nutivaara | Games Missed: 20
- F Mason Marchment | Games Missed: 17
- F Aleksander Barkov | Games Missed: 4
- F Maxim Mamin | Games Missed: 3
- F Ryan Lomberg | Games Missed: 2
- D Gustav Forsling | Games Missed: 2
- D Aaron Ekblad | Games Missed: 1
- D Radko Gudas | Games Missed: 1
- F Sam Bennett | Games Missed: 1
- F Frank Vatrano | Games Missed: 1
- F Carter Verhaeghe | Games Missed: 1
Total Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 151
RECENT TRANSACTIONS: - Dec. 27: G Spencer Knight recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Dec. 17: F Grigori Denisenko, F Cole Schwindt, F, Aleksi Heponiemi, D Matt Kiersted and D Chase Priskie loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
PANTHERS vs. RANGERS
ALL-TIME vs. NYR: 39-46-6-10
ALL-TIME HOME vs. NYR: 21-18-2-9
2021-22 vs. NYR: 0-1-0
CATS STATS - The Panthers lead all NHL teams in average shots per game (36.3), and rank third in goals scored per game (3.55).
BACK IN ACTION
Tonight, the Panthers will play their first game in 13 days, after having their prior four contests postponed (Dec. 18 at MIN, Dec. 21 at CHI, Dec. 23 vs. NSH, Dec. 27 at CAR). The Cats will play each of their next four games on home ice, where the Panthers have won a league-best 14 games (14-3-0).
HOME SWEET HOME
The Panthers lead all NHL teams with 28 points earned on home ice this season, posting a league-best .824 points percentage at FLA Live Arena. The Cats also pace all NHL teams with 69 goals scored at home, averaging 4.06 goals per game, and average a league-most 38.6 shots per game. Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Panthers with 23 points (5-18-23) at home in 2021-22, and Aaron Ekblad has scored all eight of his goals on home ice, the most home goals scored by an NHL defenseman this season.
TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT
Florida registered 17 takeaways Dec. 16 vs. LAK, tied for their third-most in a game this season. The Panthers lead all clubs with 324 takeaways, led by MacKenzie Weegar (41), Carter Verhaeghe (28) and Anton Lundell (28). Lundell’s 28 takeaways lead all NHL rookies.
CATS AND RANGERS
The Panthers and Rangers face off tonight for the second time this season, following New York’s 4-3 victory at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 8. The Panthers tallied three unanswered goals after New York jumped to a 4-0 lead but were unable to complete the comeback. The loss ended Florida’s season-opening point streak at 11 games (10-0-1).
BARKOV COUNTY
Panthers Captain Aleksander Barkov scored a goal Dec. 7 at STL in his first game after missing eight contests with an injury. Barkov has posted at least one point in each of his last 11 games (8-5-13) and in 14 of his 16 total games played. His goal Dec. 7 at STL was the 191st of his career, which represents the most goals scored by any Panther in franchise history. Barkov leads Florida in faceoff win percentage (53.3) and paces FLA forwards in time on ice per game (20:04) and plus-minus rating (+13).
HUBY SNACKS
Jonathan Huberdeau has notched a point in each of his last two games (1-1-2). He recorded the primary assist on Matt Kiersted’s first NHL goal and logged a season-high seven shots Dec. 16 vs. LAK. Huberdeau is tied with Aleksander Barkov for the team lead with 10 goals scored this season. He leads Florida with nine power-play points, 23 assists, 33 total points (10-23-33) and 23 points on home ice (5-18-23), ranking 10th among league skaters in assists. Huberdeau was named the NHL’s 1st Star of the Week and the NHLPA Player of the Week for the week ending Dec. 5 after leading all NHL skaters with nine points (1-8-9) over three games game played, including matching his career highs with a four-assist, five-point (1-4-5) performance
Dec. 2 vs. BUF. Huberdeau’s performance against Buffalo marked the eighth time in club history that a player has recorded five-plus points in a game.
EK’S GON’ GIVE IT TO YA
Aaron Ekblad has logged seven points (2-5-7) over his past seven games. His +17 rating this season leads Florida and ranks tied for third among NHL blueliners. Ekblad’s 24 points (8-16-24) rank eighth among league defensemen, and his 16 even-strength points (6-10-16) are tied for fifth-most. His eight goals scored are tied for third-most of any defenseman. The Windsor, Ontario native has posted six multi-point games this season, tied with Carter Verhaeghe for most on Florida. He leads Florida defensemen in goals, assists and points, and paces the team and ranks third among NHL defensemen with 94 shots on goal.
HOME IS WHERE THE ‘HART IS
Sam Reinhart has produced three points (2-1-3) over his past two games, and two multi-point performances over his past four games. Reinhart scored a goal for the third consecutive game and tallied the game-deciding goal in the shootout Dec. 4 vs. STL, on his first shootout attempt as a Panther. He has produced 10 points (5-5-10) over his past eight games, including a career-high four-point (1-3-4) performance Dec. 2 vs. BUF. His 23 points (9-13-22) this season are third-most on Florida.
THE DUKE OF SOUTH FLORIDA
Anthony Duclair posted a season-high six shots on goal Dec. 16 vs. LAK. Prior to missing eight games with an injury from Nov. 26 – Dec. 12, Duclair had produced 17 points (9-8-17) over 19 games played, currently tied for third-most goals scored on Florida. The native of Point-Claire, Quebec has recorded four points (1-3-4) over his past six games.
BENNY AND THE CATS
Sam Bennett tallied his team-leading fourth game-winning goal of the season Dec. 10 at ARI. Bennett’s goal came 10 seconds after Patric Hornqvist opened the scoring against the Coyotes, which is three seconds shy of the fastest time between two goals in club history (seven seconds, Viktor Kozlov, Feb. 10, 2004). He leads the Panthers with three power-play goals this season, and he paces FLA forwards with 86 shots on goal and 51 hits. Bennett’s nine goals (9-5-14) this season are tied for third-most on the team.
YOU’RE ON THE CASE, BOBROVSKY
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 22 of 23 shots against to earn his 12th win of the season Dec. 10 at ARI, marking his seventh appearance this season allowing one goal or fewer. The win also marked his 54th as a Panther, surpassing James Reimer for fourth-most by a Panthers goaltender in club history. Bobrovsky owns a 9-1-0 record and a .919 save percentage at FLA Live Arena this season.
AGENT CARTER
Carter Verhaeghe notched his team-leading fifth multi-assist game of the season Dec. 12 at COL (0-2-2). His performance was also his sixth multi-point game this season, tied with Aaron Ekblad for most on Florida. Verhaeghe’s 22 points (7-15-22) rank fourth on the Panthers, and his 20 even-strength points (7-13-20) are the second-most on the club. He has posted six assists (0-6-6) over his past six games.
RETURN OF THE MACK
MacKenzie Weegar skated a career-high 31:32 time on ice Dec. 16 vs. LAK, the eighth-most TOI by any skater this season and the most by a Panther since the 2013-14 season. Weegar has notched 15 assists (0-15-15) this season, ranking second among Florida defensemen. Weegar’s six takeaways Nov. 30 vs. WSH are tied for the most takeaways in a single game by any NHL skater in 2021-22. The 27-year-old native of Ottawa, Ontario ranks second on FLA with 77 hits this season and he leads the team with 64 blocked shots, which ranks tied for 10th among league skaters.
A JUMBO ACHIEVEMENT
Joe Thornton tallied his second power-play goal of the season Dec. 12 at COL. The goal marked his 1,534th point, surpassing Mark Recchi for 12thmost points in NHL history. Thornton is two games shy of his 1,700th NHL game. Only five other players have reached 1,700 games played in league history.
MOST CAREER POINTS — NHL HISTORY
- Ray Bourque – 1,579
- Joe Thornton — 1,534
- Mark Recchi – 1,533
- Paul Coffey – 1,531
SAINT PATRIC
Patric Hornqvist led Florida with seven hits Dec. 16 vs. LAK. Hornqivst registered eight shots on goal Dec. 12 at COL, the most shots in a game by any Panther this season. Hornqvist produced his second multi-point game of the season Dec. 10 at ARI, logging a goal and an assist. Hornqvist’s nine assists (4-9-13) are the fourth-most among Florida forwards this season and his 50 hits are the second-most among Florida’s forward group.
MONTOUR OF DUTY
Brandon Montour scored his fourth goal of the season Dec. 12 at COL. He has tallied two goals over his past four games. Montour has produced 12 points (4-8-12) over 28 games in 2021-22.
WELCOME TO THE GUD LIFE
Radko Gudas leads Florida and ranks second among all NHLers with 119 hits this season. He is eight hits shy of surpassing Roman Polak (2,024) for most hits by a Czech Republic-born player in NHL history. Gudas ranks second on the team in blocked shots (44).
FINNISH PHENOM
Anton Lundell notched an assist Dec. 14 vs. OTT. He has produced 12 points (5-7-12) over his first 25 NHL games. The Espoo, Finland native leads NHL rookies in takeaways (28) and faceoff wins (159), and paces all NHL forwards in shorthanded time on ice per game (2:46 – min. 15 GP).
