Florida Panthers

Panthers Pregamer 4.1.21 vs. DET

April 1, 2021
smorganroth

APRIL 1, 2021 vs. DETROIT RED WINGS

BB&T Center | 7 P.M. ET
Television: Bally Sports Florida

Radio: 560 WQAM| 640 WMEN | 100.3 WCTH | 107.9/1370 WZTA | SIRIUSXM CH. 222/STREAMING 932

PANTHERS vs. RED WINGS

ALL-TIME vs. DET: 28-19-5-6

ALL-TIME HOME at DET: 12-11-2-5

2020-21 vs. DET: 5-2-0

STREAKS: FLA has won its past two home games vs. DET (2-0-0)

TEAM STATS

 FLORIDA (23-9-4)DETROIT (12-21-4)
GOALS FOR118 (7th most)80 (30th most)
GOALS AGAINST97 (14th fewest)119 (T-26th fewest)
POWER PLAY %23.8 (T-8th)12.0 (29th)
PENALTY KILL %80.2 (13th)73.3 (T-28th)
SHOTS FOR PER-GAME34.3 (2nd most)27.9 (28th most)
SHOTS AGAINST PER-GAME30.5 (T-17th fewest)31.0 (T-20th fewest)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %52.3 (7th)46.6 (28th)
FACEOFF WIN %49.9 (T-17th)51.0 (10th)


CATS STATS

  • Florida owns a 12-2-1 record over their last 15 games against Detroit and owns a 5-1-0 mark over their last five games against the Red Wings at BB&T Center. Over the 15-game span, the Panthers have outscored the Red Wings 51-29 and have tallied at least one power play goal in nine of their last 11 meetings
  • The Panthers penalty kill over their last nine games against DET has surrendered just one goal against (28/29). Jonathan Huberdeau leads FLA with eight points (1-7-8) vs. DET this season. Sergei Bobrovsky owns a 3-1-0 record, .951 save percentage and 1.50 goals against average vs. DET this season.
  • Over Florida’s 16 games in the month of March, Jonathan Huberdeau (6-11-17) has recorded a team-leading 17 points, while Carter Verhaeghe has notched a team-leading 10 goals and +13 rating, ranking tied for third in the NHL for goals and tied for second in plus/minus. Over 11 appearances in March, Sergei Bobrovsky owns a 8-3-0 mark and .914 save percentage. Bobrovsky’s eight wins in March are tied for third-most among NHL goalies. Florida owns a shots-per-game average of 34.8 through March, the second-highest in the NHL.
  • The Panthers have tallied goals in the first 30 seconds of the first period in two of their past three games. Over their three-game win streak, the Cats have scored a league-leading (tied) eight first period goals while surrendering just three goals against. Florida has registered a league-leading nine even-strength goals since March 27, led by Carter Verhaeghe (3).
  • Jonathan Huberdeau enters tonight’s game with five points (3-2-5) over his last two games. He produced a three-point performance (2-1-3) on March 28 at DAL, marking his fourth game with at least three points this season and his third multi-goal game. Huberdeau was the sixth NHL player this season to reach 40 points and only the second in the Central Division. Huberdeau leads the Panthers with 41 points, 27 assists and 17 power-play points. His 17 power-play points ranks tied for fifth in the NHL. He is expected to play in his 573rd NHL game tonight, surpassing Roberto Luongo for the fourth-most games played in FLA franchise history.
  • Carter Verhaeghe tallied two goals March 30 vs. DET, his third multi-goal game of the season. He has amassed five goals (5-1-6) over his past three games after recording a career-high four points (3-1-4) March 27 at DAL. He has amassed 13 points (9-4-13) over his past 12 games and has scored 15 even-strength goals this season, the second-most in the NHL. He leads FLA and ranks second in the NHL with a +19 rating.
  • Noel Acciari enters tonight’s game with four assists over his last five games. Over his last five games, Acciari has produced a team-leading 57.8 faceoff win percentage and 14:19 shorthanded time on ice, the most among FLA forwards. The 29-year-old native of Johnston, R.I., leads all FLA forwards with 43 blocked shots and 61 hits.
  • Chris Driedger stopped 33 of 34 DAL shots on March 28, his 10th start this season where he finished with a save percentage of at least .920. Driedger’s .927 save percentage ranks third among goalies with at least 14 appearances this season. On March 20 vs. NSH, he recorded his second career shutout and first shutout of the season.
  • MacKenzie Weegar‘s 25 takeaways are the second-most by an NHL defenseman this season. He leads Florida’s D-men in even-strength scoring with 18 points, tied for fifth-most among NHL defensemen. He has produced nine points (1-8-9) over his past 13 games and eight of those points have come at even strength, which ranks tied for fourth-most among NHL D-men over that span (since March 7). The Ottawa, Ontario native leads FLA’s defense corps with a +14 rating, ranks second in average time on ice per game (22:10), and third in shots (63). Weegar ranks second on the club in blocked shots (45) and ranks second in hits (79).
  • Alex Wennberg has logged a team-leading (tied) +4 rating over his past two games, and notched four points (2-2-4) over his past nine games.
  • Owen Tippett has recorded a point in each of his past three games (1-2-3). The 22-year-old has registered a team-leading (tied) 13 shots on goal since March 25.
  • Radko Gudas leads the NHL in hits (164) and paces the club in blocked shots (46) this season. The native of Prague, Czech Republic, is one assist shy of his 100th NHL assist.
  • Keith Yandle leads Florida’s defensemen in power-play scoring with 15 points (1-14-15), tied for third-most PP points among NHL D-men. The 34-yearold owns the NHL’s longest active “Ironman” streak (902), which began on March 26, 2009.
  • With their win March 30 vs. DET, Florida (23-9-4) reached the 50-point mark in their 36th game played, the second-fewest games required to reach the mark in club history (34 GP, 1995-96).
  • Florida’s 262 takeaways this season are fourth-most among NHL teams.


RECENT TRANSACTIONS
– March 31: G Spencer Knight signed to a 3-year ELC, D Brady Keeper reassigned from Syracuse (AHL) to FLA Taxi Squad, F Anthony Duclair placed on IR

– March 30: D Anton Stralman recalled to active roster from FLA Taxi Squad
– March 29: F Aleksi Heponiemi reassigned to FLA Taxi Squad from Syracuse (AHL)


FLA-DET CONNECTIONS

  • FLA forward Anthony Duclair and DET defenseman Marc Staal were teammates on NYR in 2014-15.
  • DET forward Valtteri Filppula and FLA forward Aleksander Barkov were teammates on Team Finland at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
  • FLA defenseman Aaron Ekblad and DET forward Dylan Larkin were teammates on Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
  • FLA defenseman Aaron Ekblad and DET forward Anthony Mantha were teammates on Team Canada at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship.
  • FLA forwards Vinnie Hinostroza and Frank Vatrano were teammates with DET forward Dylan Larkin on Team USA at the 2016 IIHF World Championship. Vatrano, Larkin and DET forward Luke Glendening were also teammates on Team USA at the 2019 IIHF World Championship.
  • FLA goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and DET forward Vladislav Namestnikov were teammates on Team Russia at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
  • DET forward Sam Gagner’s father Dave Gagner played 114 games for FLA (1997-98 to 1998-99), recording 62 points (24-38-62).
  • DET forward Tyler Bertuzzi’s uncle Todd Bertuzzi played seven games for FLA (2006-07), registering seven points (1-6-7).
  • FLA defenseman Kevin Connauton and DET defenseman Danny Dekeyser both attended Western Michigan University.
  • FLA Professional Scout Patrick Eaves played 197 games for DET (2009-10 to 2013-14), amassing 56 points (29-27-56).
  • FLA Assistant Coach Ulf Samuelsson played four regular season games and nine playoff games for DET (1998-99), recording three assists in the playoffs.
  • FLA Video Coach Andrew Brewer served as video coach for DET for the 2014-15 season.

CHASING FRANCHISE HISTORY

Franchise GoalsFranchise AssistsFranchise Points
1. Olli Jokinen (188)1. Jonathan Huberdeau (316)1. Jonathan Huberdeau (478)
2. Aleksander Barkov (168)2. Aleksander Barkov (276)2. Aleksander Barkov (444)
3. Jonathan Huberdeau (162)3. Stephen Weiss (249)3. Olli Jokinen (419)
4. Scott Mellanby (157)4. Olli Jokinen (231)4. Stephen Weiss (394)
5. Pavel Bure (152)5. Robert Svehla (229)5. Scott Mellanby (354)


PANTHERS LEADERS

Games Played: 6 Players (36)

Goals: Verhaeghe (17)

Assists: Huberdeau (27)

Points: Huberdeau (41)

Power-Play Goals: Hornqvist (7)

Power-Play Points: Huberdeau (17)

Shorthanded Goals: Barkov/Verhaeghe (1)

Shorthanded Points: Barkov/Acciari/Weegar/Verhaeghe (1)

Shots: Barkov (112)

PIM: Weegar (39)
+/-: Verhaeghe (+19)

Faceoff Win % (Min. 100 faceoffs): Barkov (53.2)

Blocked Shots: Gudas (46)

Hits: Gudas (164)

TOI/GP: Ekblad (25:05)

PP TOI/GP: Yandle (4:19)

SH TOI/GP: Acciari (2:54)

Wins: Bobrovsky (14)

Shutouts: Driedger (1)

ACTIVE STREAKS

Goal Streak        Huberdeau (2 Games, 3 Goals)

Assist Streak      None

Point Streak       Huberdeau (3 Games, 3-2-5), Tippett (3 Games, 1-2-3), Duclair (2 Games, 1-1-2)

TONIGHT AT BB&T CENTER

  • Tonight is $5 Beer Thursday at BB&T Center. Fans can purchase domestic beers for $5 at select concession stands and bars and are available through mobile ordering.
  • Tonight, fans will be able to give back to the Florida Panthers Foundation through the 50/50 raffle. Fans at BB&T Center can purchase 50/50 raffle tickets at select kiosks throughout the arena or online for fans who are within a 75-mile radius of the game at FlaPanthers5050.com and in the Florida Panthers mobile application. Ticket prices include: 5 for $10, 20 for $20, 80 for $40 and 300 for $100.
  • Contactless, Mobile Food Ordering is now available for all games at BB&T Center. The Florida Panthers are offering fans safe and convenient purchasing experiences while at the BB&T Center, enabling mobile ordering through the NHL league-wide 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.
  • The BB&T Center is the first National Hockey League Building to Achieve Well Health-Safety Certification. The WELL Health-Safety Rating is an evidence-based, third-party verified rating for all new and existing building and space types focusing on operational policies, maintenance protocols, stakeholder engagement and emergency plans to address a post-COVID-19 environment now and into the future. The Florida Panthers & BB&T Center guests can expect:
  • WELL Certified and improved cleaning procedures throughout the building
  • Routine maintenance and improved air filtration through arena
  • Emergency response plan and protocols
  • Robust safety plans for employee health and wellness

PANTHERS COMMUNITY HEROES

  • City Furniture Military Hero: Linda Rodriguez


Tonight’s Hero Among Us is US Army veteran Linda Rodriguez. During her service, Linda served at the Pentagon for the Army Discharge Review Board that was set up by former President Jimmy Carter. She is the recipient of the Army Commendation Medal and Good Conduct Ribbon.

  • BB&T (Now Truist) Territory Teammate: James McCrae
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GREAT MOMENTS IN PANTHERS HISTORY
April 3, 2001: In a 4-3 Panthers win over the Philadelphia Flyers, “The Russian Rocket” Pavel Bure tallied his franchise record 59th goal of the season. Bure’s 59th goal of the season secured his second consecutive Maurice Richard Trophy awarded to the NHL’s leading goal scorer.

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