Panthers Pregamer 4.8.21 at CAR

APRIL 8, 2021 at CAROLINA HURRICANES

PNC Arena | 7 P.M. ET
Television: 
Bally Sports Florida

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

PANTHERS vs. HURRICANES

ALL-TIME vs. CAR: 51-52-11-15

ALL-TIME ROAD vs. CAR: 20-38-3-4

2020-21 vs. CAR: 1-2-2

Click here to view full set of Game Notes for tonight’s game

TEAM STATS

 FLORIDA (26-10-4)CAROLINA (26-9-3)
GOALS FOR131 (T-3rd most)121 (10th most)
GOALS AGAINST106 (13th fewest)93 (4th fewest)
POWER PLAY %22.7 (11th)29.8 (1st)
PENALTY KILL %80.2 (12th)82.6 (8th)
SHOTS FOR PER-GAME34.6 (2nd most)32.4 (4th most)
SHOTS AGAINST PER-GAME31.0 (T-19th fewest)28.4 (T-7th fewest)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %51.9 (T-8th)53.7 (3rd)
FACEOFF WIN %50.1 (16th)54.6 (2nd)


CATS STATS

  • Florida looks to snap a four-game winless streak (0-2-2) against the Hurricanes tonight. Aleksander Barkov has recorded a team-best six points (2-4-6) vs. CAR through the season series, while Jonathan Huberdeau (3-2-5) leads the Cats with three goals. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky owns a .910 save percentage vs. CAR this season, while Chris Driedger earned Florida’s win this season against the Hurricanes.
  • Panthers Captain Aleksander Barkov has produced five points (3-2-5) over his last three games since returning from injury. Since returning to the lineup for Florida on April 3 vs. CBJ, Barkov owns a 57.7 faceoff win percentage. The 25-year-old native of Tampere, Finland, is tied for first on FLA in points (42), game-winning goals (4) and shots on goal (123), while ranking second on the club in goals (16), even-strength goals (12) and even-strength points (29).
  • Jonathan Huberdeau has recorded six points (3-3-6) over his last seven games. The Panthers franchise leader in assists (317) and points (479) appeared in his 574th game in a Panthers uniform on April 3 vs. CBJ, passing Robert Svehla for the third-most games played in franchise history. Huberdeau is tied for the Panthers lead with 42 points, while ranking first on the club with 28 assists and 18 power-play points. His 18 power-play points rank tied for sixth in the NHL.
  • Carter Verhaeghe enters tonight’s game with 11 points (5-6-11) over his last seven games. Over the seven-game span, Verhaeghe has registered four multi-point efforts. The 2020 Stanley Cup Champion leads the Cats with 32 even-strength points and is only the seventh NHLer this season and second in the Central Division to post 30 points at even strength. He ranks tied for sixth in the NHL for even-strength points, while tied for second in the NHL in even-strength goals (15). Verhaeghe’s +24 rating stands at second in the NHL and first among all forwards.
  • MacKenzie Weegar enters tonight on a three-game point streak (1-4-5). The native of Ottawa, Ontario, ranks tied for first among NHL defensemen this season in even-strength points (23) and takeaways (27). His +21 rating ranks first on FLA and tied for second among all NHL defensemen. Weegar ranks tied for first on FLA in blocked shots (51) and ranks second in hits (88). He recorded the team’s longest assist (six games) and point streaks (seven games) this season from March 7-20.
  • Sergei Bobrovsky has posted a 10-4-1 record over his last 15 appearances, tying for the third-most wins among NHL goaltenders since Feb. 25. Over that span, Bobrovsky owns a .920 save percentage, the fourth-highest among goaltenders who have made at least 15 appearances since Feb. 25.
  • Frank Vatrano has produced five points (3-2-5) over his last four games. Vatrano’s 12 even-strength tallies ranks tied for second on FLA and stands at third on the club with 117 shots on goal. He has registered at least three shots on goal in each of his last five games. Tied for the team-lead in game-winning goals (4), Vatrano has tallied a team-best eight goals in the third period this season.
  • Gustav Forsling enters tonight’s game with four points (1-3-4) over his last five games. Over that span, Forsling owns a +9 rating, tied with MacKenzie Weegar for the highest on the club over the five-game clip. Since March 30, Forsling has logged a 107:40 TOI, the second-most on the Panthers while tied for the highest average SH-TOI among FLA D-men (2:29). Forsling’s +10 rating on the season ranks second among FLA defensemen. His three goals are tied for his career-high in a season. Tonight he is expected to play in his 150th NHL game.
  • Patric Hornqvist has produced two assists over his last three games since returning from injury. He leads FLA with seven power play goals and ranks fourth on the Panthers with 27 points (12-15-27). The two-time Stanley Cup Champion ranks tied for first on Florida in shots (121), while ranking second among FLA forwards in hits (65). Hornqvist tied his season-high for hits in a game (6) on April 6 at CAR.
  • Chris Driedger has produced two shutouts over his past five games and has won each of his past three starts. Over his past five games (since March 20), he owns a 4-1-0 record, .959 save percentage and 1.20 goals against average. His .931 save percentage this season ranks tied for first among goaltenders that have played at least 17 games.
  • Matt Kiersted made his NHL debut on April 3 vs. CBJ, leading FLA with four blocked shots. He has averaged 16:46 TOI and led FLA with six blocked shots through his first three NHL games. He logged a career-high 21:03 TOI on April 6 at CAR. The 22-year-old appeared in 29 games in 2020-21 with the University of North Dakota, registering 22 points (3-19-22), the most among UND defensemen.
  • Alex Wennberg has scored the game-winning goal in two of his past four games. The 26-year-old native of Stockholm, Sweden, registered his first NHL hat trick (3-0-3) on April 3 against his former club (CBJ). On April 1 vs. DET, Wennberg tallied Florida’s OT game-winner scoring his second career OT goal. Wennberg has notched eight points (6-2-8) over his past 13 games. He leads FLA forwards this season with 103:14 of total shorthanded ice time.
  • Radko Gudas leads the NHL in hits (185), averaging 4.74 hits per game and ranks second on FLA in blocked shots (51) this season. The native of Prague, Czech Republic, is one assist shy of his 100th NHL assist.
  • Noel Acciari leads FLA forwards in hits (72) and blocked shots (48).
  • Florida’s 291 takeaways this season ranks second among NHL teams.
  • The Panthers have scored a team-high 44 even-strength goals with Carter Verhaeghe and MacKenzie Weegar on the ice.


RECENT TRANSACTIONS
– April 5: F Mason Marchment re-signed to a 1-year contract extension, D Vladislav Kolyachonok reassigned from Minsk (KHL) to Syracuse (AHL)
– April 3: F Patric Hornqvist activated from IR, D Matt Kiersted recalled from FLA Taxi Squad, G Spencer Knight assigned to FLA Taxi Squad
– April 2: F Brad Morrison acquired from CHI in exchange for F Vinnie Hinostroza

– April 1: D Matt Kiersted signed to a 2-year ELC
– 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


FLA-CAR CONNECTIONS

  • FLA forward Eetu Luostarinen was selected by CAR in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft. He played eight games for CAR, producing one assist.
  • FLA defenseman Gustav Forsling played 57 games (2019-20) for CAR’s AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, registering 26 points (8-18-26).
  • CAR forward Vincent Trocheck was selected by FLA in the third round (64th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft. He played 420 games (2013-14 to 2019-20) for FLA, amassing 282 points (111-171-282).
  • CAR goaltender James Reimer appeared in 123 games for FLA, posting a 53-42-16 record, .912 save percentage, and 2.85 goals against average.
  • CAR forward Brock McGinn’s brother Jamie played 95 games (2017-18 to 2018-19) for FLA, producing 36 points (17-19-36).
  • CAR forward Teuvo Teravainen played under FLA Head Coach Joel Quenneville with the Chicago Blackhawks, winning a Stanley Cup in 2015.
  • FLA defenseman Anton Stralman and CAR forward Jesper Fast were teammates on NYR (2013-14), including an appearance in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.
  • FLA defensemen Anton Stralman (2014-15 to 2017-18) and Radko Gudas (2013-14 to 2014-15) were teammates with CAR forward Cedric Paquette on TBL.
  • FLA forward Frank Vatrano and CAR defenseman Brady Skjei were teammates on Team USA at the 2012 IIHF U-18 World Junior Championships, earning Gold Medals.
  • FLA forward Juho Lammikko and CAR forward Sebastian Aho were teammates on Team Finland at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships, earning Gold Medals.
  • FLA Assistant to the General Manager Blake Geoffrion and CAR defenseman Jake Gardiner were teammates at the University of Wisconsin (2008-09).
  • FLA Assistant General Manager Paul Krepelka served as Vice President of Hockey Operations for CAR from 2018-19 to 2019-20.
  • FLA Senior Advisor to the General Manager Rick Dudley Served as Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations for CAR from 2018-19 to 2019-20. He began his front office career in the ACHL with the Carolina Thunderbirds, serving as Owner, General Manager and Head Coach for four seasons (1982-83 to 1985-86).
  • FLA Head Coach Joel Quenneville played 457 games (1983-84 to 1989-90) for the Hartford Whalers, recording 95 points (25-70-95).
  • FLA Assistant Coach Ulf Samuelsson played 463 games (184-85 to 1990-91) for the Hartford Whalers, registering 175 points (31-144-175).
  • FLA Director of Amateur Scouting Shane Churla played 22 games (1986-87 to 1987-88) for the Hartford Whalers, producing one assist.
  • CAR Assistant Coach Jeff Daniels played 10 games for FLA (1993-94 to 1994-95).
  • CAR Development Coach Sergei Samsonov played 20 games (2010-11) for FLA, notching 14 points (3-11-14).

CHASING FRANCHISE HISTORY

Franchise GoalsFranchise AssistsFranchise Points
1. Olli Jokinen (188)1. Jonathan Huberdeau (317)1. Jonathan Huberdeau (479)
2. Aleksander Barkov (171)2. Aleksander Barkov (278)2. Aleksander Barkov (449)
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 (40)

Goals: Verhaeghe (17)

Assists: Huberdeau (28)

Points: Huberdeau/Barkov (42)

Power-Play Goals: Hornqvist (7)

Power-Play Points: Huberdeau (18)

Shorthanded Goals: Barkov/Verhaeghe (1)

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

Shots: Hornqvist/Barkov (123)

PIM: Weegar (39)
+/-: Verhaeghe (+24)

Faceoff Win % (Min. 100 faceoffs): Barkov (53.5)

Blocked Shots: Gudas/Weegar (51)

Hits: Gudas (185)

TOI/GP: Ekblad (25:05)

PP TOI/GP: Yandle (4:13)

SH TOI/GP: Acciari (2:50)

Wins: Bobrovsky (15)

Shutouts: Driedger (2)

ACTIVE STREAKS

Goal Streak        Barkov (2 Games, 3 Goals)

Assist Streak      Weegar (3 Games, 4 Assists)

Point Streak       Weegar (3 Games, 1-4-5), Barkov (3 Games, 3-2-5)