Injuries mount for Florida as the Panthers face the Bruins in Sunrise.
The Florida Panthers will wrap up their second-to-last homestand of the season on Thursday night in Sunrise.
Despite being decimated by injuries, the Panthers continue to fight for every point they can get, as that’s the culture Florida Head Coach Paul Maurice and General Manager Bill Zito have built.
After taking down the playoff hungry Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, the Panthers will again face a team clawing for every point they can get in a crowded playoff race when the Boston Bruins visit South Florida.
One big difference, or two, in the Panthers from Tuesday to Thursday will be that defenseman Aaron Ekblad and Dmitry Kulikov will not be in Florida’s lineup.
Both were injured after being hit by the puck; Ekbald suffered a broken finger and won't play again this season, while Kulikov has a broken nose and could still play at some point, according to Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice.
Now while the Bruins are looking to get back into the playoffs after missing out last season, the Panthers are in a position to retain a high-end asset if they can finish low enough in the standings.
Florida’s first round pick in this summer’s NHL Draft is top-10 protected, so even though they traded it Chicago at last year’s Trade Deadline in the Seth Jones deal, the Panthers will retain the selection if they end up with a pick in the top 10 after the NHL Draft Lottery.
Currently, there are five teams below Florida (75 points) in the league-wide standings: the Vancouver Canucks (52 points), Chicago Blackhawks (68 points), Calgary Flames (70 points), New York Rangers (71 points) and the St. Louis Blues (74 points).
The Seattle Kraken have the same 75 points as do the Panthers, but they’ve played one less game than Florida.
With just eight games left in their season, it will be interesting to see how things shake out for the Panthers from here on out.
They’ll be fighting for every point they can get, but when you’ve got half an AHL roster and you’re fighting against NHL squads looking to make noise in the playoffs, it’s going to be tough.
Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Thursday’s battle with Boston:
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Mackie Samoskevich – Eetu Luostarinen – A.J. Greer
Noah Gregor – Tomas Nosek – Jesper Boqvist
Cole Reinhardt – Luke Kunin – Vinnie Hinostroza
Gus Forsling – Tobias Bjornfot
Donovan Sebrango – Seth Jones
Mikulas Hovorka – Mike Benning
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Photo caption: Jan 11, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Tobias Bjornfot (2) moves the puck past Boston Bruins center Charlie Coyle (13) during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)