Panthers return to Vegas for first time since Stanley Cup Final
Florida has yet to win a game in Las Vegas despite playing eight games there, between the regular season and playoffs
The Florida Panthers are getting a not-so-fun trip down memory lane this week, visiting Las Vegas for the first time since losing the Stanley Cup Final last season.
Florida practiced on the ice at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday, the first time they’d been on that surface since the Golden Knights defeated them in Game 5.
The Panthers have yet to claim victory in Vegas, going 0-4-1 during the regular season and 0-3 during the Final.
The two teams last met just two weeks ago in South Florida, with Florida skating to a 4-2 win.
It was the first of the Cats’ current five-game winning streak.
While Florida has put itself back on an upward trajectory of late, it’s been a different story for Vegas.
The Golden Knights started the season as the hottest team in the league, jumping out to an 11-0-1 record fresh off the franchise’s first Stanley Cup title.
Things haven’t been going as smooth for Vegas lately though, coming into Thursday’s game with just two wins over their past eight games.
They’ll face a Panthers team that will have a different look in its bottom six due to an injury to forward Nick Cousins.
Cousins missed Wednesday practice at T-Mobile Arena due to being the concussion protocol and won’t play against the Golden Knights.
Arizona’s Jason Zucker has since been suspended three games by the NHL Department of Player Safety for the hit on Cousins.
Ryan Lomberg will take Cousins’ spot on the third line, with Jonah Gadjovich slotting into Lomberg’s spot to the left of Kevin Stenlund on the fourth line.
For Gadjovich, it’ll be his first game action since Dec. 8.
Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Thursday’s return to Vegas:
Evan Rodrigues – Sasha Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Ryan Lomberg
Jonah Gadjovich – Kevin Stenlund – Will Lockwood
Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Brandon Montour
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Dmitry Kulikov
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