Dec 28, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) moves the puck against Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson (8) during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/b609305b-bf92-4914-a0bc-03b502e65e6d.jpeg] Dec 28, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) moves the puck against Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson (8) during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images) It’s been a fun week at home for the Florida Panthers. After picking up a pair of wins over Pittsburgh and Utah while enjoying some down time in-between, the Panthers will look to complete their second straight perfect homestand when they host the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday afternoon in Sunrise. It’s the start of a home-and-home between the two Atlantic Division rivals, one that concludes on Tuesday at Bell Centre in Montreal. One thing that is quite certain is that the Panthers should get a hell of a fight from the playoff hopeful Habs. Entering play Sunday, Montreal holds the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference despite being in a three-way tie with the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Rangers points-wise. The Canadiens have lost five straight though (0-3-2) and, at least until now, have squandered a chance solidify their standing in the playoff race. Instead, the Canadiens will have to fight for points against the defending Stanley Cup champs over the next few days. Florida arrives on Sunday one point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the top spot in the Atlantic Division and with a game in hand. Much of the attention in Pantherland this week was on Brad Marchand. Acquired at the NHL Trade Deadline while recovering from an upper-body injury, Marchand made his Panthers debut on Friday against Utah. Marchand played well and picked up the primary assist on Sam Bennett’s overtime winner. Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Sunday’s showdown with the Pens: Carter Verhaeghe – Sasha Barkov – Sam Reinhart Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Jesper Boqvist A.J. Greer – Nico Sturm – Evan Rodrigues Gus Forsling – Seth Jones Niko Mikkola – Tobias Bjornfot Nate Schmidt – Uvis Balinskis Scratches: Tomas Nosek, Jonah Gadjovich, Dmitry Kulikov LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Three takeaways: Marchand flips sides mid-game, Bobrovsky shows off laser focus [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/three-takeaways-marchand-flips-sides-mid-game-bobrovsky-shows-off-laser-focus] Brad Marchand speaks on Panthers debut, excitement level to join team building 'something special' [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/players/brad-marchand-speaks-on-panthers-debut-excitement-level-to-join-team-building-something-special] Bennett scores twice, Marchand picks up OT assist as Panthers defeat Utah 2-1 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/bennett-scores-twice-marchand-picks-up-ot-assist-as-panthers-defeat-utah-2-1] The Hockey Show: Ovechkin's classy move, Frozen Four and This Is SportsCenter spots with John Buccigross [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/the-hockey-show-ovechkins-classy-move-frozen-four-and-this-is-sportscenter-spots-with-john-buccigross] Panthers aim for 7th straight home win, host Utah Hockey Club for first time [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-aim-for-7th-straight-home-win-host-utah-hockey-club-for-first-time]
