As the Ottawa Senators finish the second part of their season-opening two-game visit to the Sunshine State, they'll need to show up on time. The Sens fell behind 2-0 and 3-1 in Tampa Bay on Thursday night, then battled back for a 5-4 victory. They won't get away with that very often, particularly against the NHL's top teams.
On Saturday night in Sunrise, Florida, they'll get the very best.
They'll face the Florida Panthers, who have their eye on a third straight NHL title this season and a sweep of their season-opening homestand. A pair of non-playoff teams from last year gave the Panthers all they could handle this week. Florida beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in their first game and then the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, 2-1.
Most of the early-season news and previews on the Panthers are quick to mention the injuries to superstar forwards Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. After a collision in the Flyers' game, defenseman Dmitry Kulikov was also placed on IR on Friday, which means Uvis Balinskis will likely see his first action of the season on Saturday. But he's no rookie. The guy played 76 games last season.
That kind of depth is part of the reason the Panthers have won two Cups. Their so-called lower-end players have already stepped up in their first two wins, with names like Greer, Samoskevich, and Rodrigues leading the team in scoring.
According to THN Florida's David Dwork, here are the Panthers' projected lines and pairings for Saturday’s showdown with the Sens. While the loss of some key players hurts the group, it's still pretty impressive, and loaded to thrive in any style of game you'd like to play.
Forwards:
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Mackie Samoskevich – Evan Rodrigues – Jesper Boqvist
A.J. Greer – Luke Kunin – Jonah Gadjovich
Defense:
Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry
Sergei Bobrovsky has started the first two games for the Panthers, so they could have opted to give the net to his new backup, Daniil Tarasov, the former Columbus Blue Jacket. But head coach Paul Maurice announced this morning that Bobrovsky will start for the third straight game.
More Sens Headlines From The Hockey News Ottawa:
Pinto Scores Twice As Ottawa Senators Win Season Opener 5-4 in Tampa Bay
Jordan Spence: A Healthy Scratch For Ottawa Senators Season Opener
Travis Green Says Senators Are 'Headed In the Right Direction'
Senators Send Yakemchuk To The Minors, Place Batherson And Kleven On IR
Sens Land A True NHL Heavyweight In A Deal With The Devils
More Senators Broadcast Changes: Marc Methot Out At TSN