SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers will look to turn a strong finish in their last game into a good start against the Vegas Golden Knights at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.
Despite suffering a 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, the Panthers looked more like themselves while leading 37-16 in shots on goal and 39-17 in scoring chances.
Entering tonight’s tilt, the defending Stanley Cup champions sit at 4-5-0.
“We’ve been lacking offensive zone and pucks to the net,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “We were really good in that department [against Pittsburgh]. We had some great chances to score. For the most part, it was in structure. It wasn’t hope plays. I want to see that speed in our offensive game. We’ve been in and out of the offensive zone too quickly.”
Leading the Panthers in scoring with 10 points, Brad Marchand lit the lamp twice against the Penguins for his third multi-point game of the season. With two primary assists on the power play against Pittsburgh, Mackie Samoskevich ranks third on Florida with six points.
Originally a third-round pick (81st overall) of the Panthers back in the 2019 NHL Draft, forward Cole Schwindt will slot into the lineup against Vegas and make his season debut.
Dealt to the Calgary Flames in 2022 as part of the package that landed Matthew Tkachuk, Schwindt made his NHL debut with Florida all the way back in back on Dec. 16, 2021.
After appearing in 42 games with the Golden Knights last season, Schwindt, who’s suited up in 49 career NHL games, was claimed off waivers by the Panthers from Vegas on Oct. 3.
Just like a hockey puck, life seems to be a circle.
“I’m obviously pumped,” said Schwindt, who will take Luke Kunin’s spot on the fourth line in between A.J. Greer and Jonah Gadjovich. “Getting to come back and play in the arena that I played my first game in, it kind of feels like a full-circle moment. I’m really excited for it.”
Sitting at 4-3-0, Sergei Bobrovsky will get the start for the Panthers.
Across the ice, the Golden Knights have yet to suffer a regulation loss at 5-0-2.
Hitting the road on a four-game winning streak, Vegas closed its homestand with a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday.
Jack Eichel, Pavel Dorofeyev, Ivan Barbashev and William Karlsson all scored in the win, while backup goaltender Akira Schmid earned first-star honors with 22 saves.
Off to a sizzling start, Eichel paces the Golden Knights and sits atop the NHL’s leaderboard with 16 points (6G, 10A) in just seven games.
“The speed and length that he plays at, his reach with the puck is so long that he’ll get some speed through the neutral zone and then you can’t get the puck off him because he just pulls it away from you,” Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues said of Eichel, who he played with previously in Buffalo. “There’s not many guys at his height and reach that can skate like he can. You have to play hard. If you let him kind of free role, there’s no real stopping him.”
Making a good first impression, Mitch Marner, who’s in his first season with Vegas after starring for years in Toronto, ranks third on the team with 10 points (2G, 8A). Second on the team with 13 points (2G, 11A), Mark Stone is currently on LTIR with an upper-body injury.
Meeting for the first time this season, the Panthers and Golden Knights split their two-game series in 2024-25, with each team winning on home ice.
After losing to Vegas in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers have since won each of the last two Stanley Cups.
THEY SAID IT
“I want to see some speed because I think he has it. More importantly, I want him to play without the concern. The first-game guys, the first time they’re playing with your team, they don’t want to make a mistake. I don’t want him playing that game.” – Paul Maurice on Cole Schwindt’s season debut
“I thought we played with some juice. We played on our toes and hung onto pucks so that we weren’t one and done. We were confident.” – Evan Rodrigues on Thursday’s loss to Pittsburgh
FIVE CATS STATS
– Mackie Samoskevich has two multi-assist games this season.
– Evan Rodrigues is two goals away from his 100th NHL goal.
– The Panthers have scored three power-play goals over their last two games.
– Anton Lundell has won a team-leading 83 faceoffs.
– Jonah Gadjovich has dished out a team-high 26 hits.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand
Carter Verhaeghe – Evan Rodrigues – Sam Reinhart
Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Jesper Boqvist
A.J. Greer – Cole Schwindt – Jonah Gadjovich
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Daniil Tarasov
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
– Oct. 15: D Donovan Sebrango claimed off waivers from Ottawa
– Oct. 13: D Tobias Bjornfot recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Saturday, October 25 at 6 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV: WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV
Radio: 560 WQAM-AM (Dade/Broward); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers GameDay App; NHL App; SiriusXM 220 / App & Streaming 931
Tickets: Click Here
Theme Night: Pink in the Rink