The Florida Panthers (27-14-4) will look to snap a troublesome four-game losing streak (0-2-2) tonight when journey to Music City’s Bridgestone Arena to take on the Nashville Predators (25-20-1) for the first time this season. After reeling off nine wins in a row, the Cats have dropped consecutive games to the New Jersey Devils, Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota Wild. On Friday, the Wild laid waste to Florida’s penalty kill by scoring five times with the man-advantage. Sam Reinhart saw his franchise-record run of eight games in row with a goal come to end in the loss, but he did collect an assist to extend his point streak to nine.
The surprising Predators, who swept the Panthers last season, come into the tilt holding down the second Wild Card in the Western Conference. They dropped a 3-2 decision to one of the teams trying to hunt the down, the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night in Tempe to finish a three-game road trip with a 1-2 record. After this game, the Predators will be on the road again for games against Minnesota, Edmonton and Ottawa. Filip Forsberg leads Nashville in goals (22), assists (27) and points (49). Free agent acquisition Ryan O’Reilly has produced 17 goals and 40 points in his first year with the club.
- WHEN: 8:00 p.m. ET
- WHERE: Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
- ON THE TUBE: Bally Sports Florida. Bally Sports South
- ON THE DIAL: 560 WQAM (D/B), 1230 The Gambler (PB), Thunder 100.3 (Keys)
- SOCIALS: #TimeToHunt, #Preds, #FLAvsNSH, @LitterBoxCats, LBC FaceBook
- ENEMY INTEL: On The Forecheck
- FLA IN SEASON SERIES: Game 1 of 2
- LAST MEETING: @NSH 2, FLA 1 – (Recap) 3/2/2023
- NEXT MEETING: March 21, 2024
- PROJECTED STARTERS: Florida: Stolarz (6-4-2 .912 / 2.22 0SO) Nashville: Saros (18-17-1 .902 / 2.97 2SO)
- PLAYER STATS: Florida / Nashville
Monday in the Atlantic (Standings/Panthers Playoff Chances)
- Winnipeg (30-10-4 64P) at BOSTON (28-8-9 65P) 7 p.m.
Idle: TOR (54P), DET (53P), TBL (53P), MON (45P), BUF (44P), OTT (35P)