With 29 of the NHL’s 31 teams off for U.S. Thanksgiving, Thursday went as well as it could for the Florida Panthers, thanks to the New Jersey Devils 6-4 road win over the Montreal Canadiens.
Montreal’s sixth consecutive loss keeps the Panthers in sole possession of second place in the Atlantic Division, although Florida could get knocked down a peg if the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Buffalo Sabres this afternoon. Toronto has won three in a row after firing head coach Mike Babcock. Go Sabres!
The Cats, who are currently riding a three-game losing streak, will hold an 11 a.m. practice at Panthers IceDen this morning as they prepare for Saturday night’s game against the Nashville Predators, which kicks off an important nine-game homestand.
In the AHL, the Springfield Thunderbirds will visit the Bridgeport Sound Tigers tonight and host the Laval Rocket on Saturday. The Thunderbirds (12-10-0) are currently in fourth place in the Atlantic Division. The Sound Tigers beat the T-Birds 3-2 Wednesday in Springfield. Top prospects Henrik Borgstrom and Owen Tippett were the goalscorers and Aleksi Saarela and Blaine Byron collected assists on Tippett’s ninth goal. Sam Montembeault made his first AHL start of the season and finished with 32 saves.
The Greenville Swamp Rabbits will visit the Atlanta Gladiators tonight in action from the ECHL. Greenville will get a six-day break after the game before playing two games against the Norfolk Admirals next weekend to finish off an extended four-game road trip. The Swamp Rabbits (10-9-0-1) are currently in fourth place in the South Division.
Will the Panthers end its losing streak against Nashville
| Yes | 40 |
| No, but they’ll get a point in OT/SO | 8 |
| No – regulation loss | 10 |