LBC GameDay Preview: Florida Panthers Vs. Anaheim Ducks

The Florida Panthers host the Anaheim Ducks for the
first of two meetings between the clubs tonight at 7:30 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, FL. The Ducks will host the rematch in Anaheim on March 13th. The Cats will be trying to avoid a 10th straight loss, a streak which has seen the
end of one coaching staff and the beginning of another. After tonight’s matchup, they’ll head out on a five-game road
trip. They’ll play the Wild in Minnesota on Friday, the Avalanche in Colorado on Saturday, the Vancouver Canucks next
Tuesday, the Edmonton Oilers on November 21st, and the Calgary Flames on the 22nd.

The high flying Ducks roll into town on a five-game wining streak and a nine-game point streak. They’re opening a
four-game road trip, and will go on to visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday,
and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.

The Ducks and Panthers last squared off on February 19th, 2012, when the 26-20-11 Panthers hosted the 24-24-10
Ducks in Sunrise. Anaheim goaltender Jonas Hiller and his mask stopped all 31 Florida shots while Niklas Hagman
and Teemu Selanne lit the lamp for the Ducks. Since-departed Florida netminder Jose Theodore stopped 25-of-26 shots
in a losing effort. * Full Recap * Box Score

For some talk about the Ducks, go to Anaheim Calling.

Florida dropped a 4-3 decision to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, their ninth straight
loss. Aleksander Barkov scored his fourth goal of the season on the power play with 26 seconds remaining in the first,
and Brian Campbell scored his first two markers of the season. Tom Gilbert and Kris Versteeg each tallied two assists,
with Nick Bjugstad and Tomas Fleischmann adding one apiece. Tim Thomas allowed four goals on 29 shots, and was
visibly upset after the final tally, breaking his stick against the goalpost in frustration. For the Rangers, Brad Richards
has a goal and an assist. Additional goals were scored by J.T. Miller, Derek Dorsett, and Mats Zuccarello. Henrik
Lundqvist was the difference, stopping 24-of-27 shots for the New York victory. * Full Recap * Box Score

Blueshirt Banter has more Rangers for you.

The Ducks defeated the Vancouver Canucks 3-1 on Sunday. Corey Perry and Nick Bonino scored in the second period,
and Andrew Cogliano added an empty netter with 21 seconds remaining. Perry also had an assist, and goaltender
Frederik Andersen stopped 35 shots for the win. Eddie Lack allowed two markers on 22 shots in a losing effort for
Vancouver. Tom Sestito tallied the lone Canucks goal. * Full Recap * Box Score

For more on the Canucks, go to Nucks Misconduct.

Game Time: 7:30 PM ET

Broadcast: PRIME, FS-F

Radio: WQAM

All-Time Series: Florida is 10-9-3-1 against the Ducks all-time, for a 52.2% win percentage.

Season Series: First of two meetings

Standings:

Florida Panthers: 3-11-4, .278, 10 points, on pace for 46 points. Seventh in the Atlantic Division, 15th in the Eastern Conference, tied for 28th in the NHL. Last Five: O-O-L-L-L.

Anaheim Ducks: 15-3-1, .816, 31 points, on pace for 134 points. First in the Pacific Division, first in the Western Conference, first in the NHL. Last Five: W-W-W-W-W.

Have you ever heard of a reverse lock? It’s when the entire deck is so stacked against you that you can’t possibly imagine winning, and then you do. Tonight is a reverse lock for the Panthers. There’s no way the Cats can come out on top, so I think they will. Then again, maybe I tell myself that before every game. It’s not easy being a Panthers fan, is it?

Panthers Milestones:

Games: Shawn Matthias will tie Dave Lowry in 24th with his 272nd Panthers game.

Goals: Marcel Goc and Tomas Kopecky are tied with Mike Van Ryn in 48th all-time with 25 goals. Kris Versteeg will break a tie with Gary Roberts and Mike Hough, moving into 45th all-time with his next goal, number 28. Shawn Matthias will move past Juraj Kolnik into 29th with his next goal, number 41. Tomas Fleischmann will move into 27th all-time, passing Gord Murphy with his 43rd goal.

Assists: Shawn Matthias will move into 45th with his next assist, his 45th, breaking a tie with Jody Hull, Chris Gratton, and Ivan Novoseltsev. Tomas Fleischmann and Dmitry Kulikov each have 66 helpers, and if either of them collect another, will move into a tie for 26th with Tom Fitzgerald, Michael Frolik, and new assistant Brian Skrudland. Brian Campbell’s next assist will be his 76th, moving him into a tie for 18th with ex-Captain Bryan McCabe.

Penalty Minutes: Dmitry Kulikov will move into a tie with Bret Hedican in 36th all-time with five more penalty minutes, with 169. Erik Gudbranson is in 34th with 176, but will pass Ruslan Salei and tie Jason Wiemer and Dave Lowry with two more minutes, into 31st.

Birthdays: Former Panthers Chris Wells (141 games, seven goals, 18 assists, even rating, 134 PIM) turns 38 today.

Today in Panther history

Florida is 4-3-1 on November 12th’s throughout their history, and have won their last three by a combined score of 7-1.

Starting Lineups

Panthers

Forwards

Defensemen

• Brian Campbell – Tom Gilbert
• Dmitry Kulikov – Erik Gudbranson
• Mike Weaver – Matt Gilroy

Goaltenders

Ducks

Forwards

• Dustin Penner – Mathieu Perreault – Corey Perry
• Patrick Maroon – Nick Bonino – Teemu Selanne
• Emerson Etem – Kyle Palmieri – Rickard Rakell
• Devante Smith-Pelly – Andrew Cogliano – Daniel Winnik

• Francois Beauchemin – Hampus Lindholm
• Cam Fowler – Ben Lovejoy
• Bryan Allen – Luca Sbisa

Panthers Leaders

Goals: Brad Boyes, Marcel Goc – 5, Aleksander Barkov, Jesse Winchester – 4

Assists: Tomas Fleischmann – 9, Brian Campbell – 7, Jonathan Huberdeau, Kris Versteeg – 5

Points: Tomas Fleischmann – 12, Brian Campbell – 9, Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov – 8

Faceoffs: Nick Bjugstad (75-for-142) – 52.8%, Marcel Goc (165-for-322) – 51.2%, Aleksander Barkov (114-for-246) – 46.3%

Shots on Goal: Tomas Fleischmann, Kris Versteeg – 47, Tomas Kopecky – 43

Hits: Erik Gudbranson – 45, Mike Weaver – 42, Shawn Matthias – 33

Blocked Shots: Mike Weaver – 44, Tom Gilbert – 31, Erik Gudbranson – 30

One more thing to look out for tonight on Fox Sports Florida, as forwarded from Fox Sports PR guru Eric Esteban:

FOX’s Phantom Cam is revolutionizing game telecasts, and for the first time, it will make its NHL debut during on FOX Sports Florida when the Florida Panthers host the Anaheim Ducks.

With the ability to record up to 5,000 frames per second, Phantom Cam is able to show live game action in never-before-seen slow-motion detail. A typical slow-motion camera records at 380 frames per second or less. The Phantom Cam frame rate allows the broadcast to slow video down with clarity to show things the human eye and other cameras cannot pick up.

After rave reviews following its introduction during the World Series last year, FOX Sports has been experimenting with it further this year, giving regional networks around the country a chance to try it out. In Florida, it was featured this past season for Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays games. Tuesday will mark the first time FOX Sports Florida has ever used this technology for a NHL broadcast.

Thank you for reading, check back later for the Game Thread. In the meantime, head over to Anaheim Calling for more on the Ducks.