Florida Panthers (12-9-4 28P) vs Columbus Blue Jackets (10-16-0 20P)
- WHEN: 7:00 p.m. ET – LBC GameThread right here at 6:30ish
- WHERE: Nationwide Arena – Columbus, OH/
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- ON THE TUBE: FOX Sports Florida, FOX Sports Ohio
- ON THE DIAL: 560, 640, 760, 1210 (AM); 97.7, 107.9 (FM); Official App (iOS, Android)
- SOCIALLY SPEAKING: #FlaPanthers, #CBJ, #FLAvsCBJ, @LitterBoxCats, LBC FaceBook page
- ENEMY INTEL: The Cannon, 3Qs with The Cannon
- SB NATION: Game Hub /
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- FLA IN SEASON SERIES: Game 1 of 3 (0-0)
- ALL-TIME vs CBJ: 5W-8L-0T 3OTL 2SOL 41GF 55GA
- ALL-TIME at CBJ: 2W-6L-0T 0OTL 1SOL 17GF 28GA
- LAST FIVE vs CBJ: 1-3-1 12GF 17GA/
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- PROJECTED STARTERS: Montoya (2-1-1 .920/2.39 0SO), Bobrovsky (10-12-0 .908/2.74 1SO)
- JAGR WATCH: All-time vs CBJ (reg season): 17GP 7G-8A 15P 0GWG
- PLAYER STATS: Florida / Columbus /
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- NOTES: D Dmitry Kulikov is expected to return…F Jaromir Jagr’s next goal will give him 731 on his NHL career, with whom he’ll share fourth all-time honors with Marcel Dionne.
- QUOTED:/
“The recent streak will only serve as a confidence builder in the first week of December. When the Panthers signed two-time Stanley Cup champion Shawn Thornton prior to last season, then traded for Jagr last March, they got two critical pieces for what is a young team overall. It sounds cliché, but Thornton and Jagr will keep the team from getting too high during streaks and too low during skids. They’ll be in the mix right until the end.
– ESPN hockey analyst Joey McDonald (more).
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Last game for the Cats: 2-1 (REG) victory in Nashville last night. Past five: 4-1-0 11GF 8GA (streak: 4W)
Last game for Lumbus: 2-1 (REG) loss at Montreal on Tuesday. Past five: 2-3-0 9GF 10GA (streak: 2L)
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NHL.com Preview:
Getting a good start against Florida won’t be easy. The Panthers have won four in a row, are tied for first in the NHL for fewest first-period goals allowed (12) and are 8-1-0 when leading after one period. The Panthers did not have a morning skate after winning 2-1 at the Nashville Predators on Thursday. (more)
Yahoo! Sports Preview:
Still trying to dig out from a season-opening eight-game losing streak, Columbus (10-16-0) has been much better since with a 10-8-0 record. The Blue Jackets were really making strides with wins in six of eight games before losses at St. Louis and Montreal this week. They scored a combined two goals in those defeats, were outshot 58-47, allowed two power-play goals and failed to convert on either of their opportunities. (more)
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Friday in the Atlantic Division (Standings / Panthers Playoff Chances):
- Arizona (13-11-1 27P) at BUFFALO (10-12-3 23P), 7:00
- BOSTON (13-8-2 28P) at Calgary (9-14-2 20P), 9:00
- Idle: BOS (13-8-2 28P), TBL (12-11-3 27P), BUF (10-12-3 23P)/
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Panthers, SoFla Media & Loyal Opposition on the Tweets
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