Panthers (12-2-3 27P) vs Wild (11-5-0 22P)
- WHEN: 6:00 p.m. ET
- WHERE: FLA Live Arena, Sunrise, FL
- ON THE TUBE: Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports North, Bally Sports WI+
- ON THE DIAL: 560 WQAM (D/B), 640 WMEN (PB), Thunder 100.3 (Keys)
- SOCIALS: #TimeToHunt, #minwild, #MINvsFLA, @LitterBoxCats, LBC FaceBook
- ENEMY INTEL: Hockey Wilderness
- FLA IN SEASON SERIES: Game 1 of 2
- LAST MEETING: FLA 5, MIN 4 (Recap) – 1/20/2020
- NEXT MEETING: December 18, 2021
- PROJECTED STARTERS: Bobrovsky (7-0-2 .942 / 1.78 0SO) vs Talbot (9-4-0 .906/ 2.85 0SO)
- PLAYER STATS: Florida / Minnesota/
Scouting Report (courtesy of Winners & Whiners)
A second straight win was on the cards for the Florida Panthers (12-2-3), who extended their point streak to four outings (2-0-2) following a 4-1 victory against the New Jersey Devils at FLA Live Arena on Thursday. Carter Verhaeghe (5 goals, 14 points this year), Eetu Luostarinen (6 goals, 6 points), Jonathan Huberdeau (6 goals, 17 points) and Anthony Duclair (9 goals, 16 points) all lit the lamp for the Cats, who set a new franchise record with their ninth straight domestic triumph to embark on a season, improving on their 8-0-0 start of 2017-18. Florida has outscored its opponents 43-18 at home this year, finding the back of the net at least four times on each occasion.
The Minnesota Wild (11-5-0) picked up their second win in the last three contests (2-1-0) and their sixth in the past eight (6-2-0) after thrashing the Dallas Stars with a count of 7-2 at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday. Kirill Kaprizov, who leads Minnesota with 15 points so far this year (4 goals, 11 assists), registered his first four-point outing in the NHL, netting a snipe while providing three helpers. Alex Goligoski (1 goal, 9 points), Mats Zuccarello (4 goals, 12 points) and Victor Rask (2 goals, 4 points) had a snipe and two assists each, while Marcus Foligno (5 goals, 10 points) ended the game being the only Wild forward without at least a point.
Saturday in the Atlantic (Standings/Panthers Playoff Chances):
- New Jersey (7-5-3 17P) at TAMPA BAY (8-3-3 19P) 4 p.m. (NHL Network)
- Pittsburgh (6-6-4 16P) at TORONTO (12-5-1 25P) 7 p.m. (NHL Network)
- Nashville (9-6-1 19P) at MONTREAL (4-13-2 10P) 7 p.m.
- BOSTON (8-5-0 16P) at Philadelphia (8-4-3 19P) 7 p.m.
- DETROIT (8-9-2 18P) at Arizona (2-13-2 6P) 8 p.m. /
Idle: BUF (16P), OTT (9P)
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