Panthers (35-18-8 78P) vs Wild (27-25-10 64P)
- WHEN: 3:00 p.m. ET – LBC GameThread right here at 2:30ish
- WHERE: Xcel Energy Center – Saint Paul, MN
- UPCOMING GOODIES: Fabulous discounts for members of the military – active or retired – were recently announced by the team, so check out the latest here..1996 Panthers SCF 20th Anniversary will be celebrated on March 12 (details).
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- ON THE TUBE: FOX Sports Florida, FOX Sports North, FOX Sports WI
- ON THE DIAL: 560 AM, 640 AM; Official App
- SOCIALS: #FlaPanthers, #MNWild, #FLAvsMIN, @LitterBoxCats, LBC FaceBook
- GAME NOTES: via the club
- ENEMY INTEL: Hockey Wilderness
- SB NATION: Game Hub /
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- FLA IN SEASON SERIES: Game 2 of 2 (1-0)
- ALL-TIME vs MIN: 5W-10L-T 1OTL 1SOL 30GF 51GA
- ALL-TIME at MIN: 1W-5L-1T 1OTL 0SOL 11GF 24GA
- LAST FIVE vs MIN: 2-3-0 8GF 11GA
- LAST GAME vs MIN: FLA 2 at MIN 1 REG (Todd’s Recap) – 01/03/2016/
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- PROJECTED STARTERS: Montoya (9-4-2 1.91/.930 0SO), Dubnyk (21-21-5 2.39/.917 4SO)
- JAGR WATCH: All-time vs MIN (regular season): 17GP 6G-14A 20P 1GWG
- PLAYER STATS: Florida / Minnesota /
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Notable:
Where to begin? GM Dale Tallon made clear to the hockeyverse that he is serious about his club being much more than a one-round wonder when the post-season begins in April by grabbing forwards Teddy Purcell, Jiri Hudler and blueliner Jakub Kindl for the stretch run. No disrespect whatsoever to the kids who helped get the team where it is, but the Panthers are now (or will be once the newbies hit the lineup) far more formidable after Saturday’s deals, all three of which were acquired via draft selections spread over the next three years.
NHL.com Preview:
Forward Zach Parise is expected to return after missing two games with an upper-body injury. Parise practiced with the team Saturday, skating on a line with Mikko Koivu and Charlie Coyle. “Felt good today,” Parise said. “They’re always tough [to miss games], especially right now with the spot we’re in. This time of year, it’s not fun missing games.” Goaltender Devan Dubnyk, who did not dress in a 3-2 loss to the Washington Capitals on Friday, is available and could start. The Wild have lost three in a row after winning their first four games under interim coach John Torchetti. (More)
Yahoo.com Preview:
Florida, which plays 13 of its final 21 games away from home, has only 28 all-time goals against the Wild. The scoring issues continued in a Jan. 3 matchup at home, though the Panthers snapped Minnesota’s three-game winning streak in this series by pulling out a 2-1 victory behind a pair of Jaromir Jagr goals and a season-high 39 saves from backup Al Montoya. While Florida is bringing in players for the home stretch, Minnesota is expected to get one of its own back Sunday. Zach Parise is likely to return after a two-game absence due to an upper-body injury, which he confirmed was not a concussion but didn’t describe any further. (More)
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Last game for the Cats: 4-3 SO loss in Columbus Saturday. Past five: 3-0-2 12GF 10GA (streak: 1L)
Last game for the Wild: 3-2 REG loss in D.C. on Friday. Past five: 2-3-0 16GF 13GA (streak: 3L)
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Sunday in the Atlantic Division (Standings / Panthers Playoff Chances):
- TORONTO (21-28-10 52P) at MONTREAL (29-27-5 63P), 7:00
- Idle: TBL (72P), BOS (72P), DET (71P), MTL (63P), BUF (55P)/
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Panthers, SoFla Media & Loyal Opposition on the Tweets
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Finally here’s an infographic from Francisco comparing the Cats of today to their counterparts at the 3/4 mark last season…
