Panthers (33-32-11 77P) vs Canadiens (43-24-9 95P)
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- WHEN: 7:30 p.m. ET – LBC GameThread right here at 7ish
- WHERE: Bell Centre
- ON THE TUBE: FOX Sports Florida, RDS, Sportsnet East
- ON THE DIAL: 560 WQAM, 640 WMEN
- SOCIALS: #FlaPanthers, #Habs, #FLAvsMON, @LitterBoxCats, LBC FaceBook
- ENEMY INTEL: Eyes On The Prize
- SB NATION: Game Feature Hub
- BACK-TO-BACK? (FLA/MON): None/None
- FLA IN SEASON SERIES: Game 3 of 4 (1-0-1)
- ALL-TIME vs MON (RS): 42W-30L-6T 8OTL 3SOL 222GF 228GA
- ALL-TIME at MON (RS): 21W-13L-3T 4OTL 2SOL 100GF 106GA
- LAST FIVE vs MON (RS): 4-0-1 18GF 11GA
- LAST MEETING: MON 3 at FLA 2 (OT) – (Todd’s Recap) – 12/29/2016
- NEXT MEETING (RS): 04/03/17 at Sunrise
- PROJECTED STARTERS: Berra (0-2-0 2.22 /.907 0SO) vs Price (35-18-5 2.61/.921 3SO)
- TALE OF THE TAPE via Left Wing Lock
- PLAYER STATS: Florida / Montreal/
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Scouting Report: The month of March has been good to the Montreal Canadiens. A win to close it out and they can assure themselves of some extra hockey in April.
Montreal, which is 8-3-1 so far this month, wraps up a season-high six-game homestand when it hosts the Florida Panthers on Thursday night at Bell Centre. The Canadiens can punch their ticket to the playoffs with a victory.
The Canadiens (43-24-9) put themselves in a position to clinch after a win against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night, which saw four players find the back of the net.
Last year at this time, it was the Panthers who had their sights set on playoff berth and the Atlantic Division title. This season, there has been minimal sunshine on the southern Florida club’s season. Long-term injuries to key players, including Jonathan Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad, hurt the team early.
Florida eventually found its way under interim coach Tom Rowe, who replaced Gerard Gallant at the end of November. The Panthers (33-32-11) won eight of nine in mid-February to climb back into the playoff race — only to drop eight of their next nine. They now find themselves sixth in the Atlantic and on the verge of being mathematically eliminated from postseason contention. (More via AP)
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Last action from the Cats: 3-2 (REG) loss at Toronto Tuesday. Past five: 2-3-0 (streak: 2L)
Last action from the Habs: 4-1 home victory over Dallas Tuesday. Past five: 3-1-1 (streak: 2W)
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Thursday in the Atlantic (Standings/Scores/Panthers Playoff Chances):
- Dallas (31-34-11 71P) at BOSTON (40-30-6 86P), 7:30 NBCSN
- DETROIT (31-32-12 74P) at TAMPA BAY (37-29-9 83P), 7:30
- TORONTO (36-24-15 87P) at Nashville (39-26-11 89P), 8:00
- OTTAWA (41-25-9 91P) at Minnesota (44-24-8 96P), 8:00
- IDLE: BUF (76P)/
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