Freshly signed Florida Panthers defenseman Petteri Lindbohm cleared waivers yesterday and could be  available for Thursday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators, provided a move is made to open up a roster spot for him.
Speaking of the Senators, they did the Cats no favors last night, blowing an early two-goal and losing 5-2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning at AMALIE Arena.
Brayden Point had a goal and three assists, Nikita Kucherov had a goal and an assist, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves for the Lightning, who took over first place in the Atlantic Division with 76 points, one better than the Panthers 75. The Bolts also have a game in hand on the Cats.
Florida could wind up in third place before they next take the ice at FLA Live Arena if the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the visiting Buffalo Sabres tonight.
The Charlotte Checkers will continue its eight-game road trip tonight against the Hershey Bears. Charlotte is currently on a season-high, four-game (0-3-1) losing streak. After the game, the Checkers will get a day off before playing a back-to-back versus the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.