New York Islanders (11-8-3 25P) vs Florida Panthers (8-9-4 20P)
- WHEN: 7:30 p.m. ET – LBC GameThread right here at 7ish
- WHERE: BB&T Center – Miami Ft. Lauderdale Sunrise, FL
- TICKETS: Single Game via the club/
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- ON THE TUBE: FOX Sports Florida, MSG+ 2
- ON THE DIAL: 560, 640, 760, 1210 (AM); 97.7, 107.9 (FM); Official App (iOS, Android)
- SOCIALLY SPEAKING: #FlaPanthers, #Isles, #NYIvsFLA & if you’re feeling generous give us a follow @LitterBoxCats and toss us a “Like” at the LBC FaceBook page
- ENEMY INTEL: Lighthouse Hockey
- SB NATION: Game Hub/
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- FLA IN SEASON SERIES: Game 1 of 3 (0-0)
- ALL-TIME vs NYI: 43W-28L-8T 2OTL 6SOL 256GF 238GA
- ALL-TIME at FLA: 23W-11L-6T 0OTL 3SOL 138GF 123GA
- LAST FIVE vs NYI: 3-1-1 18GF 16GA/
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- PROJECTED STARTERS: Luongo (6-8-3 .922/2.49 1SO), Halak (6-4-1 .921/2.03 2SO)
- JAGR WATCH: All-time vs NYI (reg season): 107GP 61G-92A 153P 13GWG
- PLAYER STATS: Florida / New York/
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- NOTES: Gerard Gallant will likely scratch forwards Dave Bolland (a second straight game) and Shawn Thornton; Logan Shaw and Connor Brickley were recalled from Portland several days ago. Backup G Al Montoya is “fine” following a goalmouth collision during Monday’s eventual loss to LA. Isles netminder Jaroslav Halak is 9-2-0 (1.39/.938) with 2 shutouts in 11 career appearances vs Florida
- QUOTED:/
“There are no easy games, you have to play for every point. We have to be more consistent, show up and be pros every game. We have the talent to win games, we just need to show up every night and compete.”
– Panthers F Shawn Thornton (who will not be in tonight’s lineup), stating the obvious (Miami Herald).
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Last game for the Cats: 3-1 loss to the Kings in Sunrise on Monday. Past five: 2-2-1 12GF 16GA (streak: 3L)
Last game for the Isles: 3-1 home victory over Philadelphia Wednesday. Past five: 3-2 17GF 17GA (streak: 1W)
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NHL.com Preview:
After spending nearly three weeks with Bridgeport of the American Hockey League, forward Ryan Strome was recalled by New York on Thursday and is expected to play against the Panthers. Strome, a first-round pick (No. 5) in the 2011 NHL Draft, had two goals and two assists in eight AHL games. He had one goal and four assists in 12 games before being demoted. (More)
Yahoo! Sports Preview:
The Panthers outshot the Kings 34-32 but gave up an 18-4 advantage in the first period. They’ve been outshot 468-371 over the first 40 minutes compared to a 226-192 advantage in the final period. (More)
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Friday in the Atlantic Division (Standings / Panthers Playoff Chances):
- NY Rangers (16-4-2 34P) at BOSTON (12-8-1 25P), 1:00 NBC
- TAMPA BAY (11-9-3 25P) at Washington (15-5-1 31P), 5:00
- Carolina (8-10-4 20P) at BUFFALO (8-12-2 18P), 7:00
- MONTREAL (17-4-2 36P) at New Jersey (11-9-1 23P), 7:00
- Edmonton (7-14-1 15P) at DETROIT (11-8-3 25P), 7:30
- Idle: OTT (29P), TOR (19P)/
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Panthers, SoFla Media & Loyal Opposition on the Tweets
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