Comments / New

This week for the Florida Panthers: On the road again

Monday at Montreal Canadiens

The Panthers will be looking for a third straight win over Montreal (24-14-5) when they kick off the road trip at the Bell Centre on Monday night. The Canadiens will be finishing off a three-game homestand that began with a 6-4 win over Dallas, before Saturday night’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators.

Slick defender P.K. Subban leads the Habs offense with 33 points, while U.S. Olympian Max Pacioretty is the club’s leading goal scorer with 19. The Cats will be shooting at either Carey Price or backup Peter Budaj. The Cats have already beaten Budaj twice this season, so they may get a look at number one Price this time around.

Thursday at Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres (12-26-4) will also be concluding a three-game homestand when the Panthers come calling on Thursday. Buffalo edged New Jersey 2-1 in the opener and will play Carolina on Tuesday before they do battle with the Cats. Florida will be looking to avenge a 3-1 loss the lowly Sabres pinned on them back on October 25th in Sunrise.

In-season acquisition Matt Moulson leads Buffalo’s anemic offense with 14 goals and 27 points. Talented center Cody Hodgson remains on injured reserve. Ryan Miller has faced a ton of rubber, but is having a strong season with a 2.64 GAA and .927 save percentage. Backup Jhonas Enroth has posted nice numbers too, but only one win so far. That lone victory came against Florida.

Saturday at New Jersey Devils

The Panthers will finish the trip Saturday night against former coach Peter DeBoer and the New Jersey Devils. This will be the first meeting this season between the two clubs. The Devils (17-18-8) will welcome the Philadelphia Flyers and Dallas Stars to the Prudential Center this week before they face the Cats

The ageless Jaromir Jagr is the Devils leading scorer with 34 points. Veteran forward Michael Ryder has chipped in 13 goals. Martin Brodeur and Cory Schneider have combined to give New Jersey strong enough goaltending to keep the Devils in the playoff chase.

So how do you see this week playing out for the Panthers? The Cats took three of four the last time they ventured out on the road. A similar performance is likely needed for Florida to stay within striking distance of Toronto and Detroit. Don’t forget to make your thoughts known by voting in this week’s poll. Last time out, only four voters got it right.

How many points will the Panthers pick up this week?

Zero 0
One 2
Two 4
Three 7
Four 40
Five 10
Six 12

Talking Points