Home Sweet Home! The Panthers return home from a 3-2-1 road trip. Now enter the Edmonton Oilers, for a game sure to be full of fire works.
The Numbers
[table id=TS02G46 /] [table id=IS02G46 /] [table id=GM02G46 /]* – Stats are courtesy of War-on-Ice.com, Puckalytics.com and Hockey-Reference.com
Projected Lineups
[table id=PF02G43 /] [table id=PD02G43 /] [table id=PG02G32 /] [table id=OF02G46 /] [table id=OD02G46 /] [table id=OG02G46 /]The Hat Trick
Victory Road: The Panthers return home from their six game road trip with 7 of a possible 12 points. That probably feels a little light, given the Panthers have dropped the last three games. However, in recent years, that would been reason for celebration. It is still something to be happy about. That record was good enough to keep the Panthers in first place, and open a three point lead on 2nd place Detroit. Now, for some home cooking to keep things that way.
Settling Scores: With the Oilers in town tonight, there is a giant elephant in the room that will be addressed. When these teams met last week, the Panthers left Edmonton with Aaron Ekblad on the mend. He was boarded by the Oilers’ Matt Hendricks, for which he served a three game suspension. His punishment is up tonight though, and he is eligible to return to the lineup. Will he be back to face the music? One thing is known for sure, Shawn Thornton is ready:
Monty Cubano’s Flying Rat Circus: The Panthers will go with Al Montoya in net tonight. The backup netminder has been having a great season so far, after a rough first act last season in a Panthers uniform. He’s got a 7-1-1 record on the season, and has won his last five starts. Additionally, the Panthers are 3-1-1 in the 2nd game of back to backs this season, so there’s a nice collection of things to feel good about in this game.
Closing Thoughts
Just a gentle reminder to donate to #CatsForACause. We currently sit at $1,332, just $178 short of 50% to our goal ($3,000). I made the same pledge last night, and I will make it again tonight. My normal pledge is $2 for a win, and $5 for a shutout. Tonight, I’m making it $10 for a win and $20 for a shutout. If you can’t donate that much, that’s fine! You can donate any amount! Just click the hashtag above to reach our fundraising page.
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