Panthers Return Home From Tough Road Trip To Face Rival Bruins
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SUNRISE (CBSMiami/SportsDirect) – Despite missing key players, the Florida Panthers have played some very good hockey this season.
Putting together full sixty minute games has been a challenge though.
The injury-plagued Panthers are staying afloat with a pair of budget free-agent signings leading the way as they prepare to host the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.
Jonathan Marchessault ($750,000) leads the team with six goals and 11 points while Colton Sceviour ($950,000) notched a hat trick in Florida's 5-2 victory at Detroit on Sunday that snapped a three-game slide.
The Panthers are without three of their top-nine forwards because of injuries – Jonathan Huberdeau, Nick Bjugstad and Jussi Jokinen – and veteran Jaromir Jagr has only goal in the early going.
Bjugstad and Jokinen could be back soon to help Florida, which plays five of the next six at home where it is 3-1-0, while Boston will likely be without two of their top three scorers Tuesday.
Speedy wing David Pastrnak (five goals, eight points) serves the second contest of a two-game suspension for an illegal hit and power forward David Backes (four points, five games) is questionable after recovering from elbow surgery.
The good news for the Bruins is that goaltender Tuukka Rask is back after missing three games with an undisclosed injury and looks to improve on a 4-0-0 record following a 1-0 shutout of Detroit on Saturday.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TVAS, NESN (Boston), FSN Florida
ABOUT THE BRUINS (4-4-0): Rask's return has eased some concerns on the defensive side of the ice but Boston must get their offense in gear, especially on the power play where it is 2-for-28 – last in the league.
Brad Marchand (three goals, 10 points), Pastrnak and Backes have produced early while center David Krejci has yet to score and defenseman Torey Krug, along with forwards Matt Beleskey and Jimmy Hayes, have not recorded a point.
Rookie defenseman Brandon Carlo (plus-6 rating) has shined playing primarily beside veteran Zdeno Chara.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (4-4-1): Sceviour had a career-high 11 goals with Dallas last season and has notched five in nine games this season, taking advantage of additional ice time in place of the three key forwards on the shelf.
Jagr has yet to get on track despite 24 shots on net and playing beside Marchessault, while linemate Aleksander Barkov has gone five games without a point.
Forward Jared McCann, a key offseason acquisition from Vancouver, is without a point in his first nine outings with the Panthers and Reilly Smith has managed to score once after netting 25 in 2015-16.
OVERTIME
- Boston C Patrice Bergeron owns 17 goals and 37 points in 44 career games against the Panthers.
- Florida G Roberto Luongo, who will likely be back in net after being rested Sunday, is 15-15-1 with a .926 save percentage versus the Bruins.
- The Bruins won three of four meetings last season, including both games in Florida.
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