Lightning at Panthers
The Tampa Bay Lightning took advantage of their monster homestand and now head out on the road for 10 of the next 13 games, beginning at the Florida Panthers on Sunday. The Lightning won five of seven during the home stretch, which began with a 7-2 triumph over the Panthers and ended with a late-comeback victory over Buffalo on Saturday. Florida has managed to score only nine goals over the last six contests, a stretch during which it registered just one victory.
Steven Stamkos, who has 20 goals in 29 career games against the Panthers, recorded 13 points on Tampa Bay's homestand. Florida’s Shawn Matthias and Tomas Kopecky, who combined for 29 goals last season, have yet to score in 11 games. “The worst thing you can do is think about it, and I’ve been doing that,” Matthias told the Miami Herald. “I need to get this off my mind and start rolling.”
TV: 5 p.m. ET, Sun Sports (Tampa Bay), FSN (Florida)
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (7-3-0): Anders Lindback, looking for his first victory, is expected to get his third start in net after Ben Bishop played against Buffalo on Saturday. Lindback will lean on defenseman Matt Carle, who is off to a strong start with seven points while averaging a team-high 22:41 of ice time. Captain Martin St. Louis also had a productive homestand with 10 points, and the Lightning continue to get contributions from younger players such as Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson, who boast three goals each.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (3-7-1): Coach Kevin Dineen is searching for answers as Florida prepares for the fifth contest of its six-game homestand, and that could mean lineup changes. Brad Boyes, who has one point in the last six games, reportedly did not skate with the top four lines at practice Saturday. Tomas Fleischmann leads the Panthers with nine points and rookie center Aleksander Barkov is next with seven while Jonathan Huberdeau, last season’s Calder Trophy winner, has five - but none in the last three games.
OVERTIME
1. Panthers LW Sean Bergenheim had an assist Friday in his first game since the 2012 playoffs after recovering from various lower-body injuries.
2. Lindback is 4-1-0 with one of his two career shutouts in five lifetime starts against Florida.
3. Florida D Brian Campbell registered four points in the first four games of the season but has just one in seven contests since.