Panthers at Senators
The Florida Panthers have battled their way back into serious contention for a playoff spot and look to keep things rolling when they visit the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night. The Panthers are 5-2-2 in their last nine after a 3-2 shootout victory at Montreal on Thursday. “There’s a lot of work to be done,” Florida's Roberto Luongo told reporters. “We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. We realize we’re back in the thick of things, which is exciting and fun for our group.”
The Panthers pulled within a point of reeling Boston for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Senators are 3-1-1 in their last five contests to reside at .500 and nine points behind the Bruins with their top two goalies out due to injuries. Craig Anderson (hand) is closer to a return in net than Robin Lehner (concussion), but Andrew Hammond will likely get his second straight start after beating Montreal on Wednesday in his first NHL start.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Florida, SNET and TVA2 (Ottawa)
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (26-19-12): Luongo has been the biggest key for Florida during its run, going 4-1-2 while allowing two or fewer goals in seven straight contests. The Panthers are 25th in the league in goals per game (2.37) and will likely be active in trying to upgrade their offense by the trade deadline in early March. Nick Bjugstad leads the team in goals (21) and points (36) and has tallied five times in the last eight games, while rookie defenseman Aaron Ekblad and Jonathan Huberdeau have each registered 32 points.
ABOUT THE SENATORS (23-23-10): Hammond made 42 saves against Montreal as Ottawa rebounded from a rough 6-3 loss to Carolina when Lehner and forward Clarke MacArthur were lost to injuries. Captain Erik Karlsson boasts a goal and eight assists during a five-game point streak to lead the team with 44 points – two better than Bobby Ryan, who has five points in four games. Left wing Matt Puempel, a first-round pick in 2011, was recalled from the American Hockey League and could make his NHL debut.
OVERTIME
1. Florida RW Jimmy Hayes is second on the team with 17 goals – already six better than last season in five fewer contests.
2. The Panthers have split a pair of one-goal games this season and are 3-1-0 against Ottawa in the last four.
3. Ottawa C David Legwand is one point shy of 600 and Senators C Kyle Turris needs one for 200.