FLORIDA PANTHERS NOTES:
BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT
- F Anthony Duclair | Games Missed: 32
- F Anton Lundell | Games Missed: 8
- D Radko Gudas | Games Missed: 7
- F Patric Hornqvist | Games Missed: 7
- F Chris Tierney | Games Missed: 2
- F Colin White | Games Missed: 2
Total Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 91
LAST GAME
Panthers 4, Devils 2 – Dec. 17 – Prudential Center
FLA Goals: Reinhart (10-PPG), Forsling (5), Reinhart (11), Verhaeghe (16)
NJD Goals: Marino (3), Haula (2)
FLA Goalie: Bobrovsky (W) – 30 Saves
NJD Goalie: Schmid (L) – 25 Saves
FLA Shots: 29
NJD Shots: 32
Notes: Sam Reinhart tallied two goals, extending his point streak to three games (4-2-6)…Aaron Ekblad notched two assists…Brandon Montour posted an assist, extending his point streak to three games (1-2-3)…Carter Verhaeghe scored a goal for his second point in as many games…Grigori Denisenko notched an assist for his first point of the season…Florida’s 20 blocked shots were their most in a game this season…Sergei Bobrovsky started his sixth consecutive game…FLA PP: 1-2, FLA PK: 3-3
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- Dec. 15: F Aleksi Heponiemi recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Dec. 14: G Alex Lyon loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Dec. 13: F Grigori Denisenko recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Dec. 8: G Alex Lyon recalled from Charlotte (AHL) | F Aleksi Heponiemi loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
PANTHERS vs. BRUINS
ALL-TIME vs. BOS: 43-49-6-10
ALL-TIME ROAD vs. BOS: 22-26-4-3
2022-23 vs. BOS: 1-1-0
CATS STATS
- Aleksander Barkov has produced 20 points (8-12-20) over 26 career games vs. Boston.
- Sam Reinhart has logged 22 points (9-13-22) over 33 career games against the Bruins.
- Josh Mahura leads Florida with a +18 rating in 2022-23, tied for 3rd-best among NHL defensemen following games played Dec. 17
- Three different Panthers skaters (Tkachuk 12, Barkov and Brandon Montour 10 each) have produced at least 10 power-play points this season
CATS AND BRUINS
The Panthers and Bruins will face off for the third time out of four total meetings in 2022-23, with each team having earned one win thus far. In their prior matchup Nov. 23 at FLA Live Arena, Spencer Knight stopped 37 of 39 Bruins shots on goal and Aleksander Barkov (1-2-3) and Aaron Ekblad (1-2-3) each produced three points en route to a 5-2 Panthers win. Sam Reinhart (1-1-2) also produced two points in the game. Three different players (Barkov, Ekblad and Matthew Tkachuk [1-2-3]) have logged three total points against Boston in 2022-23.
THE TALE OF THE TAPE
Florida has produced the most shots on goal per game overall (37.1) and on the road (36.9) of any team this season, and Boston ranks second in total shots per game (35.1, tied with NJD). The Panthers also rank second among NHL teams in five-on-five goals for (75).
‘TIS THE SEASON
Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers with 10 points (4-6-10) over eight games in December, and since the start of the calendar year the Scottsdale, Ariz., native has produced 117 points (43-74-117) over 82 total regular season games, the second-most of any NHL skater behind Connor McDavid (53-80-133, 81 GP).
BOOMIN’ BLUELINE
21 of Florida’s goals this season have come from defensemen, the second-most goals by d-men among NHL teams this season behind NYI (23). Florida’ 80 points by blueliners also ranks second through games played Dec. 17, behind SJS (83).
CHUCKIE’S CHEESE
Matthew Tkachuk posted his team-leading 14th multi-point game (1-1-2) Dec. 13 vs. CBJ. He also posted his third plus-four rating in the game, the most of any NHL skater this season. Tkachuk posted at least a point in four straight games from Dec. 1-8 (2-5-8), his third point streak of at least four games in 2022-23. He leads Florida with 39 points (14-25-39) this season. His 37 points through his first 25 games in 2022-23 were both the most by any Panthers skater through their first 25 games with the franchise and the most by any Panthers skater through their first 25 games of a season in franchise history. The Scottsdale, Ariz. Native also paces the Cats in assists (25), PIMs (45), points per game (1.34), even-strength goals (12-tied), even-strength points (27), power-play points (12) and shots on goal (107). He also leads Florida in assists (12) and points (19) on the road this season and ranks second in road goals (7) behind Carter Verhaeghe (8).
Most Points by a Panthers Skater Through first 25 Games with the Franchise
- Matthew Tkachuk 2022-23 37 Points (13-24-37)
- Pavel Bure 1998-99 to 1999-00 30 Points (21-9-30)
- Kris Versteeg 2011-12 28 Points (12-16-18)
Most Points by a Panthers Skater Through First 25 Games of a Season
- Matthew Tkachuk 2022-23 37 Points (13-24-37)
- Pavel Bure 1999-00 34 Points (21-13-34)
- Jonathan Huberdeau 2019-20 31 Points (10-21-31)
BARKOV COUNTY
Panthers Captain Aleksander Barkov notched an assist Dec. 17 at NJD for his third point of his past three games (1-2-3). He posted two points (1-1-2) Dec. 13 vs. CBJ for his sixth multi-point game this season and 150th multi-point game of his career, and logged a plus-three rating. He has registered 22 points (5-17-22) over 25 games in 2022-23, leading Florida with a 56.5 faceoff win percentage. His five multi-assist games are tied with Matthew Tkachuk for the most on Florida this season. Barkov sits at 66 career power-play goals, tied with Scott Mellanby for the most in Panthers history. Over his past 10 games played, Barkov has produced 11 points (3-8- 11). Barkov is also two even-strength goals away from surpassing Jonathan Huberdeau (150) for the franchise record.
EK’S GON’ GIVE IT TO YA
Aaron Ekblad notched two assists Dec. 17 at NJD, and he skated in his 574th NHL game Dec. 15 vs. PIT, surpassing Robert Svehla for most games played by a defenseman in franchise history and fifth-most overall. Ekblad also posted a plus-three rating against PIT. He notched his 202nd NHL assist to surpass Keith Yandle for second-most by a defenseman in franchise history and sixth-most by a Panthers skater Dec 8 vs. DET. He logged his 611th career blocked shot Dec. 6 at WPG, surpassing Dmitry Kulikov for the most blocked shots in franchise history (since the NHL began tracking in 2005-06). Ekblad logged his 200th NHL assist Nov. 29 at CGY to cap his point streak at five games (3-4-7 from Nov. 20-29), tied for the longest by a Panthers skater this season. He was the third blueliner to reach 200 assists with Florida. Ekblad notched his 199th career assist Nov. 28 at EDM for his 300th NHL point (101-198-299). He was the first Panthers defenseman to reach the mark with Florida and the first blueliner from the 2014 draft class to post 300 points. He scored his 100th career goal Nov. 23 vs. BOS and produced a season-high three points (1-2-3).
All-Time Games Played, Panthers History
- Jonathan Huberdeau (F) 671 GP
- Stephen Weiss (F) 654 GP
- Aleksander Barkov (F) 621 GP
- Radek Dvorak 613 GP
- Aaron Ekblad (D) 575 GP
‘HART OF GOLD
Forward Sam Reinhart logged his second multi-goal outing (2-0-2) Dec. 17 at NJD, including his team-leading sixth power-play goal. He scored his ninth goal of the campaign Dec. 15 vs. PIT and has produced six points (4-2-6) over his past three games, tallying at least once in all three games for his second three-game goal streak of the season. Reinhart registered a season-high three points (1-2-3) Dec. 13 vs. CBJ and posted a plus-four rating, tied for the best by a Panthers skater this season. He notched an assist Dec. 8 vs. DET and posted a season-high seven shots on goal, and he logged at least one point in five consecutive games (2-5-7) from Nov. 23-Dec. 1, tied for the longest point streak on Florida this season. Reinhart scored a power-play goal in three consecutive games from Nov. 15-19, behind only Anthony Duclair and Evgenii Dadonov (4 games each) for the longest PPG streak in franchise history.
MONTOUR OF DUTY
Brandon Montour notched an assist Dec. 17 at NJD and led all skaters with five blocked shots, tied with Marc Staal for the most by a Panthers skater in a game this season. He has registered a point in each of his past three games (1-2-3) and skated in his 400th NHL game Dec. 10 at TBL. He has produced 25 points (6-19-25) through his first 30 games of 2022-23. His 25 points this season are the fourth-most points by a Panthers defenseman through 30 contests in a season. With his assist Nov. 28 at EDM, he surpassed Aaron Ekblad (22 GP, 2021-22) for the fewest games to reach the 20-point mark in a season among Panthers blueliners in club history. The Brantford, Ontario native leads Florida blueliners in assists and points. Montour’s seven points from Nov. 6-9 tied Bryan McCabe (1-6-7, March 3-6, 2010) for the most points in a two-game span by a Panthers defenseman in club history. He matched his career high with four points (1-3-4) Nov. 6 at ANA, also tying the franchise record for single-game points by a defenseman.
MR. CARTER
Forward Carter Verhaeghe scored his 12th even-strength goal of the season Dec. 17 at NJD, and he has produced a point in each of his past two games (1-1-2). His 12 even-strength goals are tied with Matthew Tkachuk for the team lead. He has posted at least one point (4-3-7) in six of his past eight games, and he skated in his 200th NHL game Dec. 8 vs. DET. He tallied his fourth power-play goal of the season and matched his career high with eight shots on goal Dec. 6 at WPG. Verhaeghe produced his team-leading fifth multigoal game Dec. 3 at SEA. His goals came :26 seconds apart, tied for the third-fastest two goals scored by one player in franchise history. He paces Florida in goals (16) and he has produced 26 points (16-10-26) over 31 games in 2022-23, which ranks second on the team. He posted a point in four straight games from Nov. 3-9 (4-3-7). The Toronto, Ontario native’s eight total multi-point games (tied with Sam Bennett) and 20 even-strength points each second on Florida.
BENNY AND THE CATS
Forward Sam Bennett has logged 17 points (6-11-17) over his past 20 contests. He matched his career high with three assists Dec. 3 at SEA, and he logged his second multi-goal game of the season (2-0-2) Dec. 1 at VAN. He also produced three assists while skating in his 500th NHL game Nov. 17 vs. DAL. Bennett’s five third-period tallies are tied for the team lead with Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe. He has registered eight multi-point games this season, tied with Verhaeghe for second-most on the team. The Holland Landing, Ontario native’s 99 shots on goal are tied for second-most on Florida and his 81 hits lead Florida forwards.
JUST THE TWO OF GUS
Defenseman Gustav Forsling scored his fifth goal of the campaign Dec. 17 at NJD. All five of his goals this season have come on the road, the most road tallies among Panthers defensemen in 2022-23. He notched his third multi-assist performance of the season Dec. 13 vs. CBJ. His first helper in the game represented his 100th NHL point. He scored a goal in consecutive games from Dec. 1-3. He has amassed 21 points (5-16-21) in 2022-23, including 17 even-strength points which are the most among Panthers defensemen. Forsling notched an assist in five straight games (0-6-6) from Nov. 12-20, the longest assist/point streak of his career. He also posted a four-game assist/point streak earlier this season (1-4-5, 4GP Oct. 15-21). He logged a career-high seven shots on goal Nov. 1 at ARI. His 99 total shots this season are tied for second-most on the Panthers.
WHAT ABOUT BOB?
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has started each of Florida’s past six games, posting a .923 save percentage and 2.34 goals against average over that span (since Dec. 8). He earned his 38th NHL shutout Dec. 13 vs. CBJ, stopping all 22 shots he faced in the game. He stopped a season-high 41 shots for a .953 save percentage Nov. 15 vs. WSH. His 41 saves were his most since stopping 42 shots against Jan. 11 vs. VAN. Bobrovsky appeared in his 600th NHL game Nov. 5 at LAK, becoming the 53rd goaltender in league history to reach the mark. His 339 career wins were the most through a goaltender’s first 600 appearances in NHL history.
OH WHAT A KNIGHT
Goaltender Spencer Knight earned at least one point in six consecutive decisions (3-0-3) from Nov. 19-Dec. 1. He has surrendered five goals over his past three starts since Dec. 1 for a .940 save percentage and 2.12 goals against average, the third-best SV% among goaltenders over that span (Dec. 1-Dec. 6). Knight appeared in his 50th NHL game Dec. 3 at SEA and earning his 30th NHL win Dec. 1 at VAN. His 49 games were the fewest games required to reach the 30-win mark with Florida in franchise history. Knight stopped all 40 Carolina shots he faced Nov. 9 vs. CAR to earn his third career shutout. The 21-year-old native of Darien, Conn., owns a 31-13-6 record over his first 50 NHL games.
SUPER STAAL BROS.
Eric and Marc Staal have combined for eight assists and nine points (1-8-9) over Florida’s past 10 games. Eric scored his first goal of the season Dec. 11 vs. SEA, marking his 442nd NHL goal, surpassing Steve Larmer and Rick Vaive for 67th on the all-time NHL goals list. His 442 tallies rank fifth among active skaters. Marc led Florida with a plus-three rating and four blocked shots Dec. 8 vs. DET, and Eric recorded a season-high six shots on goal Dec. 6 at WPG. The Thunder Bay, Ontario natives have combined for 2,369 total NHL games and 1,258 points.
BOSTON BRUINS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME
- The Bruins host the Panthers tonight in the 2nd of 3 games between these teams this season and the 2nd of 2 games at TD Garden.
- They are 24-4-2 overall this season and are 16-0-2 on home ice … They are 13-3-0 vs. Eastern Conference opponents.
- The Bruins play game 4 of a 5-game home stand tonight hosting the Panthers (2-0-1) … They will conclude vs. Winnipeg on 12/22 and will finish the holiday break in New Jersey on 12/23.
RECENT GAMES:
- The Bruins are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games with their 5-game point streak stopped at 4-0-1 with a 4-3 loss at Arizona on 12/11 and rebounding with a 3-0-1 stretch with wins vs Vegas, NY Islanders and Columbus and a shootout setback to Los Angeles … They are 14-2-2 in their last 18 games.
- They are 16-0-2 in their 18 home games, including a 14-game home win streak, the longest from the start of a season in league history … That is the 12th such streak in NHL history and is the 2nd in Boston annals to 1973-74’s 21-game stretch at 19-0-1.
- The Bruins became the 1st team to 50 points this season (24-4-2) and are the 4th team in NHL history to hit that mark through the 1st 30 games of a season, including the 1929-30 Bruins who had a 25-4-1 mark.
- Boston 4 vs NY Islanders 3/SO … Jake DeBrusk scored twice in a 19-second span and Derek Forbort scored shorthanded en route to a shootout win (goals by DeBrusk and David Pastrnak) … Linus Ullmark extended his career-best win streak to 9 games … SOG: Bos 33, NYI 26 … PP: 1/2 … PK: 0/3
- Boston 2 vs Los Angeles 3/SO … Taylor Hall and Brad Marchand (PP) opened a 2-goal lead before the Kings evened the score and Boston took the shootout loss (goals by Charlie Coyle and Jake DeBrusk) … Linus Ullmark stopped his career-best 9-gm win streak with the extra point … SOG: Bos 35, LA 30 … PP: 1/6 … PK: 1/6
- Boston 4 vs Columbus 2 … David Pastrnak scored his 20th of the season and David Krejci had a PPG+A each, and Taylor Hall (GA) and Tomas Nosek scored in a 19-second span in the 3rd period for the win … Jeremy Swayman earned the victory in goal while narrowly missing a score of his own … SOG: Bos 39, Cmb 33 … PP: 2/3 … PK: 2/5
INJURIES (Total man-games lost in 2022-23: 35)
- None
BOSTON vs FLORIDA, LIFETIME SERIES
- The Bruins and Panthers are meeting for the 108th time in their histories with the Bruins having a 59-36-6-6 record and 311-270 scoring advantage in those games.
- The Bruins are 29-18-4-4 lifetime vs. Florida at home with a 162-128 scoring edge in those 55 contests.
- The Bruins won the 1st game of this season’s series with a 5-3 win in Boston on 10/17 … They are 7-3-1 in their last 11 games vs. the Panthers and are 15-7-1 in their last 23 games of the lifetime series
NUMBERS
1 / 2: Boston’s rank in win percentage (.833) and fewest goals against per game (2.13) while 2nd in goals for per game (3.80).
1 / 3: Boston’s special teams ranking in the penalty-kill at 84.6% (18/117) and power play at 29.0% (33/114). Boston Bruins: Media Notes
2: Player on the current roster new to the Bruins organization this season – A.J. Greer (free agent) and Pavel Zacha (trade).
3: Season series completed – ARI (1-1-0, snapping a 19-gm win streak which was the longest by an opponent in club history), COL (2-0-0), VGS (1-0-1).
4: Defenseman points in a game this season by Hampus Lindholm (1-3=4 vs PIT on 11/1) and Charlie McAvoy (4A vs CHI on 11/19).
4: Points by David Pastrnak (1-3=4 totals) on 10/12/2022 in Washington in the 2022-23 season opener … That is the most points in a Boston opener since Brad Marchand (2-3=5) and Pastrnak (2-2=4) in 10/13/2016.
5: Game-winning goals by Taylor Hall (tied for 2nd in the NHL), including three straight deciding goals from 10/20-25/2022 – deciding shootout goal vs. Anaheim on 10/20, OT goal vs. Minnesota on 10/22 and GWG vs. Dallas on 10/25.
7: Straight 20-goal seasons by David Pastrnak, including his 3rd-fastest 20 in his 30th game (22 gms in 2019-20 and 28 gms in 2018-19).
9: New career-best win streak by Linus Ullmark from 11/7-12/13/2022 … That bested his 8-game stretch from 10/12-11/3/2022 which was his previous mark and it also tied the longest win streak by a Boston goaltender from the start of a season (Tim Thomas, also 8-0-0 in 2010-11).
9: Game point streak by David Pastrnak from 11/7-25 with 6-7=13 totals in that span … That was his longest such stretch since a career-best 13-game stretch in 2019-20.
9: Players on the Bruins current roster who played college hockey – Connor Clifton, Charlie Coyle, Derek Forbort, Trent Frederic, AJ Greer, Matt Grzelcyk, Charlie McAvoy, Craig Smith and Jeremy Swayman.
10: Former first round draft picks on the current roster – Charlie Coyle, Jake DeBrusk, Derek Forbert, Trent Frederic, Taylor Hall, Hampus Lindholm, Charlie McAvoy, David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha and Jakub Zboril
14: Straight home wins to open this season, which is the longest such streak in NHL history … That also tied as Boston’s longest home win streak overall since a 14-game stretch in 2008-09.
18: Current home point streak at 16-0-2.
50: Points by the Bruins after 30 games this season at 24-4-2 … That is the 2nd-best mark after 30 games in team history (25-4-1) and they are the 4th team in NHL history to hit that mark through the 1st 30 games of a season.
+50: Boston’s league-leading goal differential (NJ is 2nd at +30), including an NHL-best 3rd period goal differential at 44-19 and +25.
394-25-21: Boston’s record since 2011-12 in games in which they have had a 2-goal lead in a game … That extends to 257-2-6 over that span when they have led by 3 goals
555: Consecutive Bruins games (regular season & playoffs) currently sold out at TD Garden … Their last non-sellout game was on 12/2/2009 when a Wednesday game vs. TB drew 16,553
FUN FACTS
- The Bruins currently have 22 players on their roster … 10 were drafted by the team, 4 were acquired in trade and 8 were signed as free agents.
- The Bruins play 16 matinees this season (local start time 4:00 pm or earlier) … They have a 3-0-0 record in afternoon games so far.
- The Bruins play 14 sets of back-to-back games this season … They are currently 3-0-0 in the 1st game of those sets and are 2-1-0 in the 2nd games so far.
- The Bruins are playing game 9 of a 14-game December schedule tonight (8 hm/6 rd, 5-1-2) … They will play 14 games in January (5 hm/9 rd), 10 in February (3 hm/7 rd), 15 in March (9 hm/6 rd) and 7 in April (3 hm/4 rd) … They went 8-1-0 in October and 11-2-0 in December.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
Nov. 2: Keith Kinkaid recalled from Providence/AHL.
Nov. 7: Jakub Lauko returned to Providence/AHL.
Nov. 9: Mike Reilly placed on waivers for assignment to Providence/AHL (assigned Nov. 10).
Nov. 16: Keith Kinkaid returned to Providence/AHL.
Nov. 28: Anton Stralman placed on waivers (cleared 11/29).
