FLORIDA PANTHERS NOTES:

BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT

• F Anthony Duclair | Games Missed: 34
• D Radko Gudas | Games Missed: 9
• F Patric Hornqvist | Games Missed: 9
• F Chris Tierney | Games Missed: 4
• F Aleksander Barkov | Games Missed: 2
  Total Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 102

LAST GAME
Panthers 2, Devils 4 – Dec. 21 – FLA Live Arena
FLA Goals: E. Staal (3), Luostarinen (8-PPG)
NJD Goals: Bratt (11-PPG, 12), Sharangovich (9), Tatar (8)
FLA Goalie: Bobrovsky (L) – 29 Saves
NJD Goalie: Blackwood (W) – 34 Saves
FLA Shots: 36
NJD Shots: 33
Notes: Eric Staal tallied a goal for the second consecutive game (2-0-2)…Eetu Luostarinen’s goal marked his first power-play goal of his career, and extended his point streak to three games (1-2-3) which matched his career long…Anton Lundell notched an assist in his first game back after missing Florida’s previous nine games with injury…FLA PP: 1-1, FLA PK: 2-3

RECENT TRANSACTIONS:

• Dec. 21: F Aleksi Heponiemi loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
• Dec. 19: F Givani Smith acquired from DET in exchange for D Michael Del Zotto
• Dec. 15: F Aleksi Heponiemi recalled from Charlotte (AHL)

PANTHERS vs. ISLANDERS
ALL-TIME vs. NYI: 56-32-8-11
ALL-TIME ROAD vs. NYI: 27-19-2-6
2022-23 vs. NYI: 2-0-0

CATS STATS

• Florida’s 54.9 shot attempts percentage at five-on-five play ranked fourth among NHL teams following games played Dec. 21.

CATS AND ISLES
The Panthers and Islanders will face off for the third and final time this season, with Florida earning the victory in their previous two matchups this season by a combined score of 6-3. Eetu Luostarinen leads the Cats with three points (1-2-3) and a plus-four rating against the Isles this season, while seven different Panthers have registered at least one point in the season series. Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight each earned a win by stopping a combined 56 of 59 shots against over the two games. The Panthers have won each of their past five games against the Islanders since Oct. 16, 2021, and own a 9-2-2 total mark over 13 games since Jan. 30, 2018. Aleksander Barkov has amassed 20 points (10-10-20) over 22 career games against NYI, while Eric Staal has logged 50 points (24-26-50) over 59 total games against the Isles.

PUCKS ON NET
49 total NHL players had recorded at least 100 shots on goal this season following games played Dec. 21 – the Panthers are the only team with more than three such players (Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Gustav Forsling, Carter Verhaeghe). Florida has produced the most shots on goal per game overall (37.1) and on the road (37.0) of any team this season. Florida ranks second in the league in five-on-five goals (79) and third in even-strength goals (88).

BOOMIN’ BLUELINE
21 of Florida’s goals this season have come from defensemen, tied for the second-most goals by d-men among NHL teams this season behind NYI (23). Florida’ 83 points by blueliners also ranks tied for second through games played Dec. 21, behind SJS (87).

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 (57), points per game (1.26), even-strength points (27), power-play points (12) and shots on goal (114).

Most Points by a Panthers Skater Through first 25 Games with the Franchise

1. Matthew Tkachuk 2022-23 37 Points (13-24-37)
2. Pavel Bure 1998-99 to 1999-00 30 Points (21-9-30)
3. Kris Versteeg 2011-12 28 Points (12-16-18)

Most Points by a Panthers Skater Through First 25 Games of a Season

1. Matthew Tkachuk 2022-23 37 Points (13-24-37)
2. Pavel Bure 1999-00 34 Points (21-13-34)
3. Jonathan Huberdeau 2019-20 31 Points (10-21-31)

MONTOUR OF DUTY
Brandon Montour produced at least one point in four consecutive games (1-3-4) from Dec. 13-19, his longest point streak of the season. He leads Panthers blueliners in goals (6), assists (20) and points (26) this season, and his 26 points tied for the ninth-most among NHL defensemen following games played Dec. 21. He 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. Montour skated in his 400th NHL game Dec. 10 at TBL. His 25 points through his first 30 games this season were 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’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. His three game-winning goals are the most on the Panthers in 2022-23.

‘HART OF GOLD
Forward Sam Reinhart posted two points (1-1-2) Dec. 19 at BOS for his second consecutive multi-point game and sixth of the campaign. He has also tallied a goal in four consecutive games (5-3-8) from Dec. 13-19, tied for the longest goal streak of his career and tied for the longest on Florida this season. Reinhart’s goal Dec. 19 at BOS marked his 400th NHL point. His 401 points are the third-most of any skater selected in the 2014 NHL Draft. He logged his second multi-goal outing (2-0-2) Dec. 17 at NJD, including his team-leading sixth power-play goal. 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.

Most Career Points, Players Drafted in 2014

1. Leon Draisaitl 670 (275-396-671)
2. David Pastrnak 547 (261-286-547)
3. Sam Reinhart 401 (179-222-401)

MR. CARTER
Forward Carter Verhaeghe logged two points (1-1-2) Dec. 19 at BOS to extend his point streak to three games (2-2-4). He leads Florida with 17 goals and 13 even-strength goals (17-11-28 in 33GP). Verhaeghe’s 17.0% shooting percentage is the highest on Florida among skaters with at least 10 games played this season. He has posted at least one point (5-4-9) in seven of his past 10 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, and he produced his team-leading fifth multi-goal 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 posted a point in four straight games from Nov. 3- 9 (4-3-7). The Toronto, Ontario native’s nine total multi-point games and 22 even-strength points each rank second on Florida. Just 33 games into the season, Verhaeghe is seven goals away from matching his career high in goals (24 in 78GP, 2021-22).

EK’S GON’ GIVE IT TO YA
Aaron Ekblad led Florida with six shots on goal and 26:58 time on ice Dec. 19 at BOS. He 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).

BENNY AND THE CATS
Forward Sam Bennett notched an assist Dec. 21 vs. NJD and he has logged 18 points (6-12-18) over his past 22 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, the third-most on the team. The Holland Landing, Ontario native’s 105 shots on goal are second-most on Florida and his 87 hits lead Florida forwards.

JUST THE TWO OF GUS
Defenseman Gustav Forsling has posted a point in two of his past three games (1-1-2). He 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 22 points (5-17-22) in 2022-23, including 18 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 102 total shots this season lead all Cats blueliners.

WHAT ABOUT BOB?
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky started six consecutive games from Dec 8-17, posting a .923 save percentage and 2.34 goals against average over that span. 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 surrendered five goals over three starts from Dec. 1-6 for a .940 save percentage and 2.12 goals against average, the third-best SV% among goaltenders over that span. 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., owned a 31-13-6 record over his first 50 NHL games.

SUPER STAAL BROS.
Eric and Marc Staal have combined for eight assists and 11 points (3-8-11) over Florida’s past 12 games. Eric has produced eight points (3-5-8) over that span. He has scored in each of his past two games to reach 444 tallies in his NHL career, moving into a tie with Hall of Famer Daniel Alfredsson for 65th on the League’s all-time goals list. Eric’s 444 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 2,373 total NHL games and 1,260 points.

GOTTA GO TO MO’
Nov. 15 vs. WSH marked Paul Maurice’s 1,700th game as an NHL head coach, becoming the fourth in League history to reach the mark. He earned his 783rd win as an NHL head coach Nov. 9 vs. CAR, surpassing legendary bench boss Al Arbour for sixth-most in League history. He is one of three coaches to earn at least 300 wins with two different franchises. He is 10 wins away from achieving his 800th NHL win as a head coach.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS NOTES:

LAST GAME
DATE NYI RESULT SCORE NYI SCORERS IN GOAL
Thurs., Dec. 22, 2022 Loss NYR 5 vs. NYI 3 Lee, Barzal, Romanov Sorokin (29/33)
Anders Lee opened the score in the first period, and Mathew Barzal and Alexander Romanov each found the back of the net, but the New York Islanders fell to the New York Rangers, 5-3, Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. Josh Bailey tallied his eighth assist of the season, and Ilya Sorokin turned away 29 of 33 shots faced in the Islanders’ final matchup against the Rangers this season.

RECENT TRANSCATIONS
Dec. 21 Cal Clutterbuck has been placed on IR (retroactive to Dec. 16).
Dec. 18 Cory Schneider has been emergency recalled from loan (Bridgeport).
Dec. 17 Cal Clutterbuck and Kyle Palmieri are both day to day with upper body injuries.
Dec. 16 Kyle Palmieri has been activated off the team’s IR list.
Dec. 15 Adam Pelech has been placed on IR (retroactive Dec. 6).
Dec. 4 Robin Salo has been recalled from Bridgeport (AHL).

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
Tonight, the New York Islanders host the Florida Panthers in the third and final matchup between the two teams this season. These teams last met on October 23, in Sunrise, when Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal each recorded two points. The Islanders have collected points in each of their last three meetings against an Atlantic Division opponent. Tonight’s game is the Islanders’ first at UBS Arena in 13 days, and they will look to improve to 5-2-0 on the back-end of back-to-back series, after visiting the Rangers yesterday evening.

INJURIES GAMES MISSED

3 Adam Pelech Dec. 9 –

12 Josh Bailey Nov. 29

15 Cal Clutterbuck Oct. 13, Nov. 8, Dec. 2- Dec. 6, Dec. 17 –

18 Anthony Beauvillier Dec. 10 – Dec. 13

21 Kyle Palmieri Nov. 23 – Dec. 13, Dec. 17 –

25 Sebastian Aho Oct. 13 – Oct. 20

26 Oliver Wahlstrom Oct. 13

40 Semyon Varlamov Dec. 19 –

Man Games Lost: 38

RECENT RESULTS
Thursday, Dec. 22 at NY Rangers L (5-3)
Monday. Dec. 19 at Colorado L/SO (1-0)
Saturday, Dec. 17 at Vegas W (5-2)
Friday, Dec. 16 at Arizona L (5-4)
Tuesday, Dec. 13 at Boston L/SO (4-3)

UPCOMING GAMES
Dec. 27 vs. Pittsburgh UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) 7:30pm
Dec. 29 vs. Columbus UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) 7:30pm
Jan. 1 at Seattle Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle, WA) 8:00pm
Jan. 3 at Vancouver Rogers Arena (Vancouver, BC) 10:00pm
Jan. 5 at Edmonton Rogers Place (Edmonton, AB) 9:00pm

SEASON SERIES
DATE LOCATION TIME RESULT
Oct. 13, 2022 UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) 7:30pm L (3-1)
Oct. 23, 2022 FLA Live Arena (Sunrise, FL) 5:00pm L (3-2)
Dec. 23, 2022 UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) 7:30pm

LAST FIVE MEETINGS AGAINST FLORIDA:
Oct. 23, 2022 FLA Live Arena (Sunrise, FL) Loss (3-2)
Oct. 13, 2022 UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) Loss (3-1)
Apr. 19, 2022 UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) OT Loss (3-2)
Nov. 16, 2021 FLA Live Arena (Sunrise, FL) Loss (6-1)
Oct. 16, 2021 FLA Live Arena (Sunrise, FL) Loss (5-1)

vs. THE PANTHERS:
2022-23 0-2-0
Last 5 meetings 0-4-1
Franchise History 43-49-8-7
NYI Home 25-24-2-3
NYI Away 18-25-6-4

TEAM NOTES
HOSTING THE PANTHERS
Tonight, the New York Islanders host the Florida Panthers in the third and final matchup between the two clubs this season. They will look to earn their first win against the Panthers since December 12, 2019. The last time these teams met was October 23 in Sunrise, a 3-2 decision in the Panthers’ favor. The Islanders also hosted the Panthers in their 2022 home opener on October 13, when Noah Dobson scored, but the Islanders fell 3-1. Dobson has found the scoresheet in each of his last four matchups against Florida, dating back to November 16 of last season. Dobson recorded his 12th assist of the season and fourth point in his last five games last night against the Rangers. The Islanders have faced an Atlantic Division opponent just twice in the last month. The last time was December 13 in Boston, when they collected a point in the shootout. The Islanders have collected points in each of their last three matchups against an Atlantic Division team.

BACK-TO-BACKS
The Islanders will look to earn their fifth win of the season on the back-end of a back-to-back series and enter tonight’s game with a 4-2-0 record in back-ends. Tonight caps off the Islanders’ third back-to-back series this month, the most they’ll play in a one month span all season.

ASSISTS LEADER
Mathew Barzal recorded his ninth multi-point game of the season last night against the Rangers, including his fifth goal of the season and 28th assist. Barzal leads the Islanders in assists and is tied with Brock Nelson for the team-lead in points (33). Barzal’s 28 assists are seventh-most in the league (tied with Quinn Hughes and Adam Fox).Amongst Metropolitan Division skaters, only Artemi Panarin (32) and Adam Fox have as many assists as Barzal so far this season.

OPENING THE SCORE
The Islanders have opened the score in seven of their last eight victories, dating back to November 14 in Ottawa. This season, they are 12-3-0 when scoring the first goal. Saturday night in Las Vegas, their last win, Islanders captain Anders Lee opened the score with 1:02 remaining in the first frame.

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Islanders forward Anthony Beauvillier is one goal shy of his career 100th, and he would become the 11th player from his 2015 NHL Draft class to reach the milestone. The Sorel-Tracy, QC native has six goals in 34 games so far this season, and scored his sixth of the year last week, when the Islanders visited the Arizona Coyotes.

RETURNING HOME
The Islanders return to UBS Arena tonight for a three-game home stand, following a season-long five-game road trip. The Islanders have a 9-6-0 record on home ice so far this season. The Islanders’ penalty kill has been particularly successful on UBS Arena ice so far this season. Entering tonight’s game, the Islanders have an 87.5% penalty kill on home ice. They have allowed just five power play goals in 40 times shorthanded on home ice so far this season.

DOBSON
Islanders defensemen have scored a league-high 23 goals so far this season. Noah Dobson, who leads Islanders defensemen in goals (10), assists (12) points (22) has recorded fourt points in his last five games. Monday night in Colorado, Dobson led the Islanders with five shots on goal and skated a career-high 26:35 TOI. It is the most an Islander has skated in single contest since Ryan Pulock (29:00) on November 25, 2018. Dobson scored his tenth goal of the season on December 16, tying Rasmus Dahlin for second-most amongst all NHL defensemen. Dobson enters tonight’s game six points shy of his career 100th. The Summerside, PEI native is tied with and Zach Parise for third-most goals on the Islanders, behind Brock Nelson’s 15 tallies and Anders Lee’s 11. Dobson is also one of just two Islander defensemen in franchise history to record 27 goals before their 23rd birthday (joining Denis Potvin). He enters tonight’s matchup three goals shy of his career-best, 13, set last season.

FIRSTS AND SECONDS
In the Islanders’ last win on Saturday night, Islanders forward Simon Holmstrom scored his first career NHL goal in his 11th career game. He became the first Islander since Cole Bardreau (Nov. 5, 2019) to tally the eventual game-winner with his first NHL goal. Holmstrom is is the Islanders’ lone NHL debutante so far this season. Hudson Fasching scored his second goal of the season in the Islanders’ last win, and the third of his NHL career. Fasching scored his first of the season on December 6 vs. St Louis, ending a 38-game drought. Fasching had not scored since his first NHL goal in his first NHL game, March 26, 2016 vs. the Winnipeg Jets.

SOROKIN
Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin earned his third shutout of the season and 13th of his career on Monday night, when the Islanders fell in a 1-0 shootout decision to the Colorado Avalanche. It was the Islanders’ fourth team shutout of the season, leading the NHL. Sorokin’s 46 saves were the second-most he has made in a single contest this season (49, November 23) and the fourth time this season he has made more than 40 saves. The Mezhdurechensk, RUS native’s 46 saves on Monday tie Steve Mason (Philadelphia, November 14, 2014) for the most saves by a goaltender in a 1-0 shootout loss in NHL history. Sorokin leads all NHL netminders in shutouts since the beginning of the 2021-22 season, with 10.

POINTS LEADER
Brock Nelson leads the Islanders in goals (15) and points (33), and is second on the team in assists (18). Nelson also leads the Islanders in game-winners (5) and is one of just seven NHLers to tally five GWGs so far this season. Five GWGs also matched Nelson’s single-season career-high, which he first recorded during the 2019-20 season, and again in 2021-22. Nelson tallied an assist the last time these teams met on October 23. Nelson last tallied a point in December 17’s victory against the Golden Knights. December 19 and 22 are the first time that the Warroad, MN native has been held scoreless in consecutive games this season.

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Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau skated in his 600th career NHL game last night against the New York Rangers. He is the ninth active Islander and 18th member of his 2011 NHL Draft class to reach the milestone.