Florida Panthers News

Bennett (lower-body) skated on his own on Tuesday; hoping to return on Thursday.

Bennett will miss his second straight game with a lower-body injury but the Flames are hopeful he will play Thursday vs. the Panthers. Even if he does play, the former No.3 overall pick should be left on free agency--he has just two points (1G / 1A) and is playing just 12:40 ATOI in nine games this season.

Sam Bennett
Barkov (upper-body) will play Tuesday vs. the Penguins.

Barkov left Saturday's game in Nashville but is good-to-go for Tuesday's game. This is huge news for the Panthers, who could be without their second-line centre, Vincent Trocheck. Barkov is still looking for his first goal of the season, having recorded just six assists in his first eight games of the season.

Aleksander Barkov
Bobrovsky will start Tuesday vs. the Penguins.

Bobrovsky gave up five goals on 41 shots in the Panthers' loss to the Avalanche last Friday. He was given Saturday night off, so Bobrovsky gets the nod tonight vs. Pittsburgh. His Panthers' career is off to an ugly start, going 2-2-2, 4.07 GAA and .872 SV% in his first six starts. The Penguins have won five of their last six games while averaging 3.83 goals per game.

Sergei Bobrovsky
Barkov (upper-body) returned to practice on Monday.

Barkov played just 1:55 TOI before departing Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury. Early reports were that Barkov was day-to-day but the fact that he was on the ice on Monday suggests that the Panthers’ No.1 centre could be available for Tuesday’s game vs. the Penguins.

Aleksander Barkov
The Kings have assigned Tobias Bjornfot to Ontario (AHL).

Bjornfot was the Kings' first-round pick this summer and played in the first three games of the season but was a healthy scratch in the last four. It makes no sense to have an 18-year-old sitting in the press box, so they send him back to Ontario where he will log big minutes.

Tobias Bjornfot
Bobrovsky will start Monday afternoon in New Jersey.

Bobrovsky allowed two goals on 32 shots in the Panthers’ shootout loss in Buffalo last Friday. Samuel Montembeault started his first game on Saturday, so they’ll come back to Bobrovsky on Monday afternoon. The Devils are averaging just 1.80 goals per game (30th in the NHL) through five games, so Bobrovsky should start the week with a ‘W’.

Sergei Bobrovsky
Bobrovsky will start Friday in Buffalo.

Bobrovsky was yanked after giving up four goals on 14 shots in the Panthers blowout loss to the Hurricanes on Tuesday. His Panthers career is off to a rocky start, posting an .859 SV% through three games. Bobrovsky has been notorious for slow starts in recent years though, so expect him to get back on track soon enough.

Sergei Bobrovsky
Rodrigues will make his season debut on Wednesday.

Rodrigues has been a healthy scratch for the first three games of the regular season but will draw into the lineup on Wednesday. With Conor Sheary day-to-day with an upper-body injury, Rodrigues will skate on the third line with Casey Mittelstadt and Jimmy Vesey.

Evan Rodrigues
Kulikov (personal) is not expected to play on Tuesday.

Kulikov has left the Winnipeg Jets to attend to a “personal family matter.” Josh Morrissey was back on the ice for Monday’s practice and took Kulikov’s spot. Sami Niku will also be recalled from Manitoba (AHL) to provide the Jets with blueline depth while Kulikov is away.

Dmitry Kulikov
Bobrovsky will start Tuesday vs. the Hurricanes.

Bobrovsky allowed three goals on 35 shots in the Panthers win over the Lightning on Saturday. Bobrovsky has allowed seven goals on 64 shots (.890 SV%) in his first two starts with the Panthers, both of them coming against the high-powered Lightning. Tonight he faces a Hurricanes team that has started the season 3-0-0 while ranking second in Shots-per game (38.3) and averaging 3.33 goals per game.

Sergei Bobrovsky
Bobrovsky will start Saturday vs. the Lightning.

Bobrovsky allowed four goals on 29 shots in the Panthers opening night loss in Tampa Bay. It was a tough start to his Panthers career, but matchups don’t come more difficult than the Lightning. He’ll look to bounce back against the same high-powered squad tonight, but use Thursday as a cautionary tale.

Sergei Bobrovsky
Bobrovsky will make his Panthers debut in Tampa Bay on Thursday.

It shouldn’t come as a big surprise that the Panthers prized offseason acquisition will start on opening night. Bobrovsky has started 60-plus games for three straight seasons and has led the NHL in wins (115), tied for second in SV% (.922) and tied for third in GAA (2.35) over that span. You didn’t draft Bobrovsky to bench him, but he draws a brutal matchup to open the season.

Sergei Bobrovsky
Bobrovsky is expected to start the Panthers season opener in Tampa Bay.

It shouldn’t come as a big surprise that the Panthers prized offseason acquisition will start on opening night. Bobrovsky has started 60-plus games for three straight seasons and has led the NHL in wins (115), tied for second in SV% (.922) and tied for third in GAA (2.35) over that span. You didn’t draft Bobrovsky to bench him, but he draws a brutal matchup to open the season.

Sergei Bobrovsky
The Flames have re-signed Matthew Tkachuk to a three-year contract worth $21 million ($7.0M AAV).

After failing to eclipse 50 points in his first two NHL seasons, Tkachuk broke out for 34 goals and 43 assists (77 points) in 80 games. As good as Tkachuk played in 2018-19, he could see some regression in 2019-20, after relying on a 16.4 SH% and 10.2 on-ice SH%. Being stuck behind Johnny Gaudreau on the depth chart also limits Tkachuk’s chances of approaching a point-per-game this season.

Matthew Tkachuk