Summary:
After a huge overtime win in Colorado this past Tuesday, the Panthers will try to finish their road trip on a high note. Can the Panthers keep up their goal scoring? Will the Killer B’s start to dominate again? On to the game!
Historical Context:
In 26 games played against the Arizona Coyotes, the Panthers have 9 Wins, 12 Losses, 3 Ties, and 2 Overtime Losses. This leaves the team with 23 points and a .442% points percentage. This ranks Arizona as the team number 19 out of 29 on the Panthers total win column.
Last season, the teams met on two separate occasions. Unfortunately, the team formerly known as the “Phoenix Coyotes” (RIP) would win both games. The first game was March 11th at the BB&T Center and the Coyotes won 3-to-1. Florida had two solid power play chances in the third period but the Panthers just couldn’t seem to cash in. The next game was March 20th at Phoenix with the Coyotes narrowly edging out Florida, 2-to-1. The Coyotes started off with two goals in the 1st and despite Florida’s best efforts, they were unable to pull off a comeback.
What To Expect:
Way too much relocation talk on Twitter.
Know Your Enemy:
Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Watch that video. Despite the corny music, that video shows how explosive Oliver Ekman-Larsson is on the offensive spectrum. He can do it all. Look for him to lead the rush and get a ton of pucks on net.
Expected Line Combinations:
Florida Panthers:
L1: Bergenheim/Barkov/Boyes
L2: Huberdeau/Bjugstad/Upshall
L3: Fleischmann/Pirri/Jokinen
L4: Kopecky/MacKenzie/Thornton
D1: Campbell/Ekblad
D2: Mitchell/Kulikov
D3: Olsen/Gudbranson
Starting G: Luongo
Backup G: Montoya
Arizona Coyotes:
L1: Boedker/Vermette/Doan
L2: Klinkhammer/Chipchura/Korpikoski
L3: Gagner/Hodgman/Erat
L4: McMillan/Vitale/Crombeen
D1: Ekman-Larsson/Murphy
D2: Yandle/Stone
D3: Schlemko/Michalek
Starting G: Smith
Backup G: Dubnyk
Courtesy of Daily Faceoff
Song of the Game:
For each Game Day Post, I will be providing a “Song of the Game” to get you in the winning spirit. Tonight’s “Song of The Game” is just the right track to prepare you for a battle between two of the “hottest” teams in the league.
Closing Thoughts:
This should be a really fun game. Coming off a 4-goal outburst (their highest of the season), the Panthers will show up tonight trying to show it wasn’t just a one game fluke. This is definitely a winnable game for the Panthers and it would be a great way to end off their 4-game road trip, which they have picked up 5 out of a possible 6 points so far.
Patric M. can be reached for contact on Twitter.
