ShareA lengthy four day break in action ends tonight with a visit from the Arizona Coyotes. It will mark the second game in a row against an opponent who may also be a trade partner. Three games, including tonight, separate us from the trade deadline. Intrigue is upon us.
The Numbers
Team Breakdown
| | Florida Panthers | Arizona Coyotes |
| Record | 34-18-7 (1st Atlantic) | 27-27-6 (4th Pacific) |
| GF/60 (5v5) | 2.3 | 2.2 |
| GA/60 (5v5) | 1.9 | 2.4 |
| CF/60 (5v5) | 47.8 | 51.1 |
| CA/60 (5v5) | 51.4 | 59.8 |
| PDO (5v5) | 102.0 | 100.8 |
| Power Play | 16.4% - 33 for 201 (27th) | 18.7% - 42 for 225 (14th) |
| Penalty Kill | 81.6% - 160 for 196 (13th) | 77.9% - 166 for 213 (26th) |
Individual Leaders
| | Florida Panthers | Winnipeg Jets |
| Points | Jaromir Jagr - 43 | Oliver Ekman-Larsson - 46 |
| Goals | Jaromir Jagr - 20 | Shane Doan - 22 |
| Assists | Jonathan Huberdeau & Jussi Jokinen - 29 | Oliver Ekman-Larsson - 29 |
| P1/60 (5v5) | Jaromir Jagr - 1.83 | Max Domi - 1.85 |
| iCorsi/60 (5v5) | Brandon Pirri - 15.2 | Tobias Rieder - 16.7 |
| CF% rel (5v5, SA) | Jussi Jokinen - +6.7% | Anthony Duclair - +6.8% |
| PenD (5v5) | Aleksander Barkov - +9 | Tobias Rieder - +11 |
Goalie Matchup
| | Roberto Luongo | Louis Domingue |
| Record | 25-14-5 | 12-11-4 |
| AdjSv% (5v5) | .935 | .930 |
| AvgShDA (feet) | 32.7 | 37.4 |
| RBA/60 | 2.1 | 2.6 |
| RSA/60 | 2.1 | 2.2 |
| GAA | 2.26 | 2.66 |
* – Stats are courtesy of Corsica.Hockey, War-on-Ice.com, Puckalytics.com and Hockey-Reference.com
Projected Lineups
Florida Panthers
| #36 Jussi Jokinen | #16 Aleksander Barkov | #68 Jaromir Jagr |
| #48 Logan Shaw | #27 Nick Bjugstad | #92 Kyle Rau |
| #21 Vincent Trocheck | #17 Derek MacKenzie | #18 Reilly Smith |
| #28 Garrett Wilson | #41 Greg McKegg | #22 Shawn Thornton |
| #7 Dmitry Kulikov | #5 Aaron Ekblad |
| #51 Brian Campbell | #44 Erik Gudbranson |
| #3 Steven Kampfer | #6 Alex Petrovic |
| #1 Roberto Luongo |
| #35 Al Montoya |
Arizona Coyotes
| #8 Tobias Rieder | #50 Antoine Vermette | #89 Mikkel Boedker |
| #16 Max Domi | #11 Martin Hanzal | #10 Anthony Duclair |
| #48 Jordan Martinook | #12 Brad Richardson | #19 Shane Doan |
| #24 Kyle Chipchura | #32 Tyler Gaudet | #9 Viktor Tikhonov |
| #23 Oliver Ekman-Larsson | #5 Connor Murphy |
| #34 Klas Dahlbeck | #4 Zbynek Michalek |
| #44 Kevin Connauton | #26 Michael Stone |
| #35 Louis Domingue |
| #60 Niklas Treutle |
The Hat Trick
Ask And You Shall Receive: I gushed about wanting to see Bjugstad and Rau together on the same line. Little did I know I would get just that in Rau’s first game. However, I would have preferred that it did not come at the expense of Jonathan Huberdeau. Nothing can be done about that now though, and it appears Rau will remain on Bjugstad’s line. I am all about it based on what I saw Saturday night. Rau fit right in, getting double shifted in Huberdeau’s absence. It would have been easy to come unglued in your first NHL game. Rau instead brought a bombastic energy to the front line, yet never got reckless. He played a smart game, jumped into the play when needed, and backed off when called for.
Now, he gets a set spot on Bjugstad’s wing, along with Logan Shaw, to start tonight’s game. I’m pulling for more of what we saw Saturday night.
Bark Back: Don’t look now, but Aleksander Barkov has returned. We are unabashed Barkov fans here, so this is a happy occasion. He was knocked out of the lineup by Justin Abdelkaeder two and a half weeks ago in a 3-0 loss to the Red Wings at the Joe. They have compiled a 3-2-1 record in his absence. Also returning tonight is Erik Gudbranson. I am generally happy about this, but what I am not happy about is the scratching of Mike Matheson. I don’t see why you wouldn’t play him over, say, Steven Kampfer. We all ready know what Kampfer is all about, but we’ve seen Matheson literally once in the NHL. He played well in his first game too. We need to see more. If he is up, then he needs to play, and if he doesn’t play, he needs to return to Portland. There is no sense parking him in the press box.
In The Desert: This season is not quite like the last couple for the Coyotes. They were expected to be a major player for local boy Auston Matthews after finishing third in the Connor McDavid/Jack Eichel sweepstakes last season. Yet, the Coyotes have flirted with a Top 3 spot in the Pacific Division at times this season. However, that’s more a testament to how bad their division is rather than how good the Coyotes are. They currently sit 4th in their division, but are a .500 hockey club. As a result, they are likely to sell in the next few days. Mikkel Boedker is the most mentioned name coming out of Phoenix. Some mention Shane Doan, but with how long he’s stuck around, I doubt he gets moved now. That ship set sail a long time ago.
Closing Thoughts
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