Pre-Game Skate (3/17/15): Montreal Canadiens (43-20-7) @ Florida Panthers (31-24-14)

Hit The Ice:

It was like being forced to watch people eat a delicious meal, but not be able to eat it yourself. The frustration of dominating the New York Rangers on Sunday night and getting nary a point was palpable following the game. The frustration must become determination though, as the Panthers go from playing the Metropolitan’s best to the Atlantic’s best. The Montreal Canadiens and their legions of fans invade Sunrise tonight, and the Panthers must find a way to cut through the noise to victory. What happens next on the Panthers quest for the playoffs? On to the game!

Know Your Enemy:

Panthers All-Time Record v. Montreal: 37-28-9 with 6 ties
All-Time Record v. Montreal at Home: 19-15-4 with 3 ties
2014-15 Season Record v. Montreal: 1-0-1
Last Game: 2/19/15 @ Bell Centre (Montreal, PQ), Panthers won 3-2 in the shootout

The Panthers will encounter an opponent tonight that arrives in ill humor. The Canadiens played in Tampa last night, and came away with disappointing loss to the Lightning. The effort included Max Pacioretty sending an ill advised pass directly to Steven Stamkos, who proceeded to put the puck past Carey Price. It brought the Habs record to 2-3-2 in their last seven games, and helped the Lightning to tie the Habs at the top of Atlantic Division standings. The Habs have only scored more than 2 goals in a game twice over that seven game span, with Max Pacioretty, Lars Eller, and Tomas Plekanec being the only players who have scored four or more points over that span. This has led to even heavier reliance on Carey Price, who is generating a lot of buzz not only as a Vezina Trophy candidate, but also as a Hart Trophy candidate. However, with Price playing in Tampa last night, the likelihood is that the Panthers will draw Dustin Tokarski in net. The young netminder is putting up decent numbers with a 5-5-3 record, .913 save percentage, and 2.71 GAA, but obviously is not Carey Price. However, Tokarski did face the Panthers once earlier this season, in the Habs last visit to the BB&T Center. He put on a fantastic performance that night, making 36 saves on 37 saves and earning the victory in the shootout. Tokarski, however, is 1-3-2 since that victory over the Panthers, posting a blah-worthy .901 save percentage. While the Habs are no doubt a tough opponent, they enter tonight in a vulnerable position.

The Rundown:

Panthers Leaders & Special Teams
Goals: Nick Bjugstad (24)
Assists: Jussi Jokinen (32)
Points: Nick Bjugstad (42)
SAT Relative: Brian Campbell (+4.2%)
Scoring Chances Relative: Vincent Trocheck (+6.2%)
Individual Shot Attempts (Total): Nick Bjugstad (228)
Power Play: 15.8% (33 for 209, 27th)
Penalty Kill: 79.8% (170 for 212, 24th)

Canadiens Leaders & Special Teams
Goals: Max Pacioretty (34)
Assists: P.K. Subban (39)
Points: Max Pacioretty (60)
SAT Relative: Brendan Gallagher (+6.5%)
Scoring Chances Relative: Brendan Gallagher (+7.0%)
Individual Shot Attempts (Total): Max Pacioretty (360)
Power Play: 16.3% (33 for 203, 26th)
Penalty Kill: 84.1% (185 for 220, 7th)

The Hat Trick:

The Frustration is Real: Sunday was not Funday for the Panthers. They played one of their best games of the season, but ultimately crashed into the wall that is Cam Talbot and the New York Rangers. The 98 shot attempts put down range was the second most this season, one shy of the franchise record of 99 set on December 4 against Columbus. Even then, the Panthers managed to extract a point from that game and scored three goals. All the Cats could muster against the Rangers was a single goal. It wasn’t just Talbot who was getting the job done, the Panthers had 36 of their shot attempts blocked. That represents not only a season high, but a franchise high going back to 2005, beating out the 27 Columbus blocked on December 4, and the previous franchise record of 29 by the Dallas Stars on November 15, 2011. It was all a perfect metaphor to encapsulate the season: a great effort that shows promise and growth but, ultimately, left a hunger for more.

At Least We’re Getting Points?: The good news lately though is that the Panthers have been collecting points in a majority of their games. They are currently 5-2-1 in their last 8 games. This represents the best 8 game stretch for the Panthers since December, when the Panthers went 5-1-2 from December 12 to December 30, failing to collect points against only the Pittsburgh Penguins on December 20. Thus far the Panthers have been able to keep pace with the Boston Bruins by going on this nice little run. They will need it to last just a little bit longer though if they hope to make the jump to Wild Card status.

Silent But Deadly: To little fanfare, The Panthers have killed seven straight power plays, and have kept opposing power plays scoreless in three straight games. The penalty kill has no doubt been buoyed by the solid play of Dan Ellis. Since being called up, Ellis has a .933 save percentage when the Panthers are shorthanded. This stands in stark contrast to the numbers Luongo and Montoya have put up since the turn of the New Year. Luongo has a .855 save percentage on the calendar year of 2015 when shorthanded, while Montoya has an equally mediocre .849. While certainly Ellis performance is not likely to last over the long term, the Panthers are reaping benefits from it right now.

Projected Lineup:

Florida Panthers

D1: Campbell | Ekblad
D2: Mitchell | Gudbranson
D3: Kulikov | Kampfer

SG: Ellis
BG: Brittain

Montreal Canadiens

D1: Markov | Subban
D2: Gilbert | Petry
D3: Beaulieu | Emelin

SG: Tokarski
BG: Price

Courtesy of Daily Faceoff (Accurate as of 10:00 am)

Closing Thoughts:

Happy St.Patrick’s Day! Don’t be a fool, if you drink and drive you’re a tool. Stay safe!

AJ can be reached for contact on Twitter .