RALEIGH, N.C. \u2013 The Florida Panthers will look to stretch their winning streak to three games when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n
After starting their six-game road trip with losses at Montreal and Toronto, the Panthers enter tonight\u2019s tilt on the heels of consecutive wins over Ottawa (3-2) and Buffalo (4-3).<\/p>\n
At 24-18-3, Florida remains on the cusp of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve played a solid eight periods or so, so just continue to build off that,\u201d forward Evan Rodrigues said of turning things around on the road trip. \u201cDon\u2019t get complacent. It\u2019s going to be a dog fight in the East from here until the end of the season. Every point matters, every game matters, and you\u2019ve got to find a way to be ready for each one.\u201d<\/p>\n
In between their win over the Sabres on Monday and tonight\u2019s matchup with the Hurricanes, the Panthers managed to squeeze in a few days back in South Florida and also a trip to the White House on Thursday to be honored as 2025 Stanley Cup champions.<\/p>\n
Over the course of their last two wins \u2013 which have come without both Matthew Tkachuk (lower body) and Brad Marchand (undisclosed) \u2013 Carter Verhaeghe leads the Panthers in scoring with five points (1G, 4A), while Gustav Forsling ranks second with 3 points (1G, 2A).<\/p>\n
Lighting the lamp twice in Buffalo, A.J. Greer\u2019s two goals lead the team in that span.<\/p>\n
Getting the nod in the first half of the back-to-back, Sergei Bobrovsky will man the crease against the Hurricanes. Owning a 19-12-1 record with a .881 save percentage this season, the veteran netminder boats a .923 save percentage in 34 career games against Carolina.<\/p>\n
Out since Nov. 17 with a broken arm, Cole Schwindt will return to the lineup tonight.<\/p>\n
Claimed off waivers on Oct. 3, the big center has scored two goals in 10 games this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought he got up to speed and he was playing exceptionally well when he got injured,\u201d head coach Paul Maurice said. \u201cHe\u2019s going back in on the first day he feels strong enough to play, and we\u2019re hoping to get him back up to speed again as quickly as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Getting some business done this morning, the Panthers inked defenseman Uvis Balinskis to a two-year contract extension that will keep him in South Florida through at least the 2027-28 season.<\/p>\n
Suiting up in 138 games over parts of three seasons with the Panthers, Balinskis, who was scouted from the Czech Extraliga, has produced 29 points (6G, 23A) during his NHL career.<\/p>\n
Scoring one goal in five playoff games with the Panthers during last season\u2019s run, Balinskis became just the third Latvian-born player to have their name engraved on the Stanley Cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t expect any of this at all,\u201d Balinskis said of his time with the Panthers. \u201cI\u2019m grateful it all happened to me. Yeah, it\u2019s good. \u2026 We have a great group. We have a championship team, and it\u2019s great to be part of this. Everybody makes you better every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leading the Metropolitan Division at 28-15-4, the Hurricanes have followed a four-game winning streak with back-to-back losses on the road at Detroit (4-3 OT) and St. Louis (3-0).<\/p>\n
Sebastian Aho leads the Hurricanes in scoring with 45 points (17G, 28A), while Andrei Svechnikov is second with 35 points (12g, 23A). After them, three other players have crossed the 30-point mark this season: Nikolaj Ehlers (34), Seth Jarvis (33) and Shayne Gostisbehere (32).<\/p>\n
Dealing with an illness, Gostisbehere\u2019s status for tonight\u2019s game is currently up in the air.<\/p>\n
Between the pipes, the Hurricanes can turn to either Brandon Bussi or Frederik Andersen. Bussi, who was claimed off waivers from the Panthers prior to this season, has gone 16-3-1 with a .904 save percentage, while Andersen sits at 6-10-3 with a .863 save percentage.<\/p>\n
Already 2-0-0 against the Hurricanes this season, the Panthers are trying to complete their first season sweep of Carolina since they went 3-0-0 during the 2021-22 campaign.<\/p>\n
In their last meeting with the Hurricanes on Dec. 23, the Panthers overcame a two-goal deficit in the third period to secure a 5-2 win.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust a good 60 minutes,\u201d Rodrigues said of the key to securing the season sweep. \u201cThey play hard, they play fast, so we have to be ready to match that. Don\u2019t try to be too cute. Just play north and try to be on their D (defensemen).\u201d<\/p>\n
THEY SAID IT<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s his personality and his character. That\u2019s what that contract is. He\u2019s worked so hard to get better. He\u2019s handled long stretches out of our lineup, and then come in during the playoffs, and in big games and performed very well. He competes how we\u2019d like our hockey team to compete. It\u2019s great that those guys get rewarded, too.\u201d \u2013 Paul Maurice on Uvis Balinskis\u2019 contract extension<\/p>\n
\u201cJust a good human. He\u2019s a good person, good player. He does what\u2019s asked of him and never complains. A guy who can bring a little jam of when he gets in there.\u201d \u2013 Evan Rodrigues on Uvis Balinskis\u2019 contract extension<\/p>\n
FIVE CATS STATS<\/p>\n
– Since Jan. 1, Anton Lundell is winning 57.5% of his faceoffs.<\/p>\n
– The Panthers have low 256 total man games due to injury so far this season.<\/p>\n
– Since Nov. 11, the Panthers lead with the NHL with a 96.9% success rate on the PK.<\/p>\n
– Sam Bennett has notched four points (2G, 2A) over his last four games.<\/p>\n
– Since Jan. 1, Mackie Samoskevich leads the Panthers with 14 hits.<\/p>\n
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)<\/p>\n
FORWARDS<\/p>\n
Eetu Luostarinen \u2013 Anton Lundell \u2013 Sam Reinhart<\/p>\n
Carter Verhaeghe \u2013 Sam Bennett \u2013 A.J. Greer<\/p>\n
Sandis Vilmanis \u2013 Evan Rodrigues \u2013 Mackie Samoskevich<\/p>\n
Jesper Boqvist \u2013 Cole Scwhindt \u2013 Luke Kunin<\/p>\n
DEFENSEMEN<\/p>\n
Gustav Forsling \u2013 Aaron Ekblad<\/p>\n
Niko Mikkola \u2013 Uvis Balinskis<\/p>\n
Donovan Sebrango \u2013 Jeff Petry<\/p>\n
Goaltenders<\/p>\n
Sergei Bobrovsky<\/p>\n
Daniil Tarasov<\/p>\n
RECENT TRANSACTIONS<\/p>\n
– Jan. 10: F Sandis Vilmanis recalled from Charlotte (AHL)<\/p>\n
– Jan. 4: D Tobias Bjornfot was recalled from Charlotte (AHL)<\/p>\n
HOW TO WATCH\/LISTEN<\/p>\n
When: Friday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
Where: Lenovo Center \u2013 Raleigh, NC<\/p>\n
TV & Streaming: NHL Network, WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV<\/p>\n
Radio: 104.3 WQAM-FM\/560 WQAM-AM (Dade\/Broward); 106.3 WESP-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers GameDay App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931<\/p>\n