Florida Panthers (22-16-3, 47 Pts) at Toronto Maple Leafs (19-15-7, 45 Pts)

Venue: Scotiabank Arena
Date: Tuesday, January 6
Time: 7:30 pm EST
TV: SN / TNT / HBO Max
Radio:
Florida – Panthers Radio Network
Toronto – SN 590

Purchase tickets via Ticketmaster

Florida Panthers News & Notes:

The defending back-to-back Stanley Cup champions find themselves in a precarious position. Sitting just outside playoff position with 47 points in a tight race in both the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division. The Panthers are coming off of a strong effort in their most recent outing, defeating Colorado 2-1 on a strong performance from goaltender Daniil Tarasov. Brad Marchand has been exceptional in his first full season for Florida, with 46 points through 40 games. The Panthers’ depth has been pushing through with both Tkachuk and Barkov still injured, and will look to continue that tonight in a crucial battle against the Leafs.

Toronto Maple Leafs News & Notes:

The Toronto Maple Leafs enter tonight’s matchup riding a six-game point streak (4-0-2) that has helped them climb back into the playoff conversation in the Eastern Conference. Despite dropping a 4-3 overtime decision to the New York Islanders on Friday, Toronto has looked like a much better and more engaged team. The Leafs received a massive boost as Auston Matthews seems to be back in his scoring form, with five goals in his last two games, including a two-goal performance against the Islanders that showcased why he remains one of the NHL’s elite centers and proved himself as the greatest Leafs goal scorer in history. Another boost coming to Toronto is that defenseman Brandon Carlo could make his return to the lineup tonight after missing over half of the season so far due to ankle surgery. Carlo skated alongside Morgan Rielly on the top defensive pairing during Monday’s practice and participated in penalty kill drills, with all signs pointing to his return against the Panthers. Tonight is a golden opportunity for Toronto to build on their recent momentum against a Panthers team that’s also fighting to climb in the standings.

Florida Panthers Projected Lines

Luostarinen-Lundell-Reinhart
Verhaeghe-Bennett-Marchand
Samoskevich-Rodrigues-Greer
Boqvist-Kunin-Studnicka

Forsling-Ekblad
Mikkola-Balinskis
Sebrango-Petry

Bobrovsky
Tarasov

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Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines

McMann-Matthews-Domi
Maccelli-Tavares-Knies
Cowan-Roy-Robertson
Lorentz-Laughton-Jarnkrok

Rielly-Carlo
Ekman Larsson-Stecher
Benoit-Myers

Woll
Hildeby

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Players To Watch:

Florida Panthers

Brad Marchand has been the Panthers’ most consistent offensive weapon all season long, which has helped keep Florida’s playoff hopes alive despite key injuries to Barkov and Tkachuk. The 36-year-old veteran leads the team in scoring and has been a perfect fit for this Panthers team. Marchand was acquired by Florida before last year’s trade deadline and has been an invaluable addition as he provides veteran leadership and clutch production when the Panthers need it most. With Florida desperate for points as they fight to climb back into playoff position, Marchand’s experience and offensive creativity will be absolutely critical for the Panthers.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Auston Matthews has looked like his dominant self over the past two games, reminding everyone why he’s considered one of the NHL’s premier goal-scorers. The Leafs captain became the first Toronto player to reach 20 goals this season, even after missing games injured, and has put his early-season struggles behind him as he’s found his offensive rhythm at the perfect time. Matthews continues to have elite shooting ability and a knack for finding dangerous areas in the offensive zone, which makes him nearly impossible to defend when he’s playing at his best. After dealing with an upper-body injury earlier in the season that limited his effectiveness, Matthews now appears fully healthy and is playing with the kind of confidence that led him to three Rocket Richard Trophies. Matthews has the perfect opportunity to continue his hot streak tonight as Toronto fights for every point they can get as they try to climb into a playoff position, especially with William Nylander injured.

Injury Report:

Florida Panthers

F Aleksander Barkov – Out
F Matthew Tkachuk – Out

Toronto Maple Leafs

G Anthony Stolarz – Out
F William Nylander – Out
D Chris Tanev – Out
F Dakota Joshua – Out
D Jake McCabe – Out
D Dakota Mermis – Out

Next Game

Florida – January 8 at Montreal Canadiens
Toronto – January 8 at Philadelphia Flyers

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