Luostarinen (lower body) out for Panthers; Gregor re-enters lineup
SUNRISE, Fla. – It’s already been quite a ride for Jeff Petry.
But there’s no stopping now.
On Monday, the veteran defenseman will skate in his 1,000th career NHL game when the Florida Panthers (9-8-1) host the Vancouver Canucks (9-9-2) at Amerant Bank Arena.
“It’s something to be proud of,” said Petry, who’s amassed 96 goals, 294 assists and 390 points across 16 NHL seasons. “Never would’ve dreamed about playing in 1,000 games. Fortunate to play one. Just enjoy it. … It’s been kind of an ever-evolving career, I guess.”
Trying to help the Panthers capture a third straight Stanley Cup, Petry, who began his career with the Edmonton Oilers back in 2010-11, was signed to a one-year deal in the offseason.
“A lot of guys in here that have accomplished the ultimate dream and want to do it again,” Petry said. “That’s kind of what I’m building this season, to reach that.”
A lofty milestone, Petry is the 409th skater in NHL history to reach 1,000 games.
“First off all, it means you’ve played in the best league in the world and you’ve survived it,” head coach Paul Maurice said of the achievement. “You’ve played in pain. You’ve played with separated shoulders, broken feet, all those kind of hard things, and you didn’t let your teammates down. You’ve played at a high enough level to play for a very long time.”
Owing a 5-3-1 record over their last nine games, the Panthers will be looking to bounce back after suffering a 3-1 loss to the cross-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
Tied 1-1 in the third period, rookie forward Jack Finley scored what would go on to hold up as the game-winning goal when he buried a breakaway for the Lightning to make it 2-1.
With less than a minute left, Zemgus Girgensons made it 3-1 with an empty-netter.
Netting the lone goal for the Panthers against Tampa Bay, Brad Marchand, who remains scorching hot, picked up a point in his 10th straight game. During that outstanding stretch, the 37-year-old forward has racked up 15 points, including scoring a team-high nine goals.
A bright spot in the loss to the Lightning, the Panthers went 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
Turning a corner, they’ve killed off 14 of the last 15 power plays they’ve faced.
Making some lineup adjustments, Uvis Balinskis, who last played on Oct. 28, will return to the blue line for the Panthers in place of rookie Donovan Sebrango, who’d played in the last seven contests.
Eetu Luostarinen will not be able to suit up against the Canucks as he’s currently dealing with a lower-body injury that is considered day to day. With that, Noah Gregor will rejoin the lineup on the fourth line, with Mackie Samoskevich taking Luostarinen’s spot up on the top line.
“I’ll give you more details on that on Wednesday,” Maruice said of Luostarinen’s injury.
Snapping out of a three-game skid, the Canucks enter tonight’s tilt after enjoying a 6-2 win against the Lightning at Benchmark International Arena less than 24 hours ago on Sunday.
Entering the third period down 2-1, the Canucks scored three goals within a span of just 1:40 to turn the game on its head and take control in Tampa. Spreading out the offense, all six goals came from a different scorer, while Quinn Hughes fueled things with four assists.
Heating up on offense, Vancouver has scored at least three goals in five of its last six games.
Elias Pettersson leads the Canucks in scoring with 14 points (3G, 11A), while Hughes ranks second with 12 points, all of them coming in the form of assists. Brock Boeser ranks third with 11 points (5G, 6A), with Kiefer Sherwood sitting fourth in points (9) and first in goals (8).
With Thatcher Demko currently on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, Kevin Lankinen has started each of the last six games for the Canucks. But with Lankinen manning the crease against the Lightning on Sunday, Jiri Patera is likely to get the nod in net tonight.
Yet to play this season, Patera has gone 3-3-1 in eight career NHL appearances.
For the Panthers, Sergei Bobrovsky will start.
“They’ve played some pretty darn good offensive teams: Colorado, Carolina and Tampa,” Maurice said of the Canucks. “They’ll put numbers up on you. The shots don’t seem to faze them. They’ve got lots of character in that room. They stay in the game. They stay in the fight. We’re kind of trying to get to the same place.
THEY SAID IT
“Looking back at the whole picture, it goes by quick. You’ve got to enjoy the time that you have.” – Jeff Petry
“One thousand games, in the room, is still one of those things that’s very cherished by the players.” – Paul Maurice
“We maybe got caught up a little bit in that physical battle instead of stick on puck [against the Lightning], making sure we’re forechecking well and creating turnovers. We want to get back to that a little bit more. All the simple things.” – Seth Jones
FIVE CATS STATS
– The Panthers own a 6-2-1 record at home.
– Brad Marchand leads Florida with six multi-point games.
– Sam Reinhart has scored four goals in his last five games.
– Sam Bennett has won 60% of his faceoffs over his last five games.
– The Panthers are 6-0-0 when leading after two periods.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
FORWARDS
Mackie Samoskevich – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand
Carter Verhaeghe – Evan Rodrigues – Sam Reinhart
A.J. Greer – Sam Bennett – Jesper Boqvist
Noah Gregor – Cole Schwindt – Luke Kunin
DEFENSEMEN
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Daniil Tarasov
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
– Oct. 27: D Tobias Bjornfot reassigned to Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Monday, November 17 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV: WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers GameDay App; SiriusXM 220 / App & Streaming 931
Tickets: Click here
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