SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers will look to extend their winning streak to six games when they host the Nashville Predators at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday.

Atop the Atlantic Division with a 9-3-1 record, the Panthers enter tonight’s game looking to build on a two-game sweep over the Dallas Stars in the 2024 Global Series in Finland .

After filling the scoresheet against the Stars in an exhilarating 6-4 win on Friday, the Panthers beat Dallas again the following night in a 4-2 win on Saturday.

While all four of Florida’s Finnish players scored at least one point in both games, Aleksander Barkov led the way in his hometown of Tampere with five points.

After a dazzling start, the objective is now to continue to decline in North America.

“It’s been a pretty crazy schedule to start the season,” forward Carter Verhaeghe said after morning skate at the Baptist Health IcePlex. “A lot of traveling, a lot of team bonding and stuff like that. It’s nice to come back and play in front of our home fans and get the rhythm back here.

Author of five points in the two matches in Finland, Sam Reinhart continues to add fuel to his already hot start. In addition to leading the Panthers, he ranks tied for fourth in the NHL in points (21) and first in goals (10), including three shorthanded shots.

Below 13th, Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell both had 13 points, while Barkov, Verhaeghe, Matthew Tkachuk and Gustav Forsling each had eight points. Barkov and Tkachuk missed time earlier this season and are producing at a point-per-game pace.

Possessing a 6-2-1 record, Sergei Bobrovsky will get the nod against Nashville.

As a team, the Panthers started incredibly strong on both sides of special teams, ranking seventh in the NHL in power play (25.7%) and fifth in penalty kill (86.8%).

“Part of that is that we got healthier during the trip,” head coach Paul Maurice said of the team’s early season success. “We get people where they belong where they’re supposed to be. (Tomas) Nosek comes in, Barkov and Tkachuk come back into our lineup. It’s like you bought a house, it was a disaster, you made it up, and then you come back to it and you recognize it.

Despite a very busy summer in terms of signings, the Predators struggled early this season, notably losing their first five games. Last in the Central Division with a 4-8-1 record, they enter tonight’s game after a 3-2 loss at Washington on Wednesday.

Tied 2-2 in the third period, Alex Ovechkin lit the lamp to give the Capitals a 3-2 lead and hand the Predators their fourth loss in the last five games. In the loss, Juuso Parssinen and Steven Stamkos scored for Nashville, while Juuse Saros stopped 33 of 36 shots between the posts.

Even though players like Stamkos (558 career goals) and Jonathan Marchessault (232 career goals) signed big contracts during the offseason, the Predators have yet to find their rhythm on offense as they currently rank 29th rank.^th in the NHL with an average of 2.38 goals per game.

At 5-on-5, Nashville was outscored 33-14 for a league-worst 29.79 GF.

“You’re not jealous of what they go through, but anyone who gets to where they want to go has to go through some adversity,” Maurice said. “Theirs is at the start of their season. We come out of a trip, they come back to back to back. They have the advantage of desperation heading into tonight’s game. I saw him (last night). Their D zone was difficult. They drive hard.

Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly are tied for the Predators scoring lead with 10 points each, while Gustav Nyquist, Marchessault and Roman Josi each had seven points.

With Saros starting last night, backup Scott Wedgewood will likely get the nod against the Panthers. In two appearances this season, he has gone 1-1-0 with one. 854 percent savings.

Overall, the Panthers don’t want to be the team that Nashville rebounds against.

“It’s a very good team,” Verhaeghe said. “They have a lot of good players. They can score at will. They’re definitely looking to get back to their game. A tough start for them, but they’ll get through it. »

THEY SAID IT

“Everyone contributes and sticks to what makes us a good team. I think we’re just working hard, not winning the same way every night. We defend and play well. – Carter Verhaeghe

“It’s great to be back. A good road trip, that’s for sure. A couple wins. The team is playing well. It’s good to come back and hopefully we can continue to build on this foundation. –Jesper Boqvist

FIVE CATS STATS

– Niko Mikkola has recorded four assists in his last five matches.

– The Panthers are 3-1-1 at home this season.

– Sam Reinhart is on a four-game goal streak.

– Sam Bennett is two points away from his 300^th NHL Point.

– Anton Lundell ranks second on the Panthers with three goals in the second period.

PROJECTED RANGE (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

Attackers

Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart

Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Jesper Boqvist

AJ Greer – Tomas Nosek – Mackie Samoskevich

Defenders

Gustav Forsling-Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Dmitri Kulikov

Nate Schmidt – Uvis Balinskis

Goalkeepers

Sergei Bobrovsky

Spencer Knight

RECENT OPERATIONS:

– November 4: Signed F Gracyn Sawchyn to an entry-level contract

– November 1: F Patrick Giles loaned to AHL Charlotte

– October 25: Singed F Hunter St. Martin for entry-level contract

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

When: Thursday, November 7 at 7 p.m. ET

Or: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, Florida

Television and streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX, ESPN+ (out of market)

Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 92.1 WZZR-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers application; SiriusXM Channel 91 / App & Streaming 931

Reveal: Replica Atlantic Division Champion Banner

Tickets: Click here