A great test awaits the Florida Panthers as we return from the Thanksgiving holiday.
Fresh off a strong victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs that snapped a four-game losing skid, Florida will begin a home and home with the Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes on Friday afternoon.
The Panthers looked more like themselves on Wednesday after struggling to consistently play to their tight defensive, physical forechecking identity over the past couple weeks.
Now, after defeating a Maple Leafs team that had won four straight, they’ll play back-to-back games against Carolina, who have won five of their past seven.
Led by Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour, the Hurricanes continue to play a stingy brand of hockey that frustrates opponents, not that dissimilar from what the Panthers try to do.
Carolina is also one of the best teams in the league on home ice, and the Caniacs will happy to take an apple on that honor.
So far this season, the Hurricanes are 9-1-0 at Lenovo Center.
Florida hopes to have Anton Lundell in the lineup after the young Finnish forward missed the win over Toronto with an injury.
Lundell took a puck to the face during Florida’s loss to the Washington Capitals that required him to receive stitches.
He returned to the game and has been seen on the ice wearing a full face shield since, but Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said he just wasn’t at a level he could go on Wednesday.
Maurice was hopeful when he spoke after the Toronto game that Lundell would be able to play in Carolina.
Here are the Panthers projected lines and for Friday’s rumble in Raleigh:
Evan Rodrigues – Sasha Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Mackie Samoskevich
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Jesper Boqvist
Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Uvis Balinskis
Nate Schmidt – Dmitry Kulikov
Scratches: Jonah Gadjovich, Adam Boqvist
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