2023-24 Regular Season, Game 66: Hurricanes vs. Florida Panthers (Pregame)

Tuesday's loss to the New York Rangers was about as close as it can get. All it took was one bad bounce for the Rangers to get on the board, allowing Igor Shesterkin to do the rest. Jake Guentzel made his Hurricanes debut after being activated off IR before the game, playing with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Martin Necas. The lone goal of the night came with eight seconds left in the first period when Adam Fox threw a rebound chance off Brady Skjei's skate and into the net. Kuznetsov had two prime chances in the second period to tie the game, but Shesterkin was there to stop him. Not to be outdone, Pyotr Kochetkov made the save of the night in the third period, robbing Vincent Trocheck on a 2-on-0 to keep it 1-0. Andrei Svechnikov hit the post, and Guentzel hit the outside of the net, but nothing was getting past Shesterkin. He stopped all 28 shots he faced to preserve New York's 1-0 shutout win, extending their lead in the Metropolitan Division.

The Opponent: Florida Panthers (45-17-4, 94 Points- 1st in the Atlantic Division)

Last Meeting- Three weeks ago at PNC Arena, the Hurricanes and Panthers went to war. Pyotr Kochetkov and Sergei Bobrovsky went toe-to-toe for 60 minutes, making some spectacular stops. Matthew Tkachuk and Gustav Forsling both exited the game after the first period. However, it didn't take away from the masterful game that followed. Eetu Luostarinen looked to have scored the go-ahead goal in the third period, but a quick review determined he was offside prior to scoring. The two sides looked destined to battle into overtime scoreless, but Sebastian Aho scored with 18.9 seconds left in regulation to help the Canes take a huge 1-0 win. Kochetkov stopped 45 shots in the shutout.

Since We Last Met- Since losing in Raleigh, the Panthers have gone 8-1-0, allowing just two goals per game during that stretch. Several of those wins were by just one goal, too. Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz have been a fantastic duo. Stolarz has won his last five starts, while Bobrovsky has a .933 save percentage and a 1.81 GAA in his last five. Aleksander Barkov has been tearing it up, scoring six goals and 12 points in nine games, while Sam Reinhart has seven goals to keep him in second in the Rocket race. Reinhart's ten points are tied for second on the team with Brandon Montour. The Panthers maintain a slim lead over the Bruins in the Atlantic Division and the President's Trophy race. They were busy during the trade deadline, adding Vladimir Tarasenko from the Senators and Kyle Okposo from the Sabres and signing Forsling to an eight-year extension. Florida is coming off a huge comeback victory in Dallas on Tuesday night, overcoming an early 3-0 deficit to win 4-3.

Stories/Keys of the Game

1. Getting Guentzel Into the Fold

I was a little surprised to see Jake Guentzel in the lineup for Tuesday's game. That's why I didn't hype it up during the pre-game post. Now that we know he's good to go, I can talk about him a little more. I really liked how his debut went. His line was their best against the Rangers, getting three of the Hurricanes' best chances. He hasn't played in a month, so it's not surprising that he was a little rusty, but I thought he was good despite it. The team getting him back for the toughest week of the season only serves to help him get used to the team's style. He's used to playing in tough, high-stakes situations, so he's going to fit in well.

2. How to Create a Rivalry

Naturally, meeting in the playoffs is going to make two teams turn into bitter rivals. I think the disdain between the Canes and Panthers is older than their Eastern Conference Finals battle in May. The COVID-shortened 2021 season likely helped matters since they met eight times. The Canes won six of the eight meetings, but four of the games went to overtime as Carolina held off Florida to win the Central Division. The Panthers proceeded to sweep the Canes in 2021-22, but the Canes got them back last season by winning two of their three meetings. Obviously, Florida got the last laugh in the playoffs, but it feels like every time they show up on the schedule, there's a hype surrounding it that can't be matched. Their last meeting only helped to amplify that feeling, leading to this season's rubber match to determine the series winner.  

3. Florida's Power Play Has Been Nearly Unstoppable

We talk a lot about how great Carolina's special teams are, but there are few teams with a power play more consistent than the Panthers. Their power play is tied for second with Toronto at 27.2 percent, just about one percentage point better than Carolina. After an incredibly slow start, there has only been one instance when they went more than two games without converting. They struck three times in their comeback win over the Stars on Tuesday, including the game-winner from Aleksander Barkov in the third period. Sam Reinhart's 26 power-play goals are 11 more than anyone else in the league, and they make up more than half of his total goal production this season. Florida is 0-for-4 against the Canes on the power play in two meetings, so this will be a big matchup, especially since it's almost guaranteed that Florida will have more opportunities than the Canes on the power play.