CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -The "Comeback Cats" aren't backing down from any deficit.
Trailing 2-0 in their second-round, best-of-7 series, the Panthers are confident that one win can swing momentum back in their favor as they head across the Sunshine State to kick off a back-to-back set on the road against the Lightning starting with Game 3 at Amalie Arena on Sunday.
A post-lunch battle between rivals, puck drop is schedule for 1:30 p.m. ET.
PREVIEW: Panthers want to 'bring our best game' in Game 3 at Tampa Bay
"We realize the opportunity in front of us to get it to 2-1, and if we do then it's go-time," Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said following a noticeably upbeat practice at the Panthers IceDen on Saturday. "We're a resilient group. We've been down in games. We know how to battle back. We know how to keep it light and find a way to breed positivity in that room to give us a chance."
After matching the NHL record for comeback wins during the regular season, that same never-say-die attitude has stuck with the Panthers during the postseason. After falling behind 2-1 in their first-round series with the Capitals, they clawed their way back to move on in six games.
Winning a franchise-record 24 games away from home during the regular season, the Panthers won two of the three games they played at Washington, including the series-clinching Game 6.
Heading into another very tough building, the Panthers believe they can find similar success at Amalie Arena, where they posted a 1-0-1 record against the Lighting during the regular season.
"I think we weathered some storms in Washington really well," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said. "We stuck to our game and got to our game as the game went on. Kind of expecting something similar tomorrow night. For us, the focus is that we've got to dictate a little earlier than we did in the Washington series and really get going right off the start here."
Looking back at Game 2 on Thursday, the Panthers feel they let a win slip away.
Knotted up at 1-1 in the waning seconds of regulation, the Lightning took advantage of a miscue by the Panthers in the defensive zone when Nikita Kucherov drew two defenders behind the net before setting up Ross Colton for the game-winning goal with 3.8 ticks of the clock remaining.
Facing off in an impressive goaltending battle, Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 27 of 29 shots - including an incredible glove save on Ondrej Palat in the third period - while Andrei Vasilevskiy made 35 saves while giving up just one goal for the third consecutive game this postseason.
"Short-term memory," Panthers forward Sam Bennett said. "Obviously it stung in the moment, but you try and move on and forget about it and just look to the next game. That's really all we can do. We're a dynamic team and we've gone through adversity. It's just another challenge."
While Bobrovsky has faced 24 high-danger shots in the series, Vasilevsky has seen just 15, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. In order to make life tougher on Tampa Bay's netminder, Bennett said the team needs to do a better job of generating second and third scoring looks. The only team in the NHL to average more than four goals per game during the regular season, that one-and-done approach has led to Florida averaging just 2.75 goals per tilt in the playoffs.
"They've done a good job of keeping us to the outside," Bennett said. "Now it's just on us to battle that much harder and get to the net. We've got to find a way to really find greasy goals that are just loose pucks in front of the net and getting there. That's all it is. It's just hard work."
Even in goals and leading 45-37 in scoring chances at 5-on-5, the Panthers also know that improving their play on special teams could swing this series. While the Lightning have four power-play goals in the series so far, the Cats are still trying to net their first of the playoffs.
In hopes of breaking out of that slump with the extra attacker, the Panthers showcased new units during this morning's practice. Among the various moves, veteran net-front presence Patric Hornqvist was promoted to the top unit, while Claude Giroux slid down to the second.
"We're just kind of moving some different things," Brunette said. "We're in a funk and have to try something different here a little bit. We had a couple different combinations. We'll see tomorrow. … We have a lot of good players and just have to find something that clicks right now."
Over the last two seasons, Hornqvist ranks third on the Panthers with 11 power-play goals.
"He's made a career in front of the net," Ekblad said. "He can make a difference. You see the way that he battles night in, night out. He's a fantastic player, a fantastic net-front guy for us."
In terms of lineup notes heading into Game 3, the Panthers are expected to be without Mason Marchment for the fifth straight game, while Brayden Point's status remains up in the air for the Lightning. Outside of those injuries, rookie Anton Lundell, who had 44 points during the regular season, could also be getting a rest for Florida after he played less than five minutes in Game 2.
But regardless of X's and O's, the Panthers are only thinking about one "O" right now.
Opportunity.
"We have a great opportunity," Brunette said. "We win a game, everything changes. We've played really well on the road all year. There's no reason why we can't go there and play our best game. I said it the other night, the margins in these games are so tight. It could be 2-0 or 1-1. Unfortunately, we're on the short end of the stick at 0-2. We're going to bring our best game."
PANTHERS PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe -- Aleksander Barkov - Claude Giroux
Jonathan Huberdeau -- Sam Bennett - Anthony Duclair
Maxim Mamin - Eetu Luostarinen - Sam Reinhart
Ryan Lomberg - Noel Acciari -- Patric Hornqvist
Defensemen
Ben Chiarot -- Aaron Ekblad
Gustav Forsling -- MacKenzie Weegar
Brandon Montour -- Radko Gudas
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight
WHO'S HOT
Panthers:Carter Verhaeghe has 12 points (six goals, six assists) over his last eight games. … Aleksander Barkov has six points (two goals, four assists) over his last eight games. … Claude Giroux has eight points (three goals, five assists) over his last eight games.
Lightning: Nikita Kucherov has 11 points (three goals, eight assists) over his last nine games. … Victor Hedman has nine points (two goals, seven assists) over his last nine games. … Ross Colton has seven points (five goals, two assists) over his last nine games.
THEY SAID IT
"You look at that last game, I think we did a good job at 5-on-5. Obviously their special teams are better than ours [right now]. We're right in it. It's just a matter of figuring out our special teams and playing the same game 5-on-5, maybe even a little harder."- Panthers forward Sam Bennett on what the Panthers need to do heading into Game 3.
"It almost feels better than scoring a goal. That's what winners do, sacrifice everything on the line for the guy next to you."- Lightning forward Brandon Hagel on blocking shots.
FIVE CATS STATS
- The Panthers rank third in the postseason with a 53.3% success rate in the faceoff circle.
- Sergei Bobrovsky owns a .933 save percentage at even strength in the playoffs.
- Sam Bennett leads the Panthers with 37 hits in the playoffs.
- All 12 of Carter Verhaeghe's points this postseason have come at even strength.
- Aaron Ekblad leads the Panthers with 186:38 of ice time in the postseason.
PANTHERS NEWS
HOW TO WATCH / LISTEN
When: Sunday, May 22 at 1:30 p.m. ET
Where:Amalie Arena - Tampa, FL
TV & Streaming:TNT (check local listings), TNTDrama.com
Radio:560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); SiriusXM NHL Network Channel 91 / App & Streaming 932
Watch Party: Esplanade Park in Fort Lauderdale, presented by Funky Buddha Brewery
Join us for Game 3 on Sunday at Esplanade Park in Fort Lauderdale!
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) May 20, 2022
We'll have a live band, face painting, street hockey, and more starting at 11am 🙌 pic.twitter.com/nkiAeimFDQ
