The Florida Panthers face the Carolina Hurricanes with both teams heading in opposite directions to start the season. The Panthers have a 16-16-4 record and are near the bottom of the Atlantic Division while the Hurricanes have a 23-6-6 record and with nine wins in a row have leaped into first place in the Central Division. The Panthers look to make up ground in their division while the Hurricanes look to remain near the top of the Eastern Conference and the upcoming game looks to be a good one as a result.
The Panthers are having a rough season despite their offense stepping up and scoring 3.23 goals per game. Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe have scored 35 goals and 39 assists to lead the top line but the rest of the offense has also stepped up. Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, and Eetu Luostarinen have combined for 28 goals and 40 assists while defensemen Brandon Montour and Gustav Forsling have added 11 goals and 41 assists from the point to open up the offense.
The offense has been great but the defense has let the Panthers down this year, allowing 3.40 goals per game. Gustav Forsling and Josh Mahura have combined for 4.2 defensive point shares but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to find open shots on the net at will. The bright spot has been the play of goaltender Spencer Knight who has a .909 2.93 goals-against average on 483 shots.