George Richards, FHN Publisher
SUNRISE — You might want to pick up a program tonight before the Florida Panthers play host to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Do they even sell programs any more?
The Panthers have some new faces in the lineup tonight with Paul Maurice saying even he is going to have some trouble keeping everything straight.
First off, you have both Sam Reinhart and Cole Reinhardt playing tonight. Then there is Sam Bennett and Mike Benning.
“It’s going to be a mess on the bench,’’ Maurice said. “I have a Benning and a Benny, two Reinharts. It’s all nicknames at this point. Everyone needs a nickname.’’
The Panthers will rest Anton Lundell tonight with Uvis Balinskis out after blocking a shot a few weeks ago. Carter Verhaeghe is also out after his back apparently tightened up during Tuesday’s game against the Red Wings.
Didn’t seem to affect his shot any.
Columbus is coming off a wild win Tuesday in Tampa as it remains right in the thick of the playoff race.
Rick Bowness is not taking the Panthers, who are way on the outside looking in, lightly.
This is the second meeting between the two in the span of a week. The Jackets beat the Panthers 4-2 last Thursday in Columbus.
“They have so much pride and so much character in that room,’’ said Bowness, who watched a lot of the Panthers from his home in South Florida before coming out of retirement to help resurrect the Blue Jackets.
“Don’t be fooled by their standing. We’re not. They are winners for a reason and Paul does such a great job with them. They’re motivated, they play. Look at our game the other night. It was a hard-fought game. Tonight will be another hard-fought game. I know they are missing guys, but whomever steps in plays the same way. They play hard, they play heavy, and it will be a tough one.’’
NOTES: BLUE JACKETS at PANTHERS
- Benning, whose dad Brian was a member of the Panthers’ inaugural team back in 1993, makes his NHL debut.
- Benning will become the third son of a former Florida player to play for the Panthers joining Tom and Casey Fitzgerald, and Cory and Riley Stillman.
- The Panthers are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day tonight so wear your finest green jersey.
- The trade for Vinnie Hinostroza paid immediate rewards on Tuesday night against the Wings.
- Seth Jones is still a ways away from returning to the lineup. The Panthers have not been the same without him.
- Starting Goalies: Sergei Bobrovsky returns to the Florida Panthers net and will face former backup Elvis Merzlikins who goes for the Jackets.
- How to Watch/Stream: The Panthers are on local television tonight. You can stream the game on Panthers+ locally and ESPN+ outside the South Florida market. It’s also on FanDuel Ohio if you happen to have Columbus cable.
- NHL Betting Odds: The Blue Jackets are slight favorites (-115) on the money line at the local book. If you think Florida will win, a $105 wager is worth $100.
ON DECK: GAME No. 65
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS at FLORIDA PANTHERS
- When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
- Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
- Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FtL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SW Fla)
- Streaming: Panthers+; ESPN+
- Radio: WQAM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
- Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
- Local Betting Odds — Blue Jackets Favored: MoneyLine (-115); Puck Line -1.5 (+200); O/U 6.5 (-105/-115)
- This Season (Tied 1-1) — At Florida: Panthers 7, Blue Jackets 6 OT (Dec. 2); Thursday. At Columbus: Blue Jackets 4, Panthers 2 (March 5).
- Last Season: Panthers Won 3-0
- All-time Regular Season Series: Florida leads 28-17-10
- Up Next for the Panthers: Sunday at Seattle Kraken, 8 p.m.
PROJECTED FLORIDA PANTHERS (32-29-3) LINES
27 Eetu Luostarinen // 17 Evan Rodrigues // 13 Sam Reinhart
10 A.J. Greer // 9 Sam Bennett // 19 Matthew Tkachuk
11 Mackie Samoskevich // 92 Tomas Nosek // 29 Cole Reinhardt
70 Jesper Boqvist // 71 Luke Kunin // 24 Vinnie Hinostroza
42 Gus Forsling // 5 Aaron Ekblad
77 Niko Mikkola // 20 Mike Benning
6 Donovan Sebrango // 7 Dmitry Kulikov
72 Sergei Bobrovsky
40 Daniil Tarasov
Scratched: Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell
Injured: Brad Marchand (lower body), Uvis Balinskis (lower body), Seth Jones (collarbone), Sasha Barkov (knee), Jonah Gadjovich (upper body), Cole Schwindt (lower body)
PROJECTED COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (33-21-10) LINES
4 Cole Sillinger // 19 Adam Fantilli // 86 Kirill Marchenko
91 Kent Johnson // 23 Sean Monahan // 83 Conor Garland
17 Mason Marchment // 3 Charlie Coyle // 24 Mathieu Olivier
10 Dmitri Voronkov // 38 Boone Jenner // 21 Isac Lundestrom
8 Zach Werenski // 15 Dante Fabbro
9 Ivan Provorov // 5 Denton Mateychuk
78 Damon Severson // 2 Jake Christiansen
90 Elvis Merzlikins
73 Jet Greaves
Scratched: Miles Wood, Egor Zamula, Danton Heinen
Injured: Erik Gudbranson (upper body)