GameDay No. 25: Lines, Betting Odds for Panthers at Kraken

For the fourth time this season, the Florida Panthers will skate down a player when they visit the Seattle Kraken tonight.

Anton Lundell left Thursday’s win against Vancouver in the first period, returned for two shifts in the second and then did not return.

Following the game, coach Paul Maurice said “something tightened up” meaning it is probably a lower-body injury, perhaps a hamstring or groin.

Lundell was not on the ice for Saturday’s morning skate in Seattle and Maurice told Katie Engelson of Bally Sports he would not play against the Kraken.

Because the Panthers are at 20 players due to their salary cap constraints, they would play with 19 due to Lundell being out tonight.

Florida could make another emergency recall for Tuesday’s final game of this roadtrip at Winnipeg.

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League rules stipulate teams cannot go over the salary cap except in emergency situations where they had to play a game shorthanded.

Because Lundell played Thursday night, the Panthers technically did not play down a man even though he missed the majority of the game and therefore cannot call up a player for tonight.

Sasha Barkov did not join the team in Seattle as he will now miss his fifth consecutive game and sixth overall with a lingering illness which he has been dealing with the past couple of weeks.

Barkov will probably not join the team in Winnipeg but could be back in the lineup Thursday against the Red Wings in Sunrise.

Aleksi Heponiemi is the emergency-recall from AHL Charlotte playing in Barkov’s place.

Veteran Zac Dalpe could be the next player brought up as he has four goals in Charlotte’s past six games and would slide in pretty easily.

Spencer Knight is back in net for the second consecutive game and fifth time in the past six games.

PANTHERS ON DECK

FLORIDA PANTHERS AT SEATTLE KRAKEN

• When: Saturday, 10 p.m.
• Where: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle
• TV: Bally Sports Florida; ESPN+
• Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932
• DraftKings odds — Florida favored: Money Line (-115); Puck line (-1.5, +210); Over/Under 6.5 (+100/-120)
• Last season: Seattle won 2-0

PROJECTED FLORIDA PANTHERS LINEUP

23 Carter Verhaeghe // 9 Sam Bennett // 13 Matthew Tkachuk

21 Nick Cousins // 13 Sam Reinhart // 6 Colin White

94 Ryan Lomberg // 27 Eetu Luostarinen // 20 Aleksi Heponiemi

12 Eric Staal // 70 Patric Hornqvist

42 Gus Forsling // 5 Aaron Ekblad

62 Brandon Montour // 18 Marc Staal

28 Josh Mahura // 7 Radko Gudas

30 Spencer Knight

72 Sergei Bobrovsky

Scratched: Sasha Barkov (illness), Anton Lundell (LBI, day-to-day)

Injured: Anthony Duclair (LTIR-Achilles)

PROJECTED SEATTLE KRAKEN LINEUP

15 Jaden Schwartz // 21 Alex Wennberg // 95 Andre Burakovsky

19 Jared McCann // 10 Matthew Beniers // 7 Jordan Eberle

13 Brandon Tanev // 37 Yanni Gourde // 22 Oliver Bjorkstrand

91 Daniel Sprong // 9 Ryan Donato // 25 Karson Kuhlman

6 Adam Larsson // 29 Vince Dunn

24 Jamie Oleksiak // 4 Justin Schultz

28 Carson Soucy // 3 William Borgen

31 Philipp Grubauer

30 Martin Jones