FHN Today: Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes Plan to Play

The Carolina Hurricanes are in town, Tropical Storm Nicole is heading north and the Florida Panthers plan to play a hockey game in Sunrise on Wednesday night.

That about sums it up, right?

The Panthers made the announcement they were “moving forward” with Wednesday’s game not too long after the Hurricanes’ charter left Raleigh-Durham airport.

Although schools in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties will be closed today, we’ll have hockey.

It should be a good one — and one the Panthers sort of need to win.

Florida is off to a 7-5-1 start and has not beaten a team which made the playoffs last season — going 0-2-1 against those teams thus far.

Carolina is only the fourth playoff team from 2022 the Panthers has faced this season but things are about to change.

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Of Florida’s upcoming five-game homestand, all five opponents made the postseason and nine of the next 10 opponents were playoff teams.

Time for the Panthers to get things going.

And, they are hoping being at home — only four of their first 13 games have been in Sunrise — helps them out.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW

Aleksi Heponiemi was the last forward cut by the Florida Panthers before the season and the first to be called up.

His strong play from the preseason carried over to his start with the Charlotte Checkers — and his confidence as a player is growing.

— Hear from Heponiemi, Paul Maurice and Brandon Montour following Tuesday’s practice on the FHN YouTube Channel which can be accessed RIGHT HERE or click on the video below.

If you subscribe to the channel — which is free — you will be alerted whenever new content appears.

NATIONAL HOCKEY NOW

Jonathan Huberdeau appears to have an upper-body injury from a hit sustained in the Calgary Flames game Monday against the Islanders.

Huberdeau did not play Tuesday night in Newark.

— The Boston Bruins saga with signing — and parting ways with — Mitchell Miller continues.

The Hockey Diversity Alliance came out Tuesday and was very critical of the team.

Also, Miller’s agent disputed the team’s account of the signing and why they moved on when things hit the fan.

— The New York Islanders are changing some things up.

— The Pittsburgh Penguins power play is struggling. Perhaps they should shoot more.

— Carter Hart was ruled out of the Philadelphia Flyers game on Tuesday due to illness.

— The Detroit Red Wings are headed west and may be getting healthier.

PANTHERS ON DECK

CAROLINA HURRICANES AT FLORIDA PANTHERS

• When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.
• Where: FLA Live Arena, Sunrise
• TV/Streaming: Bally Sports Florida; ESPN+
• Radio: WQAM 560-AM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932
• Last season: Florida won 3-0
  
• All-time regular season series: Carolina leads 69-45-10, 11 ties