George Richards, FHN Publisher
It took more than half the season, but the Florida Panthers are on their first losing streak as they limp into Dallas to face the Stars this weekend.
Over the course of the franchise’s checkered history, a three-game slide has sometimes come in a season’s first week.
With the possibility that star center Sasha Barkov will return Saturday after missing the past two games, the Panthers have hope that the streak will not hit four.
Dallas, however, is no pushover — and is in a fight for its playoff lives.
Florida meanwhile, will be shorthanded — missing two of their top scorers in Sasha Barkov and Patric Hornqvist.
Due to Covid-19 shutdowns, the Stars have only played 30 games so their spot near the bottom of the Central Division is not as bad as it looks at first glance.
The Panthers now have a seven-point lead on fourth-place Chicago after the Blackhawks took all four available points this week and Florida got none.
The main competition for the final playoff spot in the Central does not involve the Panthers, at least not directly right now.
Dallas, which has four games in hand over Chicago, trail the Blackhawks for that final spot by seven points.
So, if the Stars were to win all of those games, that is eight points right there.
The Stars are, remember, the reigning Western Conference champs and are desperate to get back into the playoffs.
In this case, the Panthers will have a say in who gets that fourth spot in the division.
Saturday is the fourth of an eight-game season series between Dallas and Florida with the Panthers taking two of the first three.
If Dallas is going to get back into this thing, having some success agains the Panthers will be an incredible help.
On the flip side, Florida can continue to pad its lead and further cement its playoff spot.
A win or two this weekend would not only end the Panthers’ first losing streak of 2021, but get them back in the hunt for the top spot in the Central.
Dallas helped keep the Panthers within shouting distance of the Lightning with its win Thursday night.
The Panthers are now six points behind Tampa Bay for first and three back of Carolina for second.
Florida is in a much different race than the Stars are — but with three consecutive losses, need to be the more desperate team come Saturday.
It is way too early to start worrying about the Panthers right now; they played 1 1/2 good games in Chicago and, with a bounce or two, could have gotten three or four points out of the trip.
Instead, they got none.
BARKOV, HORNQVIST OUT
Joel Quenneville said Thursday that Barkov could return in Dallas this weekend after he left warmups early Tuesday and did not play in either Chicago game.
Saturday, he said Barkov would not play later that night and was doubtful for Sunday’s game.
Patric Hornqvist, who was seen favoring his left side as he was helped off the ice in the third period Thursday, is out for a week per Quenneville.
The Panthers will again dress seven defenseman (Riley Stillman is coming up from the taxi squad) with Brett Connolly back in the lineup and likely getting a bigger role.
— The Panthers placed Anton Stralman on waivers Friday and he cleared and will remain with the team.
Quenneville said Stralman is still “part of the group” although he will be moved to the taxi squad on Saturday allowing Stillman to come up.
Do not be surprised to see Stralman back in his spot on the second pairing with Gus Forsling on Saturday, but he could be scratched or even sent to the taxi squad for the time being.
Florida Panthers at Dallas Stars
PROJECTED FLORIDA PANTHERS LINES
FLORIDA FORWARDS
91 Anthony Duclair — 23 Carter Verhaeghe — 10 Brett Connolly
11 Jonathan Huberdeau — 21 Alex Wennberg — 19 Mason Marchment
77 Frank Vatrano — 27 Eetu Luostarinen — 74 Owen Tippett
61 Riley Stillman — 83 Juho Lammikko — 55 Noel Acciari
FLORIDA DEFENSEMEN
52 MacKenzie Weegar — 5 Aaron Ekblad
42 Gus Forsling — 65 Markus Nutivaara
3 Keith Yandle — 7 Radko Gudas
FLORIDA GOALIES
72 Sergei Bobrovsky
60 Chris Driedger
Scratches: F Vinnie Hinostroza, F Ryan Lomberg
Injured: F Patric Hornqvist (lower body), F Sasha Barkov (lower body)
Loaned to AHL Syracuse (conditioning): D Noah Juulsen (UBI)
Taxi squad: D Kevin Connauton, D Anton Stralman, G Philippe Desrosiers
Florida power play (26/106 24.5% — 9th in NHL)
Florida penalty kill (81/101 80.2% — 13th in NHL)
PP1: Alex Wennberg, Jonathan Huberdeau, Brett Connolly, Aaron Ekblad, Keith Yandle
PP2: Noel Acciari, Frank Vatrano, Anthony Duclair, Carter Verhaeghe, Gus Forsling
PROJECTED DALLAS STARS LINES
DALLAS STARS FORWARDS
21 Jason Robertson — 24 Roope Hintz — 16 Joe Pavelski
14 Jamie Benn — 18 Jason Dickinson — 34 Denis Gurianov
11 Andrew Cogliano — 12 Radek Faksa — 15 Blake Comeau
49 Rhett Gardner — 37 Justin Dowling — 38 Joel L’Esperance
DALLAS STARS DEFENSEMEN
23 Esa Lindell — 3 John Klingberg
2 Jamie Oleksiak — 4 Miro Heiskanen
44 Joel Hanley — 13 Mark Pysyk
DALLAS STARS GOALIES
35 Anton Khudobin
29 Jake Oettinger
Dallas power play (24/101, 23.8% — 12th in NHL)
Dallas penalty kill (71/92 77.2% — 18th in NHL)
PP1: Joe Pavelski, Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson, John Klingberg, Miro Heiskanen
PP2: Radek Faksa, Justin Dowling, Jamie Benn, Esa Lindell, Denis Gurianov