Panthers Hope Barkov Back Tonight Against Oilers in Cup Rematch

Paul Maurice said Monday morning that he hoped captain Sasha Barkov would play tonight in the Stanley Cup Final rematch between the Panthers and Oilers in Edmonton.

Barkov missed Saturday’s loss in Calgary with an illness, and did not participate in Monday’s optional morning skate.

Maurice said the Panthers were being cautious after illness swept through the team on their western swing two years ago.

Barkov ended up missing seven games with pneumonia during the 2022-23 season — and they obviously do not want a repeat of that.

“I’m hopeful, but can’t guarantee it,” Maurice said. “We’re going to be careful with these. The guys will play through anything, but sometimes it’s not the smartest thing. If he says he can play, I’m not going to monitor his minutes. I’ll get him out on the ice against one of their big two centers as much as I possibly can. We’ll see.’’

This is the first time the Panthers and Oilers have met since Florida won Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise on June 24.

Both teams remain near the top of the standings, but Edmonton has won five straight; the Panthers have lost their past two and scored just one goal in their past three games.

“In 82 games, it can be a grind,’’ Maurice said. “Finding that energy every night is a challenge. The good teams find it … but these games aren’t the same as the others. These games are different. The intensity level in any team we played in the playoffs the past two years has just been higher for both teams.”

— The Starting Goalies: Florida will go with Sergei Bobrovsky, with Edmonton starting Stuart Skinner.

— NHL Betting: The Oilers are a -125 favorite on the money line at the local book, meaning Edmonton would pay $100 for $125 bet with a win.

— How to Watch: Tonight’s game is on local television as well as NHL Network for those outside of South Florida. Pregame starts at 8, with the puck dropped after 8:30. The game will not be available for streaming on ESPN+.

ON DECK: GAME 32

FLORIDA PANTHERS AT EDMONTON OILERS 

• When: Monday, 8:30 p.m.
• Where: Rogers Place; Edmonton, Alberta
• Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FtL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SWFla)
• National TV: NHL Network
• Streaming: Panthers+
• Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Betting Odds — Oilers Favored: Money Line (-125); Puck line (-1.5, +175); Over/Under 6 (-115/-105)
• This Season — At Florida: Feb. 27. At Edmonton: Monday.
• Last Regular Season: Florida Won 2-0
• Last Postseason: Florida Won Stanley Cup Final 4-3
• All-time Regular Season Series: Oilers lead 23-16-0, 3 ties
• Postseason History: First Meeting
• Up Next for the Panthers: Wednesday at Minnesota Wild, 9:30 p.m. (TNT)

PROJECTED FLORIDA PANTHERS (18-11-2) LINES

17 Evan Rodrigues // 15 Anton Lundell // 13 Sam Reinhart

23 Carter Verhaeghe // 9 Sam Bennett // 19 Matthew Tkachuk

27 Eetu Luostarinen // 70 Jesper Boqvist // 25 Mackie Samoskevich

10 AJ Greer // 94 Tomas Nosek // 12 Jonah Gadjovich

42 Gus Forsling // 5 Aaron Ekblad

77 Niko Mikkola // 7 Dmitry Kulikov

88 Nate Schmidt // 26 Uvis Balinskis

72 Sergei Bobrovsky

30 Spencer Knight

Scratched: Adam Boqvist

Illness: Sasha Barkov

PROJECTED EDMONTON OILERS (18-10-2) LINES

93 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins // 97 Connor McDavid // 18 Zach Hyman

92 Vasily Podkolzin // 29 Leon Draisaitl 42 Kasperi Kapanen

53 Jeff Skinner // 19 Adam Henrique // 13 Mattias Janmark

90 Corey Perry // 10 Derek Ryan // 28 Connor Brown

14 Mattias Ekholm // 2 Evan Bouchard

25 Darnell Nurse // 51 Troy Stecher

27 Brett Kulak // 49 Ty Emberson

74 Stuart Skinner

30 Calvin Pickard

Scratched: Alec Regula