ORLANDO – The Florida Panthers will peer into the future when they continue their preseason with a neutral-site matchup against the rival Tampa Bay Lightning at Kia Center on Tuesday.
Deploying a lineup of mostly prospects, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice is looking to see how much the organization’s young players have learned during training camp.
“This will still be very scrambly, very sloppy, as all exhibition hockey is, but how can they apply our rules to the game they see in front of them?” Maurice said when asked about evaluating the team’s youngsters during the preseason.
With the majority of the team’s veterans not taking the ice until the final two games of the preseason, the prospects got the job done in a 4-3 overtime win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday.
Leading the charge, Jack Studnicka scored twice against the Hurricanes – including the game-winner just 28 seconds into the extra frame on the power play – while Sandis Vilmanis and Brett Chorske also found the back of the net for the Panthers.
One of several skaters set to play in both halves of the back-to-back, Studnicka, who’s tied for the team lead with three goals this preseason, is hoping to grab the attention of Florida’s coaching staff after inking a one-year, two-way contract in July.
“I think my game really fits the system that they’re trying to play really well,” said Studnicka, who’s got over 100 career NHL games under his belt. “I like to play fast with my stick out to try and break up plays. Goal scoring aside, I think it’s (training camp) been good so far.”
Making his preseason debut and playing roughly half the game, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped all nine shots he faced against the Hurricanes.
“It’s just getting back there,” Bobrovsky said of getting back into his rhythm. “Just see the plays, feel comfortable in the game situation.”
Manning the crease in Orlando, the Panthers have Brandon Bussi and Daniil Tarasov listed as their two goaltenders against the Lightning.
Standing tall in his last start, Tarasov, who is expected to backup Bobrovsky this season, stopped 47 of 49 shots in a 4-2 win over the Hurricanes on Sept. 24.
Across the ice, Tampa Bay has Jonas Johansson and Brandon Halverson slated to be between the pipes.
Up front, the Lightning are expected to have a handful of their regulars in the lineup, including forwards Gage Goncalves, Zemgus Girgensons and Oliver Bjorkstrand, as well as defensemen Emil Lilleberg, Darren Raddysh and JJ Moser.
During last year’s battle in Orlando, the Lightning battled back from a 7-5 deficit in the third period to squeeze out an 8-7 win over the Panthers.
Expected to take the ice tonight, Vilmanis, Ryan McAllister and Wilmer Skoog all scored in that barnburner against the Lightning last year.
PROJECTED ROSTER
Forwards
Tyler Motte
Noah Gregor
Nolan Foote
Wilmer Skoog
Jack Devine
MacKenize Entwistle
Brett Chorske
Jack Studnicka
Ben Steeves
Ryan McAllister
Sandis Vilmanis
Kai Schwindt
Defensemen
Mike Benning
Jake Livingstone
Marek Alscher
Colton Huard
Trevor Carrick
Mikulas Hovorka
Goaltenders
Daniil Tarasov
Brandon Bussi
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Tuesday, September 30 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: KIA Center – Orlando, FL
TV: WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV
Radio: N/A