Panthers Begin Home Slate with Wild on the Card
With Barkov and Marchand out, Tkachuk and Kaprizov front a depth test in Sunrise.
Written before the game
The early tell here: Florida Panthers games have looked hard to crack defensively, while the Minnesota Wild have been more back‑and‑forth. Florida have kept opponents’ chances modest — their expected goals against is 2.57 per game (expected goals is how much the chances are worth) — and they’ve controlled the shot attempts better than Minnesota has. The Wild, meanwhile, are still creating plenty, with their chances grading out well, but they’ve also traded looks more than Florida.
Injuries shape the card. With Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand out, more falls on Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe against a Wild top group led by Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek. If Jesper Wallstedt goes again for Minnesota, his steady start meets Florida’s depth in net with Akira Schmid or Casey Driedger behind a blue line featuring Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling.
Standings note: Florida are third in the Atlantic and sixth in the East; Minnesota are fourth in the Central and the West’s third wild‑card — bankable points for both this early.
