Suddenly Surging Panthers Must Keep Early Momentum

The surging Florida Panthers (4-2-3, 11 points) seek their third straight win Thursday when they visit the Calgary Flames.

Florida now has points in six consecutive games, led by Jonathan Huberdeau who has points in four out of his last five outings.

Gameday in Calgary! 👏#FLAvsCGY
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⏰: 9 p.m. ET
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— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) October 24, 2019

Huberdeau had a goals and and assist in Florida’s 4-2 win Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (3-2-2, 3.75GAA, .878SV%) hasn’t had the best start in new surroundings but had a solid outing against Pittsburgh, stopping 23 of 25 shots and allowing just two goals.

The Panthers begin a four game trip through Western Canada with stops in Edmonton and Vancouver before ending the trip in Colorado.

Calgary (5-5-1) has been up and down so far and are coming off a 5-3 loss against the Washington Capitals. They are a middle of the pack team that doesn’t stand out in any one area.

Center Elias Lindholm leads the Flames with six goals while left winger Johnny Gaudreau paces the team with nine points (six goals, three assists)

Florida will need someone to help Huberdeau carry the scoring load, after a hot start Mike Hoffman has struggled of late.

After goals in three of four games to open the season, Hoffman has zero goals and a single assist in his last five outings.

Captain Alexsander Barkov is still looking for his first goal of the year but does lead the team with eight assists. Barkov added two helpers in the win against the Penguins and has five assists in his last four games overall.

Florida’s power play is off to a slow start (20%, 14th overall) but they have only had three chances in their last two wins, converting once.

The penalty kill has been excellent, ranking 6th overall league-wide at 87%. Meanwhile the Flames have struggled with the man advantage, ranking 22nd in the NHL with just a 16.7% success rate.

This is one clear advantage the Panthers can hopefully capitalize on.

Puck drops from the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary at 9PM EST.