NASHVILLE – Battle on Broadway.
Making a quick trip to the Music City, the Florida Panthers (11-9-1) will take on the Nashville Predators (6-11-4) at Bridgestone Arena on Monday at 8 p.m. ET.
Playing for more than just two points tonight, the Panthers are joined by their dads and mentors for the Nashville visit.
“It’s special having the people that got us here with us,” Carter Verhaeghe said following the team’s morning skate. “I love playing in front of my dad and I’m sure the guys do too. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
In their two meetings last year, the Panthers swept the season series winning 6-2 (Nov. 7) and 4-1 (Feb. 25).
Dating back to 2024, the Panthers have taken three of the last four games against the Predators.
Completing their five-game homestand on Saturday, the Panthers fell 6-3 to the Edmonton Oilers, to finish 3-2-0 during the stretch.
In their last 10 games, the Panthers are 6-4-0.
Trailing 4-1 just under the halfway point of the game, the Panthers battled back to make it 4-3 with goals from Mackie Samoskevich and Sam Reinhart in the second period.
Outshooting the Oilers 30-18 in the second and third period, the Panthers came up just short in their comeback effort as the Oilers hit two empty net goals in the closing minutes.
Expected to get the start between the pipes in Nashville, Daniil Tarasov entered the game in the second period and came up big, stopping all 12 shots he faced including a Leon Draisaitl breakaway.
Over his last three games, the Russian netminder has a .932 save percentage.
“He was great,” Sam Bennett said of Tarasov after the game. “I can’t imagine it’s easy to come in cold, but he came in and did a great job.”
Also expected to be in the lineup, Aaron Ekblad will draw back in after missing Saturday’s game due to illness.
A crucial piece of the blue line, Ekblad’s 22:51 average time on ice ranks second on the Panthers behind Seth Jones (23:38).
In 20 games, the alternate captain has amassed five points (1G, 4A) and a team-high 29 blocked shots.
“He’s just grown each year into a harder and harder defenseman,” head coach Paul Maurice said of Ekblad. “Tough as nails.”
On the home bench, the Predators enter Monday’s game coming off a 3-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at Bridgestone Arena.
Despite the loss in the game, the Predators did get a win with 2020 Norris winner Roman Josi drawing back into the lineup after missing 12 games with an injury.
In nine games, the Swiss defenseman has five points (1G, 4A).
Leading the way for the Predators up front, Filip Forsberg has tallied 15 points (8G, 7A) in 21 games.
Juuse Saros is expected to get the start in net for Nashville.
Saros owns a 6-8-3 record, .896 save percentage, and 2.85 goals against average this season.
THEY SAID IT
“Just to share the experience and get the dads together, have some dinners, tell some stories, that’s always a really enjoyable trip for everyone.” – Luke Kunin on dads’ trip
“They did a lot for us to get to this point in our careers and to have them here with us for one game on the road is awesome.” – Carter Verhaeghe on dads’ trip
FIVE CATS STATS
– Sam Reinhart has 17 points (11G, 6A) in 18 games against the Predators
– Brad Marchand’s 12 penalties drawn through games played on Nov. 22 are tied for fifth most among NHL skaters
– Luke Kunin spent two seasons with the Predators from 2020-21 to 2021-22, appearing in 120 games and posting 41 points (23-18-41)
– Daniil Tarasov has a .927 save percentage in three games against the Predators
– Anton Lundell (1G, 1A) recorded his third multi-point outing of the 2025-26 campaign on Nov. 22 vs. the Oilers
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
FORWARDS
Mackie Samoskevich – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand
Carter Verhaeghe – Evan Rodrigues – Sam Reinhart
A.J. Greer – Sam Bennett – Jesper Boqvist
Luke Kunin – Noah Gregor – Jack Devine
DEFENSEMEN
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry
Goaltenders
Daniil Tarasov
Sergei Bobrovsky
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
– Nov. 19: F Jack Devine was recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
– Oct. 27: D Tobias Bjornfot reassigned to Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Monday, November 24 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
TV: WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV
Radio: 560 WQAM-AM (Dade/Broward); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers GameDay App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Cats on Tap: Click here
