Panthers on the prowl
The Florida Panthers have won four of five and can pull to within three points of the Atlantic Division-leading Tampa Bay Lightning with a victory against their cross-state rival at Benchmark International Arena (7 p.m. ET; The Spot, SCRIPPS, NHLN, TVAS). Since Nov. 18, the Panthers (16-13-2) are third in the NHL on the penalty kill (90.6 percent) and their three short-handed goals this season are tied for seventh, with forward Anton Lundell’s three short-handed points (one goal, two assists) tied for fourth. Tampa Bay (18-11-3) is 2-0-1 in its past three games thanks in part to forward Nikita Kucherov, who has eight points (one goal, seven assists) in the run. Coach Jon Cooper said he hopes goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (undisclosed) can play before Christmas, so Jonas Johansson is likely to start after being the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate.
Kreider, Trouba return to MSG
Chris Kreider was a New York Rangers mainstay for 13 seasons and ranks third in team history with 326 goals. So, it will be an emotional night for the veteran forward and Anaheim Ducks teammate Jacob Trouba when they face the Rangers for the first time at Madison Square Garden (7 p.m. ET; Victory+, KCOP-13, MSG) since each were traded to the Ducks. Kreider, who was sent to Anaheim on June 12 with a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft for forward prospect Carey Terrance and a third-round pick in 2025, is third on the Ducks in goals (13) and on pace for the fourth 30-goal season of his NHL career. Trouba, who was dealt to the Ducks on Dec. 6, 2024, for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a fourth-round pick in the 2025 draft, has 14 points (five goals, nine assists) and is plus-14 in 32 games. The Ducks (19-12-1) were outscored 9-3 in consecutive road losses to the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils. The Rangers (16-13-4) have points in eight of their past 10 games (6-2-2) and four straight home games (2-0-2), their longest run since going 5-0-1 between Jan. 2-23.
Stamkos an issue for Blues
The St. Louis Blues will face Steven Stamkos and the Nashville Predators (12-15-4) for the second time in four days, this one at Enterprise Center in St. Louis (8 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, FDSNSO). The Blues better hope they’ve found a more ideal way to silence the Predators forward than they did last week. The 35-year-old tied his NHL career high with four goals in Nashville’s 7-2 win against St. Louis at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday, equaling the Predators record for most goals in a game (Filip Forsberg, Rocco Grimaldi, Joel Nystrom), and is six from 600 in the NHL. Keeping pucks out of their own net has been an issue all season for the Blues (12-14-7), who have allowed an NHL-high 116 goals through 33 games.
