Gadjovich had been a healthy scratch for the Panthers' previous two games but will draw back into the lineup for Anton Lundell (illness) Thursday vs. Vancouver. The 25-year-old bruising left-winger has yet to score in 2023-24, but has an assist, 10 SOG, 43 PIMs and a -2 plus/minus in nine games played so far.
Lundell is battling an illness and will not play on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks. Lundell has 12 points (2G / 10A) in 22 games this season and played the last game on a line with Evan Rodrigues and Eetu Luostarinen.
Bobrovsky will start for the second consecutive game on Thursday when the Panthers face off against the Vancouver Canucks. Bobrovsky allowed three goals on 22 shots (.864 SV) in his last game, a 4-0 loss to the Seattle Kraken, but won four straight beforehand, allowing more than one goal only once, posting a .941 SV% in the process. The Panthers are slight -115 road favourites against a Canucks team that has won three straight, outscoring their opposition 10-4.
Balinskis had been in the Panthers' lineup for the last two games after recalled from the minors earlier in the week but will be a healthy scratch Thursday at Vancouver as Dmitry Kulikov takes his place. The 27-year-old defensemen is in his first NHL season and first North American season after spending his early career in the Czechia league and the KHL. He has a goal and an assists to go along with six PIMs in 17 games played with Florida in 2023-24.
Kulikov will re-enter the Panthers' lineup for the first time since December 8th as Uvis Balinskis will be a healthy scratch. Kulikov has eight points (0G / 8A) in 25 games this season and will likely skate on the third defensive pair next to Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Bobrovsky will start for the third time in the last four games and search for his fifth straight victory on Tuesday. During his four-game winning streak, Bobrovsky has allowed more than one goal only once and has a .941 SV%. Bobrovsky and the Panthers are -160 road favourites against a Seattle Kraken team that is reeling, losing eight straight (0-6-2) and being held to three goals or fewer in each contest.
Logan Stanley will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday, allowing Schmidt to return to the lineup for the first time since November 30th. Schmidt is expected to skate on the third defensive pair alongside Dylan Samberg.
Boqvist is no stranger to the NHL level, amassing 190 games and scoring 55 points (28G / 27A) in the process. However, he has spent most of the 2023-24 campaign with the Providence Bruins of the AHL, tallying 14 points (5G / 9A) in 24 games. His call-up is a potential sign that Pavel Zacha (upper-body) might not be ready to return to the Bruins' lineup.
Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz have split starts over the last four games for the Panthers, but Bobrovsky will start consecutive games for the first time in nearly two weeks on Friday. On Wednesday, Bobrovsky held on, saving 29 of 33 shots (.879 SV%) in a 5-4 victory over the Dallas Stars, giving him three straight wins and posting a stellar .933 SV% in the process. The Panthers are sizeable -157 home favourites against a Pittsburgh Penguins team that has lost three straight (0-1-2), scoring only five goals in that span.
Megna has yet to appear this season for Seattle after being a healthy scratch on most nights and has been loaned to Coachella Valley (AHL) for a conditioning assignment. The 30-year-old defensemen only appeared in six games for the Kraken in 2022-23 after being acquired from San Jose, where he had a goal and 11 assists, in 48 games played. He returns to the AHL for the first time since 2020-21 when he was the captain of the San Jose Barracuda (AHL).
Schmidt will be a healthy scratch as the Jets return to the more traditional 12-forward, six-defenseman setup on Thursday. In 20 games this season, Schmidt has only one point (0G / 1A) but has 23 blocks while averaging 16:51 time-on-ice.
Davies was the Panthers' sixth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and has signed his first contract with the club, a three-year entry-level deal. The 19-year-old has been tearing up the American Hockey League this season, scoring 31 points (19G / 12A) in 22 games with the Portland Winterhawks.
Boqvist's bad luck continued Wednesday as it was announced that he would be placed on the Injured Reserve due to a shoulder strain and is expected to miss up to four weeks. The 23-year-old is in his fifth NHL season, yet has never played more than 52 games in any year due to injury and will follow the similar trend in 2023-24 as he heads to the IR. He had struggled through 13 games prior to the injury, with only three assists, 14 SOG and a +3 plus/minus.
Bobrovsky will take the crease Wednesday after backing up two of the Panthers' last three games and will look to build off his personal two-game winning streak after a 21 save (.955 SV%) victory in his last start. The 35-year-old has been the model of consistency this season, with his 11-6-1 record, 2.41 GAA and .912 SV%. He will take on the Dallas Stars, who are in a bit of a funk having lost four of their last six but are still seventh in the NHL in goals per game (3.39).
Gadjovich was a healthy scratch for the Panthers' previous game but will draw into the lineup Wednesday vs. Dallas on the fourth line. The 25-year-old left-winger has yet to score this season but has an assist, eight SOG, 41 PIMs and a -1 plus/minus in seven games played.
