Florida @ Carolina preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 8, 2019 ) Carolina 6, Florida 3

The Florida Panthers have shown the ability to score themselves out of trouble much of the season, and look to begin winning in more conventional ways Saturday night against the host Carolina Hurricanes. The Panthers gave up the first four goals to Anaheim on Thursday before rallying to score the next five, including defenseman Aaron Ekblad’s winner 22 seconds into overtime for their fifth victory in six games.

“We’re one of the highest-scoring teams in the league and we’ve done it every game. It’s not our issue,” Florida right wing Brett Connolly told reporters. “We’ve just got to find a way to be better defensively, and we know we can score. If we can fix that and find a way to be better defensively, we’re going to be tough to beat, there’s no question about it.” The Panthers have lost four in a row and seven of eight against Carolina, including a 6-3 Hurricanes victory in Sunrise, Fla., on Oct. 8 as Ryan Dzingel scored twice. Carolina saw its four-game winning streak come to an end Thursday with a 5-3 setback against Philadelphia at home after giving up five of the last six goals. “We were sluggish most of that game,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour told reporters. “We got going in spurts, but we were never able to get footing. It’s a frustrating game, because you’re going to give up some goals, but we felt like, way too easy on the goals. That’s the game.”

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Florida, FS Carolinas

ABOUT THE PANTHERS (12-5-5): Connolly scored twice Thursday to tie for the team lead with 10, including four in the past three games, while Ekblad registered the first multi-goal game of his career and improved to plus-8 on the season. Left wing Jonathan Huberdeau recorded six of his team-best 30 points in the last three games while captain Aleksander Barkov has posted four of his 29 points in the past two contests. Left wing Mike Hoffman (nine goals, 17 points) had cooled off after a hot start to the season, but has warmed up again with three goals and four assists during a six-game point streak.

ABOUT THE HURRICANES (13-8-1): Andrei Svechnikov leads the team with 24 points and the 19-year-old Russian right wing has made the scoresheet in six consecutive games, totaling four goals and five assists in that stretch. Defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who owns a team-best plus-11 rating, is close behind with 23 points and left wing Teuvo Teravainen has recorded 12 of his 21 points in his last 11 contests. Center Sebastian Aho, who had three goals in 12 games during October, has scored eight in 10 contests this month to take over the team lead while 20-year-old forward Martin Necas boasts nine points in 10 November outings.

OVERTIME

1. Carolina D Joel Edmundson has two goals and five assists in the last five games after going without a point in the first 17 contests this season.

2. Florida D MacKenzie Weegar (lower body) has missed five straight games and is not expected to play Saturday.

3. The Hurricanes are 18-of-19 on the penalty kill the last six games and the Panthers entered Friday fifth in the league on the power play at 25 percent.

PREDICTION: Hurricanes 4, Panthers 2