Nashville Predators (12-16-1, seventh in the Central Division) vs. Florida Panthers (19-5-4, second in the Central Division)
Sunrise, Florida; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Florida heads into a matchup against Nashville as winners of four straight games.
The Panthers are 19-5-4 against opponents from the Central Division. Florida ranks second in the NHL averaging 3.5 goals per game, led by Aleksander Barkov Jr. with 12.
The Predators are 12-16-1 against the rest of their division. Nashville averages 9.5 penalty minutes per game, the seventh-most in the NHL. Mark Borowiecki leads the team serving 38 total minutes.
In their last meeting on March 6, Florida won 6-2. Noel Acciari scored a team-high three goals for the Panthers in the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Panthers with 24 assists and has 34 points this season. Barkov has five goals and 10 assists over the last 10 games for Florida.
Filip Forsberg leads the Predators with 10 goals and has 27 points. Mattias Ekholm has five goals and four assists over the last 10 games for Nashville.
LAST 10 GAMES: Panthers: 7-1-2, averaging four goals, 6.9 assists, 3.5 penalties and 7.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game with a .911 save percentage.
Predators: 4-5-1, averaging 2.6 goals, 4.5 assists, 3.9 penalties and 10 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game with an .897 save percentage.
INJURIES: Panthers: Noah Juulsen: out (undisclosed).
Predators: Mark Borowiecki: out (upper body).
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