The Cats are back on home ice after winning their two latest games in OT.

It will be a tough test for an up-and-down Florida team when the 8-5-0 Carolina Hurricanes hit the ice tonight.

This will be a fun rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference Finals, where the Cats swept Canes, winning by one goal in each of the four games. What a nail-biter!

Per Jameson Olive’s latest read:

“In terms of lineup changes for the Panthers, Uvis Balinskis will return to the blue line in place of Mike Reilly, who suited up the last two games. In 10 games this season, Balinskis, who is in first season in the NHL after starring in the Czech league, has amassed 13 hits and seven blocked shots.

Sergei Bobrovsky, who looked like a superhero while stopping 168 of 174 shots (.966%) against Carolina during last year’s Eastern Conference Final, will get the nod in net the for the Panthers.

After enduring a three-game losing streak from Oct. 19-24, the Hurricanes have won five of their last six games, including a 3-2 win in overtime against the Sabres in their last game on Tuesday.

Tony DeAngelo and Brady Skjei each scored against Buffalo in regulation, while Martin Necas locked in the second point with the game-winning goal in the extra frame. Tied for second on the Hurricanes with five goals, Necas has already notched two goals in overtime this season.

With starting goaltender Frederik Andersen out indefinitely due to blood clotting, backup Antti Raanta has been between the pipes in each of the last two games for Carolina. In six games so far this season, Raanta has posted a 4-1-1 record despite a suboptimal .877 save percentage.

With the Hurricanes sitting at 8-5-0 and likely some bad blood left over from last year's playoffs, the Panthers know they’re in for a tough test tonight.”

And here’s some encouraging news from the injury front:

Maurice said there's a chance both Bennett and Montour return at the end of the California trip.

"We're now in a 10-day window where we're probably going to see these guys back."

Maurice previous stated that Ekblad would take a little bit longer than Montour.

— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) November 10, 2023

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Looking for a good one tonight…Go Panthers!

Hey, when are the 30th Anniversary sweaters coming out? They better be doing some…

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