Music: {allcanada} PANTHERS (24-12-4) at SENATORS (19-15-6)

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

{allcanada} PANTHERS (24-12-4) at SENATORS (19-15-6)

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Thursday, January 7, 2016

7:30 PM ET

PANTHERS (24-12-4) at SENATORS (19-15-6)

TV: FS-F, RDS, TSN5

Season series: The Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators have split two games this season at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla. Senators forward Mike Hoffman had the go-ahead goal with 5:37 remaining in a 4-2 win on Dec. 8. Panthers forwards Brandon Pirri and Aleksander Barkov scored in the shootout for a 2-1 win on Dec. 22, the fifth in Florida's current 10-game streak.

Panthers team scope: Expected starter Roberto Luongo has a personal eight-game winning streak when Florida tries to extend its franchise record to 11 in a row. "The funny thing is, once a team gets rolling. …you realize you're better than you thought you were," Luongo told ESPN Radio on Wednesday. Luongo, one of three Panthers named to the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game, has allowed 10 goals during the run and has a .956 save percentage. Luongo and defenseman Aaron Ekblad were selected to the Atlantic Division roster Wednesday by the NHL after forward Jaromir Jagr, who has four goals in as many games, was selected team captain in a fan vote. Barkov has five goals and seven assists during Florida's win streak. Forward Jonathan Huberdeau has four multi-point games in his past seven (one goal, seven assists).

Senators team scope: Forwards Milan Michalek and Mika Zibanejad will be in the lineup, coach Dave Cameron said. Michalek fractured his index finger Dec. 1 against the Philadelphia Flyers. Zibanejad left a 3-2 overtime win against the St. Louis Blues on Monday after taking a stick to the face in the first period. They practiced on a line with Hoffman. Defenseman Cody Ceci, who hasn't played since Dec. 20 because of an upper-body injury, skated Wednesday on a pairing with Patrick Wiercioch, but Cameron will wait until Thursday to determine if Ceci will be in the lineup. "It's the worst nightmare for an athlete," Cameron told the Ottawa Citizen in regards to injuries. "They train and they work hard and they want to be in the games. They get an injury and they've got to do all the work over. Nice to see them back." Defenseman Erik Karlsson, Ottawa's lone All-Star representative, has three goals and seven assists in his past 10 games.