Full lineup tweaks confirmed by Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice ahead of Ottawa Senators showdown

Paul Maurice confirmed both stars remain out, and rookie winger Sandis Vilmanis will make his NHL debut. Sergei Bobrovsky gets the crease in Ottawa, a clear signal Florida wants a calm start.

Matthew Tkachuk's return is getting closer, but Florida is still missing its $9.5 million bulldozer on entries and at the crease. When he sits, the Panthers lose drawn penalties and that greasy second-chance offense.

Florida's power play is around 17.5% and the penalty kill sits near 83%, so five-on-five has to carry tonight. Ottawa's power play is much hotter, and its penalty kill is down around 73%.

At 22-18-3, the Panthers can survive one missing driver, but losing both chaos-makers changes the whole attack. You can feel fans clench when the forecheck loses its loudest voice and the crease stops being annoying.

Brad Marchand leads Florida with 46 points and he has 23 goals, so his minutes are tough to replace. He is day-to-day after leaving Tuesday's game early.

Without Marchand and Tkachuk, expect Aleksander Barkov's line to take the hard matchups and more defensive-zone draws. Florida will want clean exits and controlled entries, not the usual chaos hockey.

Sandis Vilmanis, 21, arrives from Charlotte with 19 points in 31 AHL games, and Saturday is his NHL debut. Florida drafted him 157th overall in 2022, and his pace fits the Panthers' pressure game.

For Vilmanis, the assignment is simple, keep shifts short, win a wall battle, and get pucks deep. If he can track back through the middle, Maurice will trust him late.

Ottawa is dealing with Linus Ullmark's leave and a .872 team save percentage, so there will be chances. The James Reimer pro tryout is the latest patch, and Steve Staios publicly defended his starter.

Sergei Bobrovsky starts with a 17-12-1 record, 2.93 goals-against average, and three shutouts this season. If he settles early, Florida can stay patient and wait for one bounce.

This is the kind of night where depth decides it, and Vilmanis' first few shifts will tell the story. Saturday is about surviving the missing stars and banking points until the reinforcements return.

Read more on SunriseHockeyInsider
Nick Cousins chirps the Florida Panthers, Ottawa matchup gets spicy