Jacob Markstrom and the Panthers face a red-hot Cam Talbot in Columbus tonight, and the two goalies are heading in opposite directions.
Rick Bowness confirmed Talbot for the Blue Jackets this morning. Florida arrives at 9-7-2 and has lost two straight, the latest a 4-1 loss in Boston on Sunday.
FlaHockeyNow also has Akira Schmid in the backup role, and he made 27 saves on 31 shots in his last start.
Markstrom has gone 2-2-0 over his last 5 with a .866 save percentage. That is a number that keeps a team from winning on nights when the skaters give it nothing.
Talbot, 39, is 4-1-0 over the same stretch with a .942 save percentage. The Panthers will not get many cheap goals from him.
The same fantasy sheet lists a 3.74 GAA for Markstrom against a 1.76 for Talbot, which is as wide a gap as a pregame goalie matchup gets.
Why Markstrom's night in Columbus matters for the crease
Florida did win the last meeting 7-3 in Columbus on Oct 13, so the building holds no fear. The Blue Jackets are 6-3-0 at home, though, and they sit 28th in the NHL at 7-8-0.
That 28th-place team is exactly the opponent a Panthers club with a 5-5-2 road record should handle. Instead the game hinges on whether Markstrom can play to his résumé.
We looked at Paul Maurice's goalie call as Schmid kept winning earlier this month, and nights like this are why that question never went away. A .866 stretch against a goalie at .942 is a bad matchup on paper, and Florida cannot count on its offense to bail him out after scoring once in Boston.
Puck drops tonight in Columbus, with Schmid on the bench as the backup.
Quick hits
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFSColorado Hockey Now projects MacKenzie Blackwood to start for the Avalanche against the Maple Leafs tonight, with Scott Wedgewood backing up. Toronto is looking to end a skid, and Bobrovsky's slump is part of that story.
WASHINGTON CAPITALSAlex Ovechkin was questioned in Ottawa today about Canada's World Juniors ban on Russia and the planned protest over his Putin ties. Not the pregame media session anyone wants.
MONTREAL CANADIENSMinnesota's beat confirmed that Jesper Wallstedt will face Jacob Fowler and the Canadiens tonight at the Bell Centre. It is also Carey Price night, so expect a loud building.
NASHVILLE PREDATORSRoman Josi can become the first Switzerland-born player to reach 800 career points tonight in Los Angeles. He needs just one point against the Kings.
NEW YORK RANGERSPeter Baugh reports that defenseman Alberts Smits is now on injured reserve. The Rangers' blue line situation has changed again.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
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