Paul Maurice has made his call for tonight's homestand opener, and Akira Schmid gets the crease against the Winnipeg Jets.
The Panthers announced it Friday, with the puck dropping at 7pm ET on Scripps and Panthers Plus. Florida is 7-4-2 and has won two straight.
Schmid has been busy early. He's appeared in 7 games this season, which tells you plenty about how Florida has had to manage its goaltending to start the year.
Jacob Markstrom has been listed on injured reserve, according to our Tuesday preview. That context matters here, because the net is not a spot where the Panthers have a lot of cushion right now.
Schmid brings 89 regular-season games of NHL experience into the night. He also has 10 playoff games on his résumé, so this is not a goalie who needs a map to find the blue paint.
The Jets walk in on a rough patch. Winnipeg has lost 7 straight and sits 26th in the NHL at 4-6-3.
Here is how the Panthers announced the decision:
Why the Jets rematch is a chance to build on Tuesday
Florida already beat this team once this week. The Panthers won 5-1 at Winnipeg on Tuesday, and now they get the same opponent three days later on home ice.
That's a quick turnaround for a Jets team that just lost 6-4 at Tampa Bay on Thursday. Winnipeg gave up 6 goals there, and its goal differential sits at -10.
The Jets' road record is 2-2-2, but their problem has been keeping the puck out of their own net. They've allowed 42 goals, five more than Florida has.
Florida's home record is 2-1-0, so this is a chance to stack another win in front of its own crowd. A goalie who's been in and out of the lineup rarely gets a cleaner spot.
Meanwhile, the bigger roster story hangs over the building. Paul Maurice said Aleksander Barkov is skating again and on schedule, which is welcome news for a team still short-handed.
Still, tonight is about the crease. If Schmid steadies things against a team that has lost seven in a row, Maurice gets breathing room. If he doesn't, the goalie question gets louder.
Should Akira Schmid keep the Panthers' net until Jacob Markstrom is healthy?
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