Brad Marchand and the Florida Panthers are struggling to build momentum in the NHL. Watching key players go down with injuries every night definitely doesn’t help their cause. On that note, head coach Paul Maurice delivered a much-needed injury update.
With Jonah Gadjovich and Sam Bennett uncertain to play when the Panthers take on the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 4, Maurice addressed their status with a clear update for Marchand and the rest of the team to hear.
“Bennett is fine, per Paul Maurice,” as reported by Miami Herald’s Jordan McPherson on X. “Jonah Gadjovich not traveling [with the team], but Maurice said an update on him would come Wednesday.”
What happened to Bennett and Gadjovich?
Bennett wasn’t on the ice for the Panthers practice on Monday morning, raising alarms around Broward County. With the Cats scheduled to board the cross-country flight to California after practice, many were worried Bennett might be unable to join the team on the upcoming road trip. However, it seems the Conn Smythe Trophy winner was only taking a rest and is good to go.
Gadjovich, on the other hand, remains sidelined with an upper-body injury. Maurice announced that the 27-year-old will be out for at least a week, which would have made him eligible to return for the matchup against the Ducks at Honda Center. However, not only will Gadjovich miss the team’s second meeting with Anaheim, but he also won’t travel with the squad for their upcoming road games against the Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, and Vegas Golden Knights.
Setting the tone
As the Panthers pack their bags for a crucial West Coast road trip, they’ll look to keep their momentum rolling. Riding a three-game point streak, Marchand and the Cats hope to harvest some much-needed points in a tough region. Traveling from the Sunshine State to the Golden State is no easy task—the coast-to-coast flight can take its toll, and the Panthers have frequently been caught flat-footed in California. Mostly, though, when facing the Kings on the road.
Safety in the numbers
For all the success Florida has enjoyed against Anaheim—just miles from the City of Angels—the Cats have struggled to solve the Los Angeles Kings. The Panthers are 16-27-3 all time versus the Kings, marking their second-worst winning percentage (38%) against any NHL opponent.
When Marchand, Bennett, and company walk into Crypto.com Arena, they’ll be looking to snap a six-year hex. The last time Florida won in L.A. was back in March 2019. Aaron Ekblad is the only current Panther who was on that roster, while Aleksander Barkov—who also played in that game—remains on LTIR and will miss the trip to La-La Land.
Conversely, the Sharks and Ducks are the two teams Florida holds its best winning percentages against—62% and 57.6%, respectively. That’s excluding the Utah Mammoth, whom the Cats have faced only twice—and defeated as many times. The Panthers haven’t lost in San Jose since November 2015, and Florida is currently riding a six-year win-streak over the Ducks in Anaheim, with its last defeat being on March 2019.