Panthers lineup tonight: Florida's projected lineup for game against Columbus Blue Jackets | March 6, 2025

The defending champions Florida Panthers are back in action tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets at 7 p.m. EST in Florida. Columbus comes in with a 30-23-8 record and 68 points. Florida leads the Atlantic division with a 38-21-3 record and 79 points.

Per ESPN, Florida only has one injury, but it's a significant one. Star left wing Matthew Tkachuk has been out since the 4 Nations Face-Off with a groin injury. He's not expected to come back until at least the postseason.

With that in mind, here's what Florida's lineup should look like today. Keep in mind that things can change ahead of puck drop at 7 p.m.:

Forwards:

1. LW Carter Verhaeghe - C Aleksander Barkov - RW Sam Reinhart
2. LW Mackie Samoskevich - C Sam Bennett - RW Evan Rodrigues
3. LW Eetu Luostarinen - C Anton Lundell - RW Jesper Boqvist
4. LW AJ Greer - C Tomas Nosek - RW Jonah Gadjovich

Defensive Pairings:

1. Gustav Forsling - Aaron Ekblad
2. Niko Mikkola - Dmitry Kulikov
3. Uvis Balinskis - Nate Schmidt

Goaltenders:

1. Sergei Bobrovsky
2. Spencer Knight

Powerplay Units:

1. Sam Reinhart, Aleksander Barkov, Mackie Samoskevich, Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad
2. Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell, Evan Rodrigues, Eetu Luostarinen, Nate Schmidt

Penalty Kill Lines:

1. Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Gustav Forsling, Aaron Ekblad
2. Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, Seth Jones, Niko Mikkola

The Panthers are back at home after three straight home wins and four consecutive wins overall. They beat the Tampa Bay Lightning last time out.

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Odds for tonight's Panthers game and a look at the upcoming schedule

The Florida Panthers are favored at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Here are the official odds according to Odds Shark:

• Florida is an incredible -323 to win outright.
• Columbus is +248 on the moneyline.
• The puck line is Florida -1.5, which is +103.
• The Blue Jackets are -118 to cover.
• The total is set at 6 goals.
• The over is -115, and the under is -105.

After today's contest, the reigning Stanley Cup champions will finish out their five-game homestand against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday at 6 p.m. EST. Then, they'll start a six-game road trip.

The Panthers are home favorites (Imagn)

They will take on the Boston Bruins (Tuesday at 7 p.m. EDT), Toronto Maple Leafs (Thursday at 7 p.m. EDT), and the Montreal Canadiens (March 15 at 7 p.m. EDT) next week.