Panthers vs. Coyotes: Players to watch

The Panthers are facing off against the Coyotes in a must-win game. They are the superior team by a country mile, but upsets in hockey do occur, so they will surely need to play with a high degree of effort in the process.

When it comes to tonight’s game, there are a handful of players from each team that we all should be watching closely. In this piece, we will be discussing exactly which players they are. Two players who we sadly can’t watch are Aleksander Barkov and Anthony Duclair, however, as they have been ruled out.

Maxim Mamim: Not only does Maxim Mamim have one of the coolest names in hockey, but he also is coming off if two dominant games in a row. In them, he recorded two goals and two assists, so it would be awesome to see him continue this very impressive hot streak.

Shayne Gostisbehere: After being traded from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Coyotes for absolutely nothing, Shayne Gostisbehere is currently tied for first place on the team with 17 points. He’s having that big turnaround campaign and we’ll have to see if the Florida native builds on that tonight.

Joe Thornton: Joe Thornton will be in the lineup tonight and the grizzled veteran will be a player to pay close attention to. Something’s telling me that he’s going to be in for a big game tonight. He’s aiming to cement himself a spot in Florida’s bottom-six and this is a grand chance for him to help his case to do so.

Clayton Keller: Clayton Keller is another key player on the Coyotes and one of their biggest offensive threats. For Arizona to pull off a shocking win over Florida, he will need to lead the charge tonight for them.

Lawson Crouse: Ending with another Coyote, Lawson Crouse is always someone Panther fans should watch. He was Florida’s first-round pick in 2015, but ended up traded before ever playing a game for the franchise. Let’s see if he has a big game because of this.