SAN JOSE – Swimming with the Sharks. Making their last stop in California, the Florida Panthers (7-6-1) will take on the San Jose Sharks (6-6-3) at SAP Center on Saturday at 10 p.m. ET. The first meeting of the season with the Sharks, the Panthers went 2-0-0 in last year’s matchups, with a 3-1 win on Dec.7 and 7-2 win on Jan. 25. Dating back to the 2018-19 season, the Panthers have won 12-straight against the Sharks. “They’re a young team that has some good players up front,” Jeff Petry said following the team’s morning skate. “I think knowing that they played last night, even more important to establish our game early on. Get pucks in and make them play a 200-foot game.” 1-1-0 halfway through their four-game West Coast road trip, the Panthers will try to build off their 5-2 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. “I think we just stuck to what we’re good at,” said Mackie Samoskevich. “I think just keeping it simple and we’ve been working a lot with it the past couple of weeks, so I think it’s a good step for us to take in that department.” Scoring twice in the win, Brad Marchand brought his season goal total to nine. While on a six-game point streak, the 37-year-old winger is also on a three-game goal streak, with four goals during that span. This season, No. 63 has four multi-point games and has points in 11 of 13 games. “He’s been performing at his peak for us,” head coach Paul Maurice said of Marchand. “He’s been fantastic.” Between the pipes for the Panthers, Daniil Tarasov is expected to get the start. Winners of five of the last seven, the Sharks enter Saturday’s game coming off a 2-1 win at home against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday. Tied at 1-1 late into the third period, Will Smith scored the go-ahead with just under five-minutes remaining in the game. Assisting on the goal, 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini brought his league-leading season point total to 23 points (9G, 14A). In the last two games, Celebrini has five points (2G, 3A), eight shots, and a +4 plus/minus rating. “He’s a guy that works hard and has a lot of skill,” Petry said of Celebrini. “We have to make sure he’s not getting the puck clean out of their defensive zone.” Manning the crease for the Sharks will either be Yaroslav Askerov (3-4-1, .879 save percentage, 3.88 goals against average) or Alex Nedeljkovic (3-2-2, .906 save percentage, 2.96 goals against average). THEY SAID IT “He’s obviously a great player, and speed is one thing that I like playing with, and he’s got a lot of it.” – Mackie Samoskevich on chemistry with Sam Bennett “It’s been good so far. Continuing to build together and making sure we’re communicating on the bench and on the ice.” – Jeff Petry on playing with Donovan Sebrango FIVE CATS STATS – Carter Verhaeghe has 12 points (4G, 8A) in 10 career games against the Sharks – Anton Lundell’s 54.4% faceoff win percentage on the road ranks tenth in the NHL (min. 110 faceoffs) – All three of Florida’s active Finns – Anton Lundell (1G), Eetu Luostarinen (1A) and Niko Mikkola (2A) – produced at least a point on Nov. 6 against the Kings – Brad Marchand leads the Panthers in road points with eight points (4G, 4A) in seven games – Jeff Petry has two assists in the last two games PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE) FORWARDS Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand Carter Verhaeghe – Evan Rodrigues – Sam Reinhart Jesper Boqvist – Sam Bennett – Mackie Samoskevich A.J. Greer – Cole Schwindt – Noah Gregor DEFENSEMEN Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones Donovan Sebrango – Jeff Petry GOALIES Daniil Tarasov Sergei Bobrovsky RECENT TRANSACTIONS – Oct. 27: D Tobias Bjornfot reassigned to Charlotte (AHL) – Oct. 15: D Donovan Sebrango claimed off waivers from Ottawa HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN When: Saturday, November 8 at 10 p.m. ET Where: SAP Center – San Jose, CA TV: WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV Radio: 104.3 WQAM-FM (Dade/Broward); 106.3 WESP-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers GameDay App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931 Cats on Tap:Click Here
MANHATTAN — Tucked just past the corner of East 33rd Street and Park Avenue is a not-so-secret hideaway for fans of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Just a couple blocks south of the Empire State Building is The Ainsworth in Midtown, a bar and restaurant that has dubbed itself as New York’s home for Alabama football. I was one of a number of folks who took over the Big Apple to watch the Crimson Tide this weekend as Alabama basketball faced St. John’s in Madison Square Garden. A majority of patrons at The Ainsworth did the same thing I did in my role as a reporter, which was go to Alabama’s 103-96 victory over the Red Storm and then realize there was too much traffic at around 4 p.m. to get back to my hotel, freshen up and still make my reservation by 7:15. After all, I was going to have to take the metro if I wanted the most New York-coded Alabama experience possible. A little different than the gameday shuttle to Bryant Denny-Stadium, and not just because the destination is Grand Central, where the subway awaits. After getting off the route to Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall, I had a 2-minute walk to NYC’s Mecca of Alabama bars. I was 15 minutes early to my reservation (which I only got when I pulled the “I’m a journalist who wants to write about the gameday experience in your bar” card after I found out the venue was booked out) and ,like every single person who had a reservation, I still had to hang outside in a line that wrapped around the block by the time I got through the door. The 30-plus minute wait was about as close as Alabama alums could get to feeling like they’re stumbling down The Strip again, only this bar doesn’t have a $40 cover. Even for those still outside nestled in trench coats and beanies, cries from the rooftop terrace signaled that it was kickoff. Those far enough up in line were able to peer through the windows and watch Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer’s entrance on one of the ten of TVs around the front bar. But once the rope was pulled and feet crossed the threshold, it was like stepping into Tuscaloosa. Elephants on crimson flags hung behind the bar, and the entirety of the staff working it was decked out in Alabama gear, matching the tailgate feel brought about by jerseys and houndstooth coats. Due to the capacity, reservations that neared closer to the 7:30 kickoff against LSU were directed straight upstairs to the terrace. Ivy and flowers lined the wall to the outdoor pad, which had notably fewer screens behind the bar, but offered a large screen to the left that didn’t turn on until a clip of Gene Hackman’s iconic speech in the 1995 movie “Crimson Tide” played. Hackman saluted Alabama, echoing “And what do we say?” to his soldiers. “Go Bama! Roll Tide!” they cheered in response. All knowing what to do next as if it were unspoken bar etiquette, fans raised their arms and ushered Alabama into action with a cheer of “Roll Tide Roll!” By the time quarterback Ty Simpson threw his first pass, hands were glued to brews like eyes to the screen. Uncertainty hushed early excitement for Alabama fans as the game remained scoreless until Conor Talty entered for a 45-yard field goal attempt, which one table was so confident that Talty would miss that its members started talking about Alabama and LSU in “The Game of the Century” – a 9-6 LSU victory in 2011 in Tuscaloosa. Right around that time, memories of being in a packed-out Gallette’s or Innisfree resurfaced for the table. A 2023 UA grad decided that he was going to perch at the lone empty seat, but had no concept of personal space – or the fact that he made a better door than a window when it came to watching the game. For alums fresher off the college scene, it’s not a true Alabama gameday experience if there’s not a “What’s the problem here?” guy who protests every word – positive or negative – in drunken refusal. After that interaction, Talty made the kick for Alabama’s first score. It wouldn’t match the volume of the celebration that followed Alabama’s first touchdown on a 4-yard rush by Daniel Hill. The cheers were followed by fans joining together to sing Alabama’s fight song. The choir regrouped at halftime to sing the adlib-filled rendition “Dixieland Delight” before a round of “Sweet Home Alabama.” Before the Crimson Tide rolled on to a 20-9 win and celebration continued in the city that never sleeps, Gabe – a 2024 UA alum and the only New York native of the group at the table – grinned as he looked around the room and confetti shooters built into the ceiling rained colorful shards of paper onto fans singing “And LSU… .” “This is literally the best place to be for college football,” he said. “I am so blessed.” Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@usatodayco.com.
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