from Nicholas J. Cotsonika of NHL.com,
The Florida Panthers will honor the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting when they play the Washington Capitals at BB&T Center on Thursday.
The game (7:30 p.m. ET; TVAS, FS-F, NBCSWA, NHL.TV) -- the Panthers' first at home since 17 people died in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14 -- will include a moment of silence, a pregame ceremony, a blood drive and fundraisers.
Stoneman Douglas is 3 1/2 miles from the Panthers' practice facility in Coral Springs, Florida, and 13 1/2 miles from BB&T Center. Some players live in Parkland and had kids in school nearby; goaltender Roberto Luongo's 7-year-old son, Gianni, was in lockdown in a closet for three hours. Some staff members are Stoneman Douglas alumni.
"We all feel the pain and can't imagine what it's like to lose a child," Luongo said after the morning skate, wearing a Stoneman Douglas hat as both teams will during warmup. "It's pretty hard to take."
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