Thursday, the New Jersey Devils (13-5-1) will continue their road trip as they head to take on the two-time defending champion Florida Panthers (10-8-1). The Devils are coming off a disappointing performance against the Tampa Bay Lightning, while the Panthers are looking to repeat their eight-goal showing against the Vancouver Canucks.
Game Overview
The Devils are looking to rebound after a rough outing Tuesday night. The 5–1 loss to Tampa Bay came in a game where it looked like the Devils outplayed their opponents for much of the night at five-on-five.
The Panthers, on the other hand, have now won three of their last four after an exciting 8–5 win over Vancouver Monday night. The game featured its ups and downs, including Florida blowing a three-goal lead in a game where they outshot the Canucks 41–15.
This is the second meeting between the two teams. The first was a 3–1 Devils win in their home opener back in October.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe reported Wednesday that goaltender Jacob Markström tweaked something Tuesday night, regardless, Jake Allen was likely in line to make the start against Florida anyways. It appears Markström’s issue is minor. The Panthers will most likely start former Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky.
Projected Lines
Devils
Forwards
Gritsyuk-Hischier-Bratt
Meier-Mercer-Brown
Palat-Lammikko-Noesen
Cotter-Glendening-Dadonov
Defense
Dillon-Hughes
Siegenthaler-Nemec
Cholowski-Hamilton
Goalies
Allen
Markstrom
Panthers
Forwards
Samoskevich-Lundell-Marchand
Boqvist-Rodrigues-Reinhart
Verhaeghe-Bennett-Greer
Greagor-Kunin-Devine
Defense
Forsling-Ekblad
Mikkola-Jones
Balinkis-Petry
Goalies
Bobrovsky
Tarasov
Keys to the Game
Two Teams Same Problems
The Devils are trying to stay afloat as they work through a multitude of injuries. While they got back key pieces like Dougie Hamilton, Connor Brown, and Evgenii Dadonov on Tuesday, they are still not at full health.
The Devils’ 5–1 loss against the Lightning exposed many of their weaknesses,especially in goal where Markstrom allowed five goals on just 29 shots. His tough season continues, as Markstrom, fresh off a two-year extension, has just an .864 save percentage (SV%) with a -4.8 goals saved above expected (GSAx).
Similarly, the Panthers are dealing with their own injuries and poor goaltending to start the season. The back-to-back champs are without, arguably, their two best players in Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov. They’ve also had problems in net. Sergei Bobrovsky, despite picking up the win, allowed five goals on 15 shots against the Canucks Monday night. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner has had a rough start with an .883 save percentage.
Weird Injuries All Around
As most already knows, Jack Hughes had surgery on his finger after a “freak accident” at a steakhouse in Chicago. The situation, strange to many, will cause the Devils’ star forward to miss at least six weeks.
Interestingly, the Panthers are dealing with a similar situation. Head coach Paul Maurice announced Wednesday that forward Eetu Luostarinen is week-to-week after suffering burns in a barbecue accident. The 27-year-old Finnish forward was having a solid season with three goals and 10 points through 18 games. Now both he and Hughes will miss time due to non-hockey injuries.
Where to Watch
You can watch Thursday night’s showdown on MSGSN at 7:00 pm ET.