The Essentials
Matchup: New Jersey Devils at Florida Panthers
Date: November 14, 2024
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Broadcast: MSGSN, SN, SN1, SCRIPPS, ESPN+
Listen: Devils Hockey Network
Last Devils Game & Panthers Game: The Devils defeated the Panthers by a final score of 4-1. Check out Jackson’s recap for that game.
Recent Momentum: The Panthers had won seven straight games before Tuesday night. While it isn’t a seven-game winning streak, the Devils have won six of their last eight games.
Fun Fact: The Devils snapped the Panthers’ seven-game winning streak on Tuesday night. On January 13, 2024, the Devils defeated the Panthers by a score of 4-1, ending Florida’s nine-game winning streak.
The Projected Lineups
Except for the goaltenders, I don’t expect either team to line up much differently than Tuesday’s game.
The Panthers
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barlow – Sam Reinhart
Evan Rodrigues – Jesper Boqvist – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lindell – Mackie – Samoskevich
A.J. Grier – Tomas Nosek. – Jonah Gadjovich
Defense
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Dimitri Kulikov
Uvis Balinskis – Nate Schmidt
Goaltender
I expect Sergei Bobrovsky to get the start in net.
The Devils
Head coach Sheldon Keefe did adjust the top line by promoting Stefan Noesen. That line of Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, and Noesen posted an 80.88 xGF%, so I expect that line to remain the same in the second game against the Panthers.
Forwards
Timo Meier – Nico Hischier – Stefan Noesen
Ondrej Palat – Jack Hughes – Jesper Bratt
Paul Cotter – Erik Haula – Dawson Mercer
Kurtis MacDermid – Justin Dowling – Tomas Tatar
Defense
Brenden Dillon – Dougie Hamilton
Luke Hughes – Brett Pesce
Jonas Siegenthaler – Johnathan Kovacevic
Goaltender
I would expect Jake Allen to start in the net.
What to Watch For
High Danger Scoring Chances For (HDCF)
Not much has changed between Tuesday and tonight’s game. Jackson wrote a great preview for Tuesday’s game that is definitely worth reading. One of the stats Jackson discussed was that, as of Tuesday afternoon, the Panthers struggle in terms of allowing high-danger scoring chances. I thought the Devils were on the defensive for the first period and a half in the first game against the Panthers, so the fact that the Devils gave up 11 High Danger Chances Against (HDCA) was no surprise. For all the pressure they applied to the Devils, the Panthers gave up 9 HDCAs. Not much better. Tuesday’s game fits the Panthers’ profile this season in that they have a potent offense but give up as much as they get. The Devils must capitalize on those chances like they did on Tuesday.
No Excuses
The Devils just played the Panthers. Now they play the Panthers again tonight. A lot has been made of this odd schedule with Florida while games against Tampa Bay and Carolina are looming, but there should be no excuses. If they want to be considered a threat in the Metropolitan Division, the Devils need wins against high-caliber teams under less-than-perfect conditions.
Florida has their own beef when it comes to scheduling. The Panthers play the Devils twice at home and then face the 15-1 Winnipeg Jets in a home-and-home matchup later in the week. They play back-to-back games against Carolina at the end of November. The point is that Florida is trying to claw as many points out of this stretch of the schedule as the Devils. The Devils should consider it a playoff series assessment. Beating the Panthers in consecutive games would be a statement.
Increased Spice Level
Like a playoff series, I’d expect the physicality to increase even more in game two. Florida outhit the Devils 35 to 25 on Tuesday night. Dougie Hamilton led the Devils with five hits, while Jonah Gadjovich (no surprise) and Jesper Boqvist (surprise) led the Panthers with four. Everyone has seen the heavyweight bout between Brenden Dillon and Gadjovich in the second period. Kurtis MacDermid was also hounding Gadjovich in one of his few shifts in the game after a potentially dangerous hit on Justin Dowling near the bench. Stefan Noesen and Sam Reinhart got into a scrum in the third period, which resulted in matching penalties. The point is no love will be lost, especially when facing the same enemy in such a short timeframe. In the past, I would have said that more physicality would put the Devils at a disadvantage, but not this team. New Jersey may not have led in the hit column, but they did stand up for themselves, and the new additions like Dillon and Noesen led the way.
What the Devils cannot do is let the physicality of the game lead them into undisciplined penalties. The best example of the physical play leading the Devils astray is Dillon’s roughing penalty on Matthew Tkachuk at the end of the first period of Tuesday’s game. At the time, the Devils were up 1-0 and already had Noesen in the box for a slash. After an exchange in the corner, Dillon swiped off Tkachuk’s helmet, which drew a roughing call, giving the Panthers a two-man advantage. The Devils killed off both penalties, which was huge, but it was a golden opportunity for the Panthers to change the game. New Jersey cannot be provoked into penalties like that tonight.