Match-up - New Jersey Devils (29-24-13) @ Florida Panthers (24-35-7) Road/Home records - 13-16-6 -------------- 12-15-4 TV - MSG Plus 2, FS-Florida Puck drop - 7:30 p.m. ET Season series - Devils lead 1-0 Last 10: Devils 6-3-1 | Panthers 2-8-0 Projected starting goalies - Cory Schneider vs Roberto Luongo
Projected lines for the Panthers:
Scottie Upshall - Nick Bjugstad - Brad Boyes Tomas Fleischmann - Vincent Trocheck - Jonathan Huberdeau Quinton Howden - Brandon Pirri - Jimmy Hayes Krys Barch - Scott Gomez - Joey Crabb
Brian Campbell - Tom Gilbert Dmitry Kulikov - Ed Jovanovski Alex Petrovic - Dylan Olsen
Projected lines for the Devils:
Tuomo Ruutu - Travis Zajac - Jaromir Jagr Dainius Zubrus - Patrik Elias - Damien Brunner Ryane Clowe - Adam Henrique - Michael Ryder Ryan Carter - Stephen Gionta - Steve Bernier
Andy Greene - Mark Fayne Jon Merrill - Marek Zidlicky Bryce Salvador - Anton Volchenkov
Game notes:
- The Florida Panthers are actually a decent 5 vs 5 team in terms of filling the net and possession, but keeping the puck out of the net has been a problem for them all season long. That said, with Roberto Luongo now mending the pipes they're much more of a spoiler threat to teams trying to get into the playoffs such as New Jersey. The Devils do have a decisive advantage in special teams as both units have been abysmal for Florida all season long, so expect that to be a big factor tonight.
- Cory Schneider vs Roberto Luongo is a sexy storyline, but Devils vs Panthers is the big story here. The Devils are desperate for points and a win tonight would tie them for the 2nd wild card spot and put them one point out of 2nd/3rd in the Metro division. This is a huge game for the Devils.
- Travis Zajac and Jaromir Jagr both enter tonight's contest with five points in their last four games. They'll likely draw a very underrated pairing in Campbell and Gilbert for much of the night so it'll be interesting to see if they can continue to produce.
- Vincent Trocheck is playing in his 5th career game and he's yet to score a goal or record a point. He was an elite offensive player in the OHL for years and he's produced close to a point per game in the AHL this season, so he's going to breakout sooner or later. Given that almost every rookie scores his 1st career goal when he plays the Devils, it wouldn't be surprising if that's the case tonight.
- Marek Zidlicky, who some Devils fans want to push off the team come June, is riding a four-game point streak. He has 10 goals and 36 points on the season, which ties him for 17th in points among defenseman and puts him ahead of the likes of Drew Doughty, Zdeno Chara, Ryan Suter, Mike Green and more. He takes too many penalties but his defensive game has improved and the offensive production outweighs the money he's making. Depending on the price I think the Devils would be smart to bring him back on a one or two year deal, but that's a story for another day.
- Tuomo Ruutu has recorded back-to-back two point games. The 3rd time's the charm, right?
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