SUNRISE, Fla. – Wouldn’t eight be great?
Off to a scorching start, the Florida Panthers will attempt to stretch their winning streak to eight games when they battle the New Jersey Devils at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday.
Leading the Atlantic Division, the Panthers enter the matchup sitting at 11-3-1.
“We’re finding ways to get wins,” defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “It’s not always pretty, but we’re firing on all cylinders.”
Tied for the fifth-longest winning streak in franchise history, the Panthers have been getting contributions from up and down their lineup while leading 33-17 in goals during their run.
Sam Reinhart has logged at least one point in all seven games and his 11 total points are tied with Aleksander Barkov for the team lead during the streak. Ten different players have posted at least four points during the streak, with 19 total skaters cracking the scoresheet.
Stretching the streak to seven games, the Panthers enter tonight’s matchup fresh off a thrilling 4-3 shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.
Sam Bennett, Nate Schmidt and Dmitry Kulikov lit the lamp against the Flyers, while Barkov and Evan Rodrigues, who also had two primary assists, scored in the shootout.
Sergei Bobrovsky stood on his head with 34 saves, including 12 high-danger stops.
“I thought we worked really hard,” head coach Paul Maurice said of the win over Philadelphia. “Now, we want to build off it. I think nine of our next 10 games are against teams in the playoffs.”
Giving Bobrovsky a breather, Spencer Knight will man the crease against the Devils. Owning a 3-1-0 record, the 23-year-old has gone 3-0-0 with a .918 save percentage over his last four appearances, including a 23-save performance in a 4-2 win over the Dallas Stars in his last start on Nov. 2.
Other than that, no lineup changes are expected for the Panthers.
Sitting atop the Metropolitan Division at 10-6-2, the Devils have won five of their last seven games, but enter tonight’s matchup looking to rebound from a 1-0 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Sunday.
Earning at least a point in nine of the last 11 games, Jesper Bratt leads New Jersey in scoring with 19 points (five goals, 14 assists). Jack Hughes ranks second with 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists), while Nico Hischier is third with 16 points (10 goals, six assists).
“Fast players that can make plays with little time and space,” Ekblad said. “Obviously, one of the staples of our game is taking away that time and space with five guys throughout the ice.”
Dangerous with the extra attacker, the Devils own the fifth-ranked power play in the NHL at 28.3%. Doing most of the damage, Bratt leads the team with nine power-play points, while Hischier has scored a team-high four goals with the man advantage.
Owning a 7-4-1 record with a .902 save percentage, Jacob Markstrom is likely to get the nod in net for the Devils. Over his last five appearances, the 34-year-old veteran has gone 4-1-0 with a .919 save percentage.
Last season, the Panthers went 2-1-0 against the Devils.
“Lots of speed, lots of skill,” Maurice said. “To beat New Jersey tonight is going to need to be the template of how we play against the rest of these teams the rest of this month. You’re going to have to be right defensively. You can’t trade [chances]. That’s not how we play.”
THEY SAID IT
“We’re working hard. At the end of the day, we work pretty hard. … The offensive number isn’t as important as the defensive number. In order to do that, you have to work hard.” – Paul Maurice
“I don’t think it’s more excited [than a regular game], but it’s good to play against a team you’ve played before. You know a lot of the guys and you’re certainly want to win the game. That’s what we’re aiming for tonight.” – Tomas Nosek
FIVE CATS STATS
- The Panthers have gone 5-1-1 at home.
- The Panthers have scored a power-play goal in five of their last six games.
- The Panthers own an 8-0-0 record when leading after two periods.
- Dmitry Kulikov boasts a +10 plus/minus rating over the last seven games.
- Niko Mikkola has dished out an assist in six of his last seven contests.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Jesper Boqvist
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Jonah Gadjovich
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov
Nate Schmidt – Uvis Balinskis
Goaltenders
Spencer Knight
Sergei Bobrovsky
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- Nov. 4: Signed F Gracyn Sawchyn to an entry-level contract
- Nov. 1: F Patrick Giles loaned to AHL Charlotte
- Oct. 25: Singed F Hunter St. Martin to an entry-level contract
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: ESPN+, Hulu
Radio: 790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT-AM & 92.1 WZZR-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Theme Night: Military Appreciation
Tickets: Click Here
