Losing in regulation for only the second time this season, the Panthers fell by a score of 7-3 in their previous meeting in New Jersey on Nov. 9. Despite leading 3-2 in the second period of that game, the Panthers went on to surrender five straight goals, including three in the third period.
"I thought they dictated last game a little bit," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said. "They're a little bit of a buzzsaw. They're going to skate and force us into having to play quick too. If we're not ready, we'll be kind of like we were a week ago where we're defending more than we'd like to and kind of chasing the game. We need to bring our game to them."
Off to a perfect 8-0-0 start at FLA Live Arena this season, the Panthers opened up their four-game homestand with a 6-1 win over the Islanders on Tuesday. Erupting for four goals in the first period against New York, Jonathan Huberdeau, Ryan Lomberg, Carter Verhaeghe and Patric Hornqvist all scored in the opening 20 minutes to give the Cats a commanding lead.
Later in the game, Aaron Ekblad and Frank Vatrano added goals of their own, while Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 27 of 28 shots to lock down the win and improve his record to 7-0-2.
"What I really liked is that we established the pace here on home ice that we played with," Brunette said of that dominant performance. "We went right back to where we left off, especially in that first period with how we came out the way we did. We need to do that again tonight."
Dating back to last season, Florida has won 12 straight regular-season games at home.
"When you're playing at home, you feel more comfortable," Vatrano said of the team's strong home-ice advantage. "You know the bounces, you know the ice, you know everything. You've got the fans behind you. We're always comfortable playing here and we love it."
Although they picked up a critical two points against the Islanders, the Panthers unfortunately also lost their superstar captain. Following a dangerous knee-on-knee collision in the second period, Aleksander Barkov left the game and is now "week to week" with a lower-body injury.
The league's reigning Selke Trophy winner, Barkov leads the Panthers in scoring with 17 points (nine goals, eight assists). Preparing to pick up some of that offensive slack in his absence, five other Cats have produced at least five goals and 13 others have recorded at least seven points.
Benefitting from that balanced attack, Florida has scored a league-best 62 goals.
"What he does is something you can't replace, but we have guys that can step in and make a difference," Vatrano said of Barkov's injury. "Whoever goes in there to do the job, we know they can do it. Whoever is out of the lineup, or whoever is in, we know what kind of team we have."
After backing up Bobrovsky in each of the last three games, rookie Spencer Knight, who has posted a 4-2-1 record this campaign, is expected to be between the pipes against the Devils.
"He'll be ready to go," Brunette said. "He's been great this year."
Sitting fifth in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 7-4-3, the Devils have lost each of their last two games, including a 4-3 shootout loss against the Rangers on Sunday. In the Big Apple, Pavel Zacha, Jesper Bratt and Dougie Hamilton all scored, while MacKenzie Blackwood had 30 saves before having to leave early in the third period in order to go through concussion protocol.
"It turns out to be a real good point for our club," New Jersey head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters after the loss. "To bounce back and score late, we've got to take those points."
Cleared from protocol and expected to start against the Panthers, Blackwood owns a 2-0-1 record with a 2.37 goals-against average and .937 save percentage this season. Making only two career starts against Florida, he's registered a 2-0-0 record with a .923 save percentage.
In a four-way tie atop New Jersey's scoring leaderboard, Zacha, Bratt, Andreas Johnsson and Dawson Mercer all have 11 points. Zacha also leads the team with seven goals, lighting the lamp three times over his last six games.
"We obviously weren't very happy with our performance against Jersey on their home ice," Vatrano said of tonight's rematch. "They're a team that plays fast and hard. They're a young team. I think we've just got to match their energy and play how we know we can play."
