The New Jersey Devils and the Florida Panthers meet in NHL action from the Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday night. Can Florida push the win streak to double-digits? Or will the Devils bring it to a halt with a road win? Let’s dive in and find out with our Devils vs. Panthers Prediction.
New Jersey Devils Team Preview
The New Jersey Devils come into this game looking to bounce back from a 4-3 OT loss to Tampa Bay last time out. Jack Hughes leads the Devils in scoring with 45 points including 15 goals and 30 assists while Jesper Bratt has 45 points with 15 goals and 30 assists of his own. Tyler Toffoli has 29 points with a team-high 16 goals while Luke Hughes has 23 points with 16 assists as well this season. Vitek Vanecek has gone 14-7-2 with a 3.31 GAA and an .882 save percentage while Akira Schmid is 5-7-1 with a 3.26 GAA and an .893 save percentage this season.
New Jersey Devils Team Facts
- The favorites have won each of the Devils’ last nine games.
- The road team has covered the puck line in 11 of the Devils’ last 13 games.
- The Devils have won the third period in five of their last six games against Atlantic Division opponents.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Devils’ last 11 games after coming off overtime.
Florida Panthers Team Preview
The Florida Panthers will look to push the winning streak to double-digits after their 3-2 OT win over the Los Angeles Kings last time out. Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers in scoring with 53 points including a team-high 30 goals and 23 assists while Aleksander Barkov has 45 points with 11 goals and 34 assists. Carter Verhaeghe has 41 points with 22 goals and 19 assists while Matthew Tkachuk has 40 points with 28 assists of his own this season. Sergei Bobrovsky has posted a 21-9-1 mark with a 2.43 GAA and .913 save percentage in goal for Florida this season while Anthony Stolarz is 6-3-1 with a 1.95 GAA and a .923 save percentage this season.
Florida Panthers Team Facts
- The Panthers have won each of their last nine games.
- The Panthers have failed to cover the puck line in seven of their last eight games as favorites following an overtime win.
- The Panthers have won the third period in each of their last six games following a win.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Panthers’ last eight games as favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Florida Panthers rank 3rd in the league for goals against per game this season (2.46).
- The Florida Panthers rank T5th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (83.97%).
- The New Jersey Devils rank 3rd in the league in power play percentage this season (28.33%).
- The New Jersey Devils rank 5th in the league for goals per game this season (3.54).
Devils vs. Panthers Prediction
I’m on the Panthers here. Until the Panthers give me a reason not to, I’m going to keep riding the hot hand until it stops paying off. New Jersey’s a solid team, but the goaltending can be iffy at times and the Panthers’ offense is running well and the defense is in sync like a well-oiled machine. Give me the Panthers to push the win streak to double digits.