Panthers at Devils
The Florida Panthers had one of the worst home openers of the 2014-15 season - and Saturday night marks their first shot at revenge as they visit the New Jersey Devils in an Eastern Conference battle. The Panthers were drubbed 5-1 by the Devils in their first home game of the campaign, as New Jersey rode four first-period goals to an easy victory. Florida comes into this one on the heels of a 3-2 victory over Columbus on Thursday that halted a five-game losing streak.
The victory over the Blue Jackets helped the Panthers salvage two of a possible eight points on an otherwise fruitless homestand, with Saturday marking the opener of a three-game road trip that includes visits to Madison Square Garden and Long Island. The Devils will be looking for a strong bounce-back effort after dropping a 2-1 overtime decision to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night. New Jersey is on a bit of a tear with points in seven of its last nine (5-2-2).
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Florida, MSG-Plus (New Jersey)
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (21-15-10): One young player's demotion has opened the door for another to stick with the big club. Defenseman Alex Petrovic was summoned from Florida's American Hockey League affiliate in San Antonio to replace the struggling Dylan Olsen, who was reassigned after clearing waivers earlier in the week. "I've been working hard all year, and we have a really good team down there," said the 22-year-old Petrovic, who has 13 career NHL games to his credit. "This just shows the direction we're going. Both teams have better records than last year."
ABOUT THE DEVILS (18-22-9): New Jersey was fortunate to escape with a point against the powerhouse Penguins on Friday night after being outshot by a ridiculous 43-14 margin. That has been a disturbing theme for the Devils in 2015, as they've been outshot in nine of the 10 games they've played this month - including three instances where the discrepancy was at least 25 shots. New Jersey has outshot an opponent just once since Dec. 17, though it has managed to put up a respectable 7-6-3 mark over that span.
OVERTIME
1. The Devils have prevailed in four of the last five meetings.
2. Florida has won just eight of its last 33 visits to New Jersey.
3. The Panthers have four power-play goals in their last two games, equaling their total from the previous 13 contests.