G46 New Jersey Devils vs. Florida Panthers: It's go time

If the Devils want to keep up with the Capitals, they need to ramp things up and start collecting more points.

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Tonight the New Jersey Devils will attempt to win back-to-back games for the first time in 2025 against the Florida Panthers.

Here are a few notes to get you set for the game:

Licking their wounds

The Cats are normally a very stingy defensive team that dominates the run of play and spends a ton of time in the OZ thanks to a relentless forecheck. That hasn’t been the case over the past couple of weeks.

They have not suppressed shots nearly as well of late and have given up plenty of good scoring opportunities.

Florida is sandwiched between New York (R) and San Jose when it comes to limiting expected goals in 2025, which tells you all you need to know about how they’re defending right now.

Realistically speaking, this is probably nothing more than a blip on the radar. Aaron Ekblad’s been banged up and we’re entering the season's dog days for a team that won the Stanley Cup last year. I don’t think it’s abnormal for them to hit a rut like this.

But the Devils damn well be ready to take advantage. Their game has slipped of late and, as of this moment, earning home ice for a series against the Hurricanes seems like a more achievable goal than winning the division.

If they’re going to change that – and give themselves a real shot of facing a much lesser team like Columbus or Ottawa in the opening round – they need to ramp things up in a hurry.

Florida is not playing good defense, they’re on a road back-to-back, and they’re starting a backup goaltender. If ever there’s a time to want to face the Panthers, this is it. The Devils have to take advantage of their edge in rest and put the pedal to the metal.

A good Knight offensively