Panthers Wrap Up Quick Homestand Against New Jersey
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
SUNRISE (CBSMiami/SportsDirect) – Two teams looking to change their respective tides will meet in South Florida.
The New Jersey Devils have yet to win away from home, a situation they will try to rectify when they open a three-game road trip with a visit to the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.
New Jersey capped a 3-0-1 homestand with a 3-1 win over Tampa Bay on Saturday, but hits a bumpy part of the schedule with eight of its next 10 contests on the road.
"We had a nice little homestand but going on the road can be a little bit tough," Devils goaltender Cory Schneider said. "It can be a different animal. So we have to make sure we don't get away from the things that made it successful here and not try to play differently or change the way we play just because we're on the road."
The Panthers won the Atlantic Division last season but are off to a slow start, languishing in a tie for the cellar with Toronto with nine points.
Florida is mired in a 1-4-0 slide, scoring five goals in the four defeats, but it opened the season with a 2-1 overtime victory over visiting New Jersey.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG-Plus (New Jersey), FSN Florida
ABOUT THE DEVILS (4-2-2): Coach John Hynes made a line switch against Tampa Bay and kept the same units intact during practice Tuesday and Wednesday.
Michael Cammalleri skated alongside Travis Zajac and Taylor Hall, while P.A Parenteau joined Adam Henrique and Kyle Palmieri -- the keys being Cammalleri and Parenteau skating on their opposite wing.
"It adds versatility to your team but, also, as the year goes on, you have combinations that you can go to where guys can play in different situations," Hynes said.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (4-5-1): The focus of Wednesday's practice was straightening out a power play that is near the bottom of the league and is 1-for-15 over the past three games after failing on all seven chances in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to Boston.
"It's certainly not a time to panic, but it certainly is a time to address what's going on and make sure it doesn't continue," Panthers captain Derek MacKenzie said.
The one high point Tuesday was Denis Malgin's first NHL goal, which he called "a dream come true."
OVERTIME
- Panthers C Aleksander Barkov is riding an eight game goalless drought, but he tallied versus the Devils in the season opener.
- Schneider is 4-3-1 with a 2.32 goals against average versus Florida.
- Panthers F Jaromir Jagr is set to play in his 1,640th game, which will surpass Dave Andreychuk for sixth place on the all-time list.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Sports Direct Inc. contributed to this report.)
