The season got off to a good start for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, who went 3-0-0 on their initial homestand.
It’s been a tougher start to the road portion of their schedule, with a pair of losses to kick off a four-game trip.
The Panthers will look to get back on track when they face New Jersey on Thursday in the Devils’ home opener at Newark, N.J.
Florida is coming off a 4-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday after opening the trip with a 5-2 setback against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday. The Panthers will conclude their trip on Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres.
“I liked our start (Wednesday) better than our last game,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said. “A little slow sometimes getting the puck off our stick. We had an awful lot blocked in here (Wednesday).”
Brad Marchand is leading the way for the Panthers’ offense with three goals through five games, and he and Anton Lundell each have five points.
Marchand scored the lone goal for Florida in the loss to Detroit to extend his point streak to four games. All of his points have come during that stretch after he was held off the scoresheet in the season opener.
“He’s an awesome asset for us,” forward Eetu Luostarinen said. “That’s a great thing. The way he works every day, it’s been good.”
Daniil Tarasov is expected to get the nod in goal for the Panthers after Sergei Bobrovsky played against the Red Wings.
New Jersey, meanwhile, will be eyeing a third straight win as it begins a stretch without starting goalie Jacob Markstrom. The 35-year-old veteran appeared to be shaken up with 21 seconds left in the Devils’ 3-2 win against the host Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday and did not practice on Wednesday.
Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said Markstrom would be out “a couple of weeks.”
“I consider it good news considering what had happened,” Keefe said. “I don’t consider it too serious at this point, but he’s going to have to miss a little bit of time.”
That means backup Jake Allen will get the nod as New Jersey returns home following a 2-1-0 season-opening road trip. Allen started the game against the Blue Jackets and played two periods before exiting the game due to cramping. Markstrom replaced him for the third period.
“I feel I’m getting back to normal,” Allen said. “It was an unfortunate set of circumstances, but that’s the game we play.”
With Markstrom sidelined, the Devils recalled goalie Nico Daws from Utica of the AHL. The 24-year-old has appeared in 52 NHL games, all for New Jersey, including a career-high 25 games in 2021-22.
He has gone 22-23-1 at the NHL level with a 2.98 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage.
“Mentally for myself to know that I’ve been here and done it, I’m a better goalie now than I was in previous years,” Daws said. “Who’s to say I can’t get better. I have a lot of confidence right now. I love where my game’s at. I feel good.”
While it’s not surprising to see the name “Hughes” at the top of the Devils’ scoring list, it’s defenseman Luke Hughes and not his older brother, Jack, in that spot. The younger Hughes leads the team with four assists, with his point total tying Jesper Bratt for the team lead.
