Hey Devils Fans,
Tonight, I'll make my regular-season debut back on the air with my Devils on MSG teammates! During the pregame show, Erika and I will get you set for an exciting matchup vs. the defending Eastern Conference Champion Florida Panthers. After I chat with Jesper Bratt(er) during warmups, we'll discuss the Devils' ability to come away with 3 out of 4 points in the first two games despite their slow starts, three Devils that have come flying out of the gate offensively in #86, #63, and #7, keys to the Devils' special teams, and Lindy Ruff's lineup changes we expect heading into Game #3!
There is a lot of chatter about the Devils needing a much better start, but they will also need to see production from the other three forward lines. Most specifically, this starts with the Hischier-Meier duo and their new linemate, Ondrej Palat, all needing to come to life in the top six. Coach Ruff hopes that swapping Mercer for Palat tonight will be the tweak that is needed, as the Meier - Hischier - Mercer line struggled in their first two games. At 5v5, they were outshot 18-9 and failed to register a point. Yes, we are talking about a small sample size with just a set of games here, but the season is early, and we want coach Ruff tinkering with things now and not waiting, say, ten games or so.
Last season, the Panthers were one of those teams that the Devils did not enjoy playing against. NJD lost the season series 2-1, but the frustration certainly came from the 86 hits the Panthers laid in those three games compared to the Devils' 48. Plus, I'm interested to see if there is still some bad blood lingering from Nico's "cross-check" to Barkov's knee...
Now, despite the Panthers' 0-2-0 record and significant injuries on the backend to start the new season (Aaron Ekblad & Brandon Montour are both out), the Devils are going to once again have their hands full with this team if they can get a save or two and some puck luck. Just look at Bobrovsky's tough first two starts.
Offensively, the Panther's style of play is producing some of the highest rates and volumes of shot attempts (72.0/PG - #2 NHL), shots (37.0/PG - #4 NHL), cycle chances (14.5/PG - #1 NHL), and overall quality chances (20.0/PG - #4 NHL); but with a 5.4% shooting percentage on 74 shots, this team just can't buy a goal right now. I hope their luck doesn't change tonight!
Well, Devils fans, this Panthers team is looking to feed on a team right now, so the Devils better come ready to play from the opening puck drop. I've loved the confidence I've seen from both Vanecek and Schmid so far, especially #41, who Ruff will go back to tonight. VV was a brick wall vs. DET, but the team will need to play better in front of him this time - the last thing the Devils want to do tonight is chase another game!
-Sal
