Devils vs. Panthers Preview: 3 Keys to Victory

The New Jersey Devils need a repeat performance from their game against the Lightning vs. a white-hot Florida Panthers squad.

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The New Jersey Devils played a strong game against the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 4-3 overtime loss. But they'll have a tougher task tonight against a Florida Panthers team that's won nine games in a row. Here are three keys to victory. 

Take the Middle of the Ice Away & Forecheck 

The Panthers and Devils are two of the best five-on-five teams in the league, ranking fifth and sixth in expected goals share (xG%) for the season. It's a shame the Devils don't have a full lineup available tonight, but they can still give the Panthers a tough time if they play as they did against the Lightning. 

The Lightning might not be what they were during their Cup runs, but they still have high-end offensive talent in Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos. The Devils did a good job taking them out of the game because they took the middle of the ice away. 

Aside from the two breakaways the Lightning had, it was one of the Devils' more disciplined games defensively. The Lightning generated just 0.92 expected goals at five-on-five and had only five high-danger chances. 

Part of that was also because the Devils sustained plenty of offensive zone time on the forecheck and cycle. They will need to do that against the Panthers, who have a 58.98 xG% across their last ten games and a couple of players on fire across their winning streak.  

Sam Reinhart continues to score goals at will, while Matthew Tkachuk has 16 points in his previous seven games. It won't be as easy for the Devils to do what they did against the Lightning, but if they can keep their structure and take the middle of the ice away while going to work on the forecheck, they might have a chance. 

Leaning on the Top-6