Florida takes on New Jersey, looks for 9th straight home win
New Jersey Devils (7-4-3, fifth in the Metropolitan) vs. Florida Panthers (11-2-3, first in the Atlantic)
Sunrise, Florida; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST
LINE: Panthers -192, Devils +155; over/under is 6
BOTTOM LINE: Florida hosts New Jersey aiming to extend its eight-game home winning streak.
The Panthers are 9-2-3 against Eastern Conference opponents. Florida ranks second in the league averaging 6.7 assists per game, led by Markus Nutivaara with 1.0.
The Devils are 4-2-2 in conference play. New Jersey ranks eighth in the Eastern Conference averaging 4.9 assists per game, led by Jesper Bratt with 0.5.
In their last matchup on Nov. 9, New Jersey won 7-3. Ty Smith recorded a team-high 3 points for the Devils.
TOP PERFORMERS: Aleksander Barkov leads the Panthers with nine goals and has 17 points. Anthony Duclair has four goals and six assists over the last 10 games for Florida.
Pavel Zacha leads the Devils with seven goals and has 11 points. Andreas Johnsson has five goals and four assists over the last 10 games for New Jersey.
LAST 10 GAMES: Panthers: 5-2-3, averaging 3.5 goals, 6.2 assists, 3.3 penalties and 8.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game with a .910 save percentage.
Devils: 4-3-3, averaging three goals, 4.8 assists, 3.9 penalties and 7.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game with a .912 save percentage.
INJURIES: Panthers: Markus Nutivaara: out (undisclosed), Mason Marchment: day to day (upper body), Aleksander Barkov: day to day (lower body).
Devils: None listed.
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