New Jersey Devils set to host Florida Panthers – NHL Preview
After winning five straight games, New Jersey Devils got their streak snapped in a close encounter against St. Louis Blues, but the former can again get back on the winning path if they utilise the weakness of Florida Panthers in a National Hockey League (NHL) game on Saturday, February 11, 2012, at Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey.
The impressive run, which came after a three-game losing streak, could have stretched but for an equaliser in the final period by Blues.
As a result, the game was forced first to overtime and then to shootout where Devils lost.
Devils’ coach, Peter DeBoer, said after the game that:
"We played a solid game, did a lot of good things.”
The coach added:
“I thought we had a number of good chances to put the game away but we just didn't capitalise. They made some saves down the stretch and we let them hang around."
New Jersey is ranked at fifth spot in the Eastern Conference with 66 points after 54 games and has a good chance to reach the playoffs.
The same fortune is so far shared by Florida, which also has a chance to qualify for the postseason – something the Panthers have failed to do for the last 10 seasons.
Florida is ranked third in the Eastern Conference with 61 points after 53 games.
It recently snapped its two-game losing streak by defeating Los Angeles Kings.
Los Angeles scored its only goal in the third period, but by that time Florida had already scored two goals.
Panthers scored another in the final to end the game at 3-1.
Panthers’ coach, Kevin Dineen, said after the victory:
"It was a really key game for us (Thursday night), but more than that we need to stay relevant. We want to stay part of the picture."
Goalie, Scott Clemmensen added:
“Two tough road games for us, where we really got back on our heels. Tonight we played great, from the defence on out."
It is difficult to pick up the winner between the two as both are playing a good game lately. However, Panthers can be rated as underdogs for the game because they are under a lot of pressure.
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