Florida @ New Jersey preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 14, 2019 ) Florida 6, New Jersey 4

The Florida Panthers have dropped out of playoff position in the Eastern Conference after an ill-timed four-game losing streak and look to put a halt to their slide Tuesday night against the host New Jersey Devils. The Panthers had won seven of eight games before the 0-3-1 stretch, in which they have managed five goals, and gave up the final four tallies in a 4-1 setback at Philadelphia on Monday.

“We just have to put that behind us,” Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who 17-5-1 lifetime versus the Devils, told reporters after turning aside 30 shots in his 500th NHL game Monday. “We have still lots of hockey and we have to focus on the next game.” The Panthers won the only meeting this season 6-4 in New Jersey on Oct. 14 and are 4-1-1 in the past six contests in the series, but will be facing a Devils team that put together a six-game point streak (3-0-3). New Jersey goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood has turned aside all 83 shots he faced in two straight shutouts after knocking off Los Angeles 3-0 on Saturday, but the Devils are far out of the playoff picture. “This team has been working hard, that’s the one thing I’ll say about us the whole year, we haven’t quit, we haven’t stopped working,” Blackwood told reporters. “. … I think we’re working toward being a little more consistent and playing the right way and I think it’s starting to come together for us.”

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: FS Florida, MSG Plus

ABOUT THE PANTHERS (29-20-6): Captain Aleksander Barkov recorded an assist Monday to become the third player in franchise history to reach 400 points, joining Olli Jokinen (419) and teammate Jonathan Huberdeau (427). Huberdeau tops the team with 68 points (19 goals) this season, but just three in the past six games, and leading goal scorer Evgenii Dadonov (23) has not made the scoresheet in the past four contests. Noel Acciari (career-high 18 goals to include back-to-back hat tricks) has not posted a point in the last seven contests.

ABOUT THE DEVILS (20-24-10): Right wing Kyle Palmieri has three goals to reach 20 for the fifth straight season and added an assist in his last three games to boost his team-leading total to 37 points with a club-best plus-4 rating. Left wing Nikita Gusev scored his 10th goal Saturday and the 27-year-old rookie from Russia is tied with injured center Nico Hischier (13 goals) for second on the team with 32 points. Hischier (knee) and defenseman Sami Vatanen (lower body) are expected to miss their fourth straight games while forward Blake Coleman leads the team with 21 goals after scoring in each of the last two contests.

OVERTIME

1. Blackwood (17-12-7, .284 goals-against average, .911 save percentage) beat Florida last season with 37 saves on 40 shots.

2. Florida LW Mike Hoffman was held off the scoresheet Monday, but has five points in his last five games.

3. New Jersey D Damon Severson is riding a six-game point streak, collecting two goals and four assists in that stretch.

PREDICTION: Devils 4, Panthers 3