Early look · NHL 2026-27

New Jersey Devils at Florida Panthers: game preview

New JerseyDevils2026-27: 1-2-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 42-37-3 · 87 pts · 21stat

FloridaPanthers2026-27: 2-0-2 · 6 pts · 2025-26: 40-38-4 · 84 pts · 25th

Puck drop9 Mar · 7:00 PM ET

VenueAmerant Bank Arena

All-time meetings130 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Three points apart last season

New Jersey finished last season 21st in the league on 87 points. Florida finished 25th on 84.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 131

Across 130 completed games, New Jersey lead the head-to-head 76-41-13.

All-time record76-41-13New Jersey's record in the series

Meetings played130This is number 131

2025-26 series—

Last 53-2New Jersey

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

3 Mar 2026FLA 1 – NJD 5——NJD

20 Nov 2025NJD 0 – FLA 1——FLA

16 Oct 2025FLA 1 – NJD 3——NJD

14 Jan 2025FLA 2 – NJD 1 SO——FLA

14 Nov 2024NJD 6 – FLA 2——NJD

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNew JerseyFlorida

16 Oct 20253-1-0 · 6 pts7th3-3-0 · 6 pts15th

20 Nov 202513-6-1 · 27 pts4th11-8-1 · 23 pts21st

3 Mar 202627-23-2 · 56 pts20th28-20-3 · 59 pts14th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 16 Oct 2025, New Jersey were 7th in the league and Florida 15th. By 3 Mar 2026 it was 20th and 14th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

New Jersey out-attempted Florida 176 to 161

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

New Jersey Devils

176 att · 98 on goal · 8 G · 8.2%

Crease7 att · 0 G

Slot69 att · 4 G

Wing59 att · 3 G

Point33 att · 1 G

Neutral zone8 att · 0 G

Florida Panthers

161 att · 67 on goal · 3 G · 4.5%

Crease12 att · 0 G

Slot57 att · 2 G

Wing56 att · 1 G

Point34 att · 0 G

Neutral zone2 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

New Jersey and Florida are level on chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

New JerseyFlorida

3.52xG for per game3.01

3.01xG against per game2.34

53.9%xG share56.3%

−4.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals−4.0

−4.0GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+1.4

This season: 3 games for New Jersey, 4 for Florida. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

New Jersey

Small sample

Power play · 2026-277.1%

Power play · 2025-2622.0% · 13th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2762.5%

Penalty kill · 2025-2679.3% · 17th

Faceoffs · 2026-2747.5% · 87/183

Drawn · 2026-2714 (4.67/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Florida

Small sample

Power play · 2026-274.3%

Power play · 2025-2619.5% · 19th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2778.9%

Penalty kill · 2025-2681.0% · 9th

Faceoffs · 2026-2750.2% · 115/229

Drawn · 2026-2723 (5.75/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2719 (4.75/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

New Jersey

Expected starter after their game on 5 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Florida

Expected starter after their game on 6 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

New Jersey crease

NJD · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 6 Mar

Jake Allen.8752 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −1.7

Nico Daws.8131 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.5

No appearances against Florida in the last meetings.

Florida crease

FLA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 6 Mar

Jacob Markstrom.9273 GP · 2-0-1 · GSAx +3.2

Akira Schmid.8751 GP · 0-0-1 · GSAx −1.0

No appearances against New Jersey in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.0 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

3 Mar 20266 · FLA 1–5 NJD

20 Nov 20251 · NJD 0–1 FLA

16 Oct 20254 · FLA 1–3 NJD

14 Jan 20253 · FLA 2–1 NJD

14 Nov 20248 · NJD 6–2 FLA

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

New Jersey2.004.332.803.10

Florida2.002.003.063.37

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.0Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings4.4Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

10 on the injury lists

New Jersey · injuries

Connor BrownLower BodyOutReturn12 Oct

Johnathan KovacevicKneeIRReturn10 Oct

Jonas SiegenthalerUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct

Nick BjugstadPectoralIRReturn19 Jan

Seamus CaseyKneeIRReturn21 Nov

Florida · injuries

Aaron EkbladPersonalOutReturn10 Oct

Aleksander BarkovLower BodyIRReturn27 Nov

Brad MarchandLegDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct

Jonah GadjovichUpper BodyIRReturn17 Oct

MacKenzie EntwistleUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers.

27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers. Placed C/RW Marc McLaughlin, LD Vladislav Kolyachonok, G David Rittich, LW Riley Tufte, LD Topias Vilen, and C/RW Colin White on waivers.

25 Sep · NJD

Assigned Ds Mikael Diotte, Ethan Edwards, Jeremy Hanzel, Etienne Morin and Anton Silaev, Fs Josh Filmon, Lenni Hameenaho, Shane Lachance, Matyas Melovsky, Xavier Parent, Cam Squires and Ben Steeves and G Jakub Malek to Utica (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Utica Ds DJ King, Charles Leddy and Eamon Powell, Fs Tristan Ashbrook, Zachary Gallant, Gabe Klassen, Jack Malone, Justin Pearson, Ryan Schmelzer, Cristophe Tellier and Jermey Wilmer and Gs Jeremy Brodeur and Seth Eisele.

3 Oct · FLA

Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve. Called up D Alexander Petrovic from Charlotte (AHL).

3 Oct · FLA

Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve.

27 Sep · FLA

Placed RW/C Cole Schwindt, RD Alexander Petrovic, LD Donovan Sebrango, LW Kai Schwindt, LW Cole Reinhardt, RW Sam Lafferty and C/LW John Beecher on waivers. Agreed to terms with RW Nathan Bastian on a 1-year, two-way contract.

Injury report

New Jersey · 2026 draft

See all: New Jersey · 2026 draft →

#12Alexander CommandRound 1 · Orebro Jr.C

#37Matias VanhanenRound 2 · EverettLW

#44Nikita ShcherbakovRound 2 · Ufa Jr.D

#119Lavr GashilovRound 4 · Yekaterinburg Jr.C

Full draft

Florida · 2026 draft

See all: Florida · 2026 draft →

#40Simas IgnataviciusRound 2 · GeneveRW

#48Ryder CaliRound 2 · North BayC

#98Jonas KempsRound 4 · ChicagoD

#168Vilho VanhataloRound 6 · Tappara Jr.RW

Full draft

Tuesday 9 March · the full slate

See all: Tuesday 9 March · the full slate →

FLAThis game 7:00 PM ET

Updated after every final

New Jersey Devils at Florida Panthers: game preview

Three points apart last season

Meeting number 131

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

New Jersey out-attempted Florida 176 to 161

New Jersey Devils

Florida Panthers

New Jersey and Florida are level on chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

New Jersey

Florida

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

New Jersey crease

Florida crease

Scoring rates point to about 6.0 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

10 on the injury lists

New Jersey · injuries

Florida · injuries

Latest moves

New Jersey · 2026 draft

Florida · 2026 draft

Tuesday 9 March · the full slate