Barkov, Panthers to host the Devils
New Jersey Devils (30-41-10, eighth in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Florida Panthers (36-32-13, fifth in the Atlantic Division)
Sunrise, Florida; Saturday, 7 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Aleksander Barkov Jr. leads Florida into a matchup against New Jersey. He currently ranks 10th in the league with 94 points, scoring 34 goals and recording 60 assists.
The Panthers are 20-13-7 at home. Florida has given up 42 power-play goals, killing 81.3 percent of opponent chances.
The Devils are 10-27-3 in road games. New Jersey is last in the Eastern Conference averaging only 6.9 points per game. Kyle Palmieri leads them with 50 total points. In their last meeting on Nov. 26, Florida won 4-3.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Panthers with 61 assists and has recorded 90 points this season. Barkov has totaled four goals and nine assists over the last 10 games for Florida.
LAST 10 GAMES: Devils: 4-5-1, averaging 1.5 goals, 2.7 assists, 2.8 penalties and 6.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game with a .915 save percentage.
Panthers: 4-5-1, averaging 3.2 goals, 5.6 assists, 3.3 penalties and 8.3 penalty minutes while giving up 3.4 goals per game with a .894 save percentage.
Panthers Injuries: None listed.
Devils Injuries: Sami Vatanen: day to day (illness), Nathan Bastian: out (undisclosed), Jesper Bratt: out for season (lower body), Kyle Palmieri: day to day (lower body).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by HERO Sports, and data from Sportradar.