3. Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers may not be nearly as difficult a matchup as the pesky Islanders come playoff time. However, based on everything, there are still better options for the Devils.
The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Panthers were swept by the Lightning in the Second Round last year. At least the Panthers were able to break the longest playoff series win drought in NHL history. Their interim head coach (and Jack Adams finalist) Andrew Brunette is now a member of the Devils coaching staff, which could be a reason for their significant decline this season. They replaced him with Paul Maurice. They’ve also parted ways with Jonathan Huberdeau and Mackenzie Weegar, who left as part of the Matthew Tkachuk trade. The biggest problem is they have been unable to find consistent goaltending for the most part.
Despite this Panthers team looking like a relatively easy matchup for the Devils on paper, Florida has had the better end of the season series, and they would likely be riding an eight-game win streak heading into the first round. There would be a lot to be excited about for this series, but it wouldn’t be as favorable as the next two. The Devils should be hoping for another team to get the Wild Card. However, it might just end up who we thought it was going to be all along.