Before a single puck is dropped on a new NHL season, pro hockey betting pundits across the country delight in telling you who will be in the playoffs at the end of the year, and who will be on the outside looking in. The general consensus before this season began was that the New Jersey Devils and the Florida Panthers were a pair of teams that needed a lot of things to go right if they were to be in at the end. That was essentially a polite way of saying that neither team was really good enough to be considered a playoff threat. Both teams have exceeded expectations, but the Florida Panthers have stunned a lot of people by not only making the playoffs, but still having a shot at winning the Atlantic Division with just a couple of weeks left in the regular season. These two teams will hook up in Florida on Thursday night, with the Panthers looking to take one more step towards a division crown.
