The Florida Panthers visit the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night, marking the first NHL matchup between U.S. Olympic gold medalists Jack Hughes and Matthew Tkachuk since their Milano Cortina 2026 triumph. Florida aims to close an eight-point gap to the Eastern Conference wild card, while New Jersey seeks to build on a recent win. The game airs at 7 p.m. ET on HBO Max, Scripps and TNT.
The Panthers (30-27-3) enter the contest at Prudential Center after a 5-4 loss to the New York Islanders on Sunday, where Matthew Tkachuk recorded three assists and Sam Bennett scored twice. Sam Reinhart tied the game late with his 188th career goal, matching Olli Jokinen for third in franchise history, but Florida allowed a goal in the final minute. Coach Paul Maurice emphasized returning to their style of play, noting the team's 22 games remaining and a history of late-season pushes, as in 2022-23 when they clinched a playoff spot from a similar deficit.
Tomas Nosek makes his season debut after offseason knee surgery, centering the fourth line, while Uvis Balinskis returns from an undisclosed injury. Sergei Bobrovsky starts in goal. Maurice praised Nosek and Dmitry Kulikov for their rehabilitation efforts, saying, “I want them to have a little bit of fun.” Tkachuk added, “This is a big week. We want to try and put ourselves in somewhat of a conversation to get back.”
The Devils (29-29-2) snapped a five-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory at St. Louis on Saturday, getting goals from Timo Meier, Dougie Hamilton and Nico Hischier. Jacob Markstrom made 25 saves. Hughes, who scored the overtime winner in the Olympic gold-medal game, has 39 points (12 goals, 27 assists) in 39 games. Tkachuk has 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 13 games since returning from surgery. The teams have split their first two meetings this season: New Jersey won 3-1 on Oct. 16, and Florida prevailed 1-0 on Nov. 20.
The matchup highlights the Olympic buzz, with Hughes and Tkachuk facing off for the first time since Team USA's 2-1 gold-medal win over Canada on Feb. 22.
