The Florida Panthers will look to avoid their first losing streak of the new season when they play the second night of a back-to-back on Thursday in New Jersey. After sweeping a three-game homestand to open their 2025-26 campaign, Florida has hit the road and promptly dropped a pair of outings in Philadelphia and Detroit, scoring just three total goals in the two losses. Now they’ll face a Devils squad that has won two of their first three games and will probably have a little extra jump, as Thursday is also their home opener. New Jersey did receive some unfavorable news earlier this week when Devils Head Coach Sheldon Keefe told the media that starting goaltender (and former Panther) Jacob Markstrom would miss several weeks with a lower-body injury. As for the Panthers, they’re already dealing with a plethora of injuries to key players. Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov joined forwards Sasha Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk and Tomas Nosek on Injured Reserve this week. None are expected back for several months. “We’re not allowing any short-term injuries this year,” joked Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. When speaking about Kulikov’s surgery and five-month timeframe, Maurice expressed confidence in Uvis Balinskis, who has taken Kulikov’s spot on the team’s third defensive pairing. “It’s the same concept, you don’t replace these guys that we have out of the lineup, but the weight doesn’t get heavier, you just have fewer guys to lift, right? Everybody shares it,” Maurice said. “We have full expectation of Uvis playing the game that he’s capable of playing, he doesn’t get any room not to, but that’s a positive for us. We think we’re putting in a guy who's very capable.” Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Thursday’s tilt in New Jersey: Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart Carter Verhaeghe – Evan Rodrigues – Jesper Boqvist A.J. Greer – Luke Kunin – Jonah Gadjovich Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Panthers lose second straight, come up short against Red Wings in Detroit [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-lose-second-straight-come-up-short-against-red-wings-in-detroit] Panthers Claim Senators Defenseman Off Waivers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-claim-senators-defenseman-off-waivers] Panthers Veteran Defenseman To Miss Five Months With Labral Tear [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-veteran-defenseman-to-miss-five-months-with-labral-tear] Mackie Samoskevich promoted to Florida Panthers top forward line [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/mackie-samoskevich-promoted-to-florida-panthers-top-forward-line] Former Panthers Goaltender Picks Up Win In NHL Debut [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/former-panthers-goaltender-picks-up-win-in-nhl-debut] Photo caption: Oct 15, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) skates in on Detroit Red Wings goaltender Cam Talbot (39) defended by defenseman Moritz Seider (53) in the first period at Little Caesars Arena. (Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)
