Gruppen » Bony up front at Carrow Road alongside

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Its Opening Night and virtually everyones optimistic at this point.But is there truly reason for optimism for the New Jersey Devils and/or the Florida Panthers, who will meet Thursday at the BB&T Center?For the Devils, the reason for hope revolves around left winger Taylor Hall, acquired June 29 in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers. The Devils gave up defenseman Adam Larsson to get Hall, who produced 26 goals and 39 assists last year.Hall, who turns 25 next month, has scored more than 20 goals in four of his six seasons in the NHL. He had more than a point a game in 2013-2014, when he posted 80 points in 75 games, and thats the kind of production the Devils are looking for from their speedy new forward.The Devils also made another move to add offense, picking up forward P.A. Parenteau on Tuesday after the New York Islanders released him. Parenteau, who had 20 goals and 21 assists with the Toronto Maple Leafs last year, is expected to play against the Panthers on Thursday.Hes a seasoned, veteran player, Devils coach John Hynes told the media. Hes played games -- it just hasnt been with us.Those additions -- especially acquiring Hall -- should help New Jersey, but its important to note that the Devils were 30th in the NHL in goals last season, and that went a long way toward sealing their fate of having just 84 points, 12th best in the Eastern Conference, and a fourth straight season without making the NHL playoffs.The picture is legitimately brighter for the Panthers -- at least if they can stay healthy.Florida won the Atlantic Division last year with 103 points before losing to the Islanders in six games in the first round of the playoffs.The Panthers hoped to build on that momentum by signing high-scoring defenseman Keith Yandle from the New York Rangers, empowering him as the point man on their power play and pairing him with rising star Aaron Ekblad.Florida also added Jason Demers and Mark Pysyk to their revamped defense.However, all the Panthers well-intentioned offseason moves have been stunted to some degree by two injuries.Right winger Jonathan Huberdeau (left foot) is out, possibly for as long as four months, after getting cut by a skate blade on Sunday. And earlier in the exhibition season, the Panthers lost center Nick Bjugstad (broken hand) for about a month.The Huberdeau injury breaks up the teams top trio, leaving Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr in search of chemistry with a new linemate.Bjugstads absence disrupts the teams second line.Florida is hoping that Jonathan Marchessault, a speedy forward acquired after he scored seven goals in 45 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning last year, can make up for some of the slack.Despite the injuries, Panthers coach Gerard Gallant is taking the high road.I like the players weve brought in, Gallant said. Weve moved forward the past two years. The hope is that we will move forward again this year.Thursdays game should feature two standout goalies. Floridas Roberto Luongo has made a quick recovery from offseason hip surgery and is expected to start for the Panthers. Cory Schneider is expected to start for New Jersey. Both goalies are considered solid candidates for the Vezina Trophy.Other players to watch include:-- Panthers defenseman Michael Matheson, a smooth-skating 22-year-old, could be a Rookie of the Year candidate if he plays up to his prospect rankings.-- New Jerseys Ben Lovejoy is the biggest addition to the defense. He signed a three-year deal after helping the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup last season.-- Panthers center Derek MacKenzie, 35, will be making his debut as a team captain.-- Devils center Pavel Zacha, who was the No. 6 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, is only 19 years old but appears primed for a stellar rookie season.One of the biggest things to watch for Thursday -- and indeed all season for the Devils and Panthers -- is the toughness factor on defense.The Panthers added an offensive defenseman in Yandle, who has frequently been derelict in his defensive duties throughout his career. The Panthers also got rid of solid defensemen such as Brian Campbell, Dmitry Kulikov and Erik Gudbranson in the offseason.Similarly, the Devils traded away Larsson, who led the team in hits and ranked second in blocked shots.Which defense plays toughest could go a long way toward deciding Thursdays winner. Air Max 90 Mens Outlet . -- Josh Sterk scored once and set up two more as the Oshawa Generals edged the visiting Belleville Bulls 3-2 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Off White Air Max 90 For Sale . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. http://www.outletairmax90cheap.com/outlet-air-max-90-mens-cheap.html . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. Fake Air Max 90 Mens . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. Fake Air Max 90 For Sale . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five games.Jamie Redknapp described Manchester Citys failure to register a shot on target in the second half against Norwich as diabolical. Manuel Pellegrinis side lost further ground in the title race with a 0-0 draw at struggling Norwich, who have not won in 10 Premier League games.Neither side hit the target in the second period, and Redknapp insists that with the quality of players Man City have at their disposal, they should be performing better. Norwich prevented Man City from having a shot on target in the second half He said on Ford Football Special: Ive got to be honest, what must Manchester City fans think when they see their side perform like that. No shots on target in the second half, thats diabolical.Theyve scored 13 away goals this year and havent won back-to-back games since October. Look at the quality hes got at his disposal. Norwich 0-0 Man City Manchester Citys Premier League title bid continued to stutter I looked at Norwich, and they did really well in the end, I dont want to take anything away from them, but they were there for the taking at the start today.For Man City to be in this predicament, so far behind Leicester. Everyone has given it to Leicester, its amazing. Aguero came close twice in the first half for the visitors Pellegrini started striker Wilfried Bony up front at Carrow Road alongside Sergio Aguero, but the Ivory Coast striker did not touch the ball inside the area for the entirety of his stint befoore being replaced by Raheem Sterling on 58 minutes.ddddddddddddBony has scored four goals in 19 Premier League appearances this season, and Sky Sports pundit Thierry Henry was left baffled by the 27-year-olds lack of presence in the area on Saturday.Henry said: I couldnt understand it. Theyre trying to get back in the title race and need goals for that. Pellegrini went with two strikers. Manuel Pellegrini blamed Man Citys inability to create space for the draw You should be running, breaking your neck to get into the box. Thats not good enough. Who is there to make sure that you can upset the Norwich defence?They started with two strikers for a reason. They touched the ball in the area four times, and it was all Aguero.I think its Leicesters to lose. We were saying before the game: Can Manchester City win the title? I think the question now is: Can they stay in the top four? Also See: Man City video Man City fixtures Man City stats Get a free ￡10 bet ' ' '