SUNRISE, Fla. - The Devils and goalie Cory Schneider came up with stop after stop down the stretch in their season opener, but eventually, the Florida Panthers wore them down.
Aleksander Barkov netted the game-winning goal in overtime, punching a shot past Schneider in front of the net at 2:48 in the extra period, lifting the Panthers to a 2-1 win over the Devils at the BB&T Center.
The Devils have plenty of optimism after a busy offseason, but there's still a lot to be decided on the ice. Here are five reasons for hope and five reasons for panic in 2016-17.