Timo Meier scored the go-ahead goal and Jacob Markstrom made 34 saves, fueling the New Jersey Devils to a 4-1 victory and snapping the Florida Panthers’ seven-game winning streak on Tuesday in Sunrise, Fla.
New Jersey’s Jack Hughes became the fastest player in franchise history to record 300 career points with a first-period goal.
Paul Cotter and Ondrej Palat provided insurance with late third-period tallies. Jesper Bratt and Dougie Hamilton each notched two assists to propel the Devils to their sixth win in their last eight games.
Florida’s Sam Reinhart scored on the power play for his team-leading 12th goal of the season.
Spencer Knight made 20 saves in his first start since Nov. 2 for the Panthers, who played without Sam Bennett (upper-body injury).
The teams will square off again on Thursday at the same venue.
New Jersey took advantage of a Florida turnover at the offensive blue line to claim a 2-1 lead with 2:31 remaining in the second.
Meier skated in on a breakaway and wristed a low shot just above the pad of Knight for his seventh goal of the season.
Cotter’s sharp wrist shot from the left circle sailed under the crossbar with 4:53 left in the third. The goal was Cotter’s seventh of the season.
Palat capped the scoring by finding the empty net with 1:02 to play, his third tally of the season.
Skating near the left point, Bratt backhanded a saucer pass that Hughes converted deep in the right circle to open the scoring at 8:30 of the first. The Florida native’s goal was his eighth of the season and fourth in his last four games.
The Devils preserved that slim advantage by killing a 5-on-3 power play late in the first.
Florida broke through at 8:41 of the second to forge a 1-1 tie. Uvis Balinskis’ wrist shot from the point was deflected home by Reinhart, giving the latter seven goals in his last seven games.
–Field Level Media
