The New Jersey Devils came to Sunrise, Florida on a mission this week as they took on the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers and walked away with two massive wins.
In their first meeting, the Devils played an impressive, well fought battle that ended in a deserved 4-1 win.
The momentum from the first game carried over as the Devils put on a show and dominated the Panthers. A full 60-minute effort from everyone on the team pushed the Devils to a 6-2 win, five wins in their last six games and a record of 12-6-2.
Jesper Bratt had his second ever hat trick while Stefan Noesen added two goals of his own. Noesen opened up the scoring for the Devils 10 minutes into the first period off a rebound from a Luke Hughes shot. Jesper Boqvist, former Devils player, spoiled the Devils fun as he tied the game for Florida just two minutes later.
With just a second left in the period, the Devils found themselves leading 2-1 as Jesper Bratt added his first of the night on the power play.
Soon into the second period, Florida’s Sam Reinhart threw one on net that managed to beat Jake Allen far side and tie the game. From there on, the Devils had all the momentum.
Quickly after Florida’s tying goal the Devils were back on the man-advantage. Jack Hughes threw the puck towards the front of the net, bouncing off Florida defender, Dmitry Kulikov, and into the back of the net. The Devils jumped back into the lead as they were up 3-2. The Devils continued with their success on the power play as they ended the second period back on the man-advantage for the third time. The Devils executed the perfect power play like it was a drill in practice and Noesen notched his second of the night with seconds left in the second period.
The Devils started the third period with a 4-2 lead. Minutes into the third period, their lead was increased even more as Bratt added his second of the night. Bratt then ended his night and topped off his hat trick with an empty net goal to give the Devils a 6-2 win.
Kurtis MacDermid and Jonah Gadjovich dropped the gloves halfway through the third period, Gadjovich’s second fight in this mini series between the Devils and Panthers.
Special teams were a huge factor in the Devils’ success in these two games. The Devils went three-for-five on the power play in their second meeting against Florida and killed all five penalties.
Jake Allen was a brick wall in net for the Devils and continues to have a stellar season. He ended the game with a save percentage of .926% In seven games so far, he has four wins and a save percentage of .916%
Bratt, Hischier and Hughes all collected three-point nights as the Devils continue to heat up. Hughes ended the night with one goal and two assists and Hischier added three assists to his season so far.
The Devils had if not the best, then one of their best performances of the season against the Panthers. With two back-to-back wins over the best of the best, has New Jersey finally made a statement to the NHL?
The Devils continue their time in Florida on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. ET.
