SUNRISE, Fla. — Late in the second period, Timo Meier found the back of the net for the decisive goal, leading the New Jersey Devils to a 4-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. With Jacob Markstrom in goal, who recorded 33 saves, the Devils put an end to Florida’s seven-game winning streak.
Jack Hughes opened the scoring for New Jersey in the first period, and Paul Cotter extended the lead to 3-1 with just over 15 minutes remaining in the game. Dougie Hamilton and Jesper Bratt contributed with two assists each, and Ondrej Palat sealed the victory by scoring into an empty net as time was winding down.
This match marked the 498th career game for Markstrom, a milestone that only 80 goaltenders have reached in the NHL’s history.
Florida managed to get a goal from Sam Reinhart, who netted his 12th of the season, while Spencer Knight stopped 20 shots in goal for the Panthers. The team was without forward Sam Bennett, who was a late scratch due to an undisclosed upper-body injury.
**Takeaways**
The Devils exemplified their resilience throughout the game, further proving their ability to bounce back, as they improved to 5-2-1 this season when coming off a loss. Meanwhile, the Panthers are facing a grueling stretch of ten matches, with significant challenges ahead, including two games against New Jersey and two against the NHL’s top team, Winnipeg, along with difficult contests against Carolina, Chicago, Colorado, Washington, and Toronto.
**Key moment**
In a standout moment of the game, Florida’s Jonah Gadjovich and New Jersey’s Brenden Dillon engaged in a fierce fight during the middle of the second period. For approximately 30 seconds, both players exchanged fierce punches, each holding onto the other’s jersey with their left hands. Gadjovich lost his helmet at one point, leaving his head partially concealed by his sweater, but it was Dillon who ultimately went down first.
**Key stat**
The win highlighted the Devils’ impressive performance when leading after two periods, now boasting a perfect 9-0-0 record in that scenario this season. Historically, teams in the NHL leading after 40 minutes of play have had a remarkable record of 181-4-15 before this game, showcasing the difficulty of reeling back from such a deficit.
**Up next**
The two teams are set to face off again on Thursday night in Sunrise.