Newark, N.J. — The New Jersey Devils made their home debut a winning one Thursday night, rallying behind third-period goals from Timo Meier and Nico Hischier to defeat the Florida Panthers 3–1 at the Prudential Center.
Goaltender Jake Allen turned aside 21 shots to earn his first victory of the season, helping New Jersey extend its winning streak to three games after dropping the opener in Carolina.
Florida struck first just 1:59 into the contest when Evan Rodrigues pounced on a rebound in front and pushed it past Allen for his second goal of the year. The Devils settled in from there, and midway through the second period, Jack Hughes evened the score at 1–1, converting off a slick feed from Meier and Jesper Bratt, whose helper marked the 300th assist of his NHL career.
In the final period, Meier broke the deadlock at 6:23, firing home his team-leading third goal of the season past Panthers goalie Daniil Tarasov. Hischier added an insurance tally at 11:47 — his second of the year — to secure the win.
Meier and Hughes each finished with a goal and an assist, while Allen provided steady play in net as the Devils continued to find their rhythm despite injuries in goal. New Jersey was without Jacob Markstrom, who suffered a lower-body injury Monday in Columbus and is expected to miss several weeks.
Tarasov, acquired by Florida from Columbus in a late-June trade, was sharp despite the loss, making 30 saves, including several key stops on Hughes late in the second period and a highlight-reel denial on Lucas Glendening’s breakaway earlier in the frame.
The Panthers’ offensive struggles continued as they went 0-for-5 on the power play and dropped their third straight road game following a 3–0 start at home. Florida remains without several top players — including captain Aleksander Barkov (knee), Matthew Tkachuk (adductor), Tomas Nosek, and Dmitry Kulikov — leaving the lineup thin early in the season.
Up Next:
Devils: Host the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
Panthers: Travel to face the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
